Ice and snow weight

[markdbliss]

With this much snowfall, are there concerns with the ice breaking due to the weight? I don't want to be "that guy" who falls through! New to snow kiting, and have only done it in fields so far. Thanks!!

[MK]

Great observation Mark. Don't be that guy. Go to the fields young man.

[kiteboymn]

Get yourself a cheap ice chisel and check a half a dozen spots in the area that your gonna be in. If ya can't send that sucker through in 3 hard shots you'll be just fine. (For foot traffic)

[sekollera]

Typically what happens is the new snow either pushes down on the thin ice making "snow ice" (grey, not black), or the snow load insulates the heat of the lake and it takes much longer for ice for grow. And of course you cannot see what is going on a few inches below your feet. This is the exact situation we face now.

Either way, you have to be very prudent. In the DN iceboats we scope a large area then race in that area only - all known hazards are identified and communicated, if possible. On Forest Lake on 5" of black ice we found a large area that looked very suspect - the weight of a helmet on a rope was enough to break through!

It takes time but few go swimming as a result - not bad all things considered.

/Adam