Northeast Kingdom ice safety clinic info

[Evan Perkins]

This is an informational email for all of the folks who signed up for the ice safety clinic that is happening this Sunday at 9 AM. At this point the clinic is full. 

     

        For those that have signed up ,the location for the clinic is going to be at the fish and wildlife access for Joes pond right off of Route 2 in West Danville Vermont at 9:00 .This fish and wildlife parking area is not very big, it should fit the amount of cars that we have but we will have to be careful about how we park as we need to leave open spots for ice anglers. I am hoping to have an early arrival be a parking attendant. There is a chance that this parking lot could be icy, if you are worried about falling on ice before you have your skates on you might consider traction if you own any. I am going to be out early in the morning after the rain to make sure the site is still suitable. I will post on the Listserve by 8 o’clock if we have to change venue. There are several other options within 10 miles of the spot. If you are driving from a distance please check the Listserve at 8 a.m . As of now we are going to assume this is the location for the clinic.

       Required gear for the clinic: a mask for Covid safety ( we will be outside and try to stay distant enough in general so that masks will not be required to wear, but there may be some instances where we are close enough that it would be good protocol ) skates of any kind, a helmet, flotation either a PFD or a flotation backpack lined with a dry bag. Appropriate clothing for the weather which is predicted to be in the 30s with full sun and a strong west wind at around 13 miles an hour. We will be standing around for some of the time so dress for standing. A complete change of clothes either in your car or in your flotation backpack. 

       Suggested gear: Ice picks worn around your neck. A safety throw rope. Ice checking polls , traction for your feet  (yak tracks etc)any gear you have questions about and want an opinion on.A notebook for those who like to take notes.

     Please be dressed and ready to go at nine, this may mean arriving a little early. We will be spending around an hour on land, after that we will have time to change into skates. Provided that conditions are good enough for Skating (at this point given the weather forecast I am optimistic that they will be)

       HOMEWORK: If you have time before the clinic I would like folks to check out Lak...@squarespace.com .Under the equipment and clothing section there are two sections that I think are valuable for folks to look at . the first one is titled Beyond ice claws , the second one is titled Nordic Skating equipment. It would be great for folks to look at these so that we can limit our time answering gear questions And allow more time for ice reading and judgment work. The more time you spend on that site the better in terms of improving your knowledge. I am hoping that this clinic will actually give people enough information that the lake ice website will be more valuable to them as they will have a starting point. I am attaching a link below to a helpful YouTube video developed by Dan Spada A veteran Nordic skater, this video gives a fairly in-depth description of the different kinds of gear you might want on a Nordic skating outing. The link is: 

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLABo8e4x2SwTeleM3xJ4JWNmPNHLtPTXc

       Below I am attaching a preliminary outline for our three hour clinic, this outline is still subject to change as I am actively refining it. If any other experience Nordic skaters on the Listserve have ideas or opinions about things to add to this outline or take away from it please email me directly. I would appreciate feedback as I am hoping this document could be a starting point for other folks to run clinics in different areas of the state and beyond.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14-sPxrTY3_N2ZFD3AWTI_bdNZCEoT8SqmR-X-pgLwkg/edit

 

Please feel free to email me directly if you have further questions, see you all on Sunday morning! Evan

Sent from my iPhone

[David Rosenmiller]

It’s so great that you are offering this course Evan. It’s such a valuable service. I really hope there’s a way for folks who don’t live in that area or who didn’t sign up in time to get access to this knowledge. Would you consider having someone record (parts of) the session?

Would you or  someone else be willing to offer a similar workshop this winter a little further south?

Thanks,

David 

Please excuse brevity and typos 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 10, 2021, at 9:09 PM, Evan Perkins <evanwpe...@gmail.com> wrote:

This is an informational email for all of the folks who signed up for the ice safety clinic that is happening this Sunday at 9 AM. At this point the clinic is full. 

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[Jamie Hess]

Evan, thanks so much for organizing this valuable (and free!) workshop
for Nordic skaters in Vermont. You're a wealth of knowledge about ice
and how to enjoy it safely, and I applaud your generosity in offering
to share it.

Your Google doc is a great start at outlining all the helpful ice and
equipment knowledge that needs to be covered. A few suggestions in no
particular order (and maybe you already plan to cover these):
1. 'Fall turnover' in lakes and how it helps to determine where ice
forms early vs. late - and why ice that formed too early can sometimes
melt unexpectedly
2. What causes pressure ridges to form, and why they often (but not
always) form in the same place year after year
3. Why open water holes sometimes remain open for days or weeks for no
apparent reason
4. How to choose the best location for early-season skating 'recon'
5. Five reasons why it's a good idea to bring a pair of poles on your
wild ice adventure
6. Group dynamics - techniques to ensure the safety of every member of
your skating group

For anyone unable to attend due to distance or time constraints, there
are wild ice experts in other parts of the Northeast. I'll list just a
handful of names but there are many others:
In the Adirondacks: Dan Spada and Kevin Boyle
In the Champlain Valley: Bob Dill
In New Hampshire: Will Tuthill and myself (Jamie Hess)
In Maine: Bob Lombardo and Jesse Stevens
In Massachusetts: Rick Hobbs

Happy skating,
Jamie

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vtnordicskating/6D1919AF-1776-4612-9299-6227B9B20B92%40igc.org.

[Lindafgavin@ Gmail.com]

I would second that request but ask that it be as far south as possible. Lynn

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 11, 2021, at 3:14 PM, Jamie Hess <nordi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Evan, thanks so much for organizing this valuable (and free!) workshop

> To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/vtnordicskating/CAELCQgZ2Uj-kpKB3kHAurbWGRQ4Ki%2BCgefF9HT8KFGvFh0E%2BHA%40mail.gmail.com.