Mascoma Lake this am

[Matt Steinberg]

Good Morning,

I skated on Mascoma this morning in the crisp 3 degree air with hardly a breath of wind around sunrise. As Sarah mentioned in her post yesterday, the best skating is between the bridge (skating under is off limits!) and the first island to the south. The area just south of the bridge is blown clear and then as you head further south drifts become more and more numerous. Once you reach the islands, it is basically snow covered to the south end. As of now, the snow is not consolidated and you can skate easily though most but there are a few that are dense and catchy and other snow covered frozen slush bands that can trip you up. The drifts can be easily slalomed down to that point though. The ice is thick, old black ice that dates from Dec 15 when I first skated on it the night after it caught. I did not measure it but looking at cracks and bubbles visible in the ice, I would say it is at least 7 inches thick in this area. The water flow has been low this year so even the area where the channel from the river comes in was solid but I did not test it all and it is partially snow covered so this area should be well tested and given a wide berth. The lake north of the bridge becomes more and more clear of snow the further north you go until it is almost clear in front of the baited hook. The best place to get on the north side is to park at the boat launch and walk across the road and down the beach. Be careful getting on as it is often slushy and there may be loose ice chunks there. Depending on wind and potential other venues, I could be convinced to arrive at the lake at 630 several  mornings this week and try to skate the north side if anyone is interested. I am trying to maintain my employment, which is hard to do with so much great ice in the region so I do need to leave by 8am each day. Be aware, this is not a huge area of ice but it is generally quite smooth for the most part and a pleasant easily accessible area for people close by. Email if you want more details.