Re: Sunapee & Pleasant 3/28/26

[Matt Steinberg]

Thanks Jamie.

Wanting to make the most of a great day I decided to forego travelling to a more exotic locale and stay local, hitting Mascoma and Pleasant Lakes. Mascoma is bumpy in the west side, has degraded large crystal black ice in the middle making it very textured but skateable and smooth stretches of small crystal ice on the east shore mixed with bumpy grey. 

  Leaving the post office parking lot in Elkins, I skated up the west shore of Pleasant Lake on a mix of smooth grey and bumpy degraded large crystal ice until about half way up and then the ice gods shined down on the northern half of the lake. It is mostly exceptionally smooth small crystal black ice with the occasional bump. This is the best ice I have seen since the Baltic in mid Feb and some of the best I've seen since the initial freeze ups in Nov and Dec. If you are nearby it is worth the trip. Get there very early, this ice will start to candle before noon. Between the 2 lakes, I skated over 65 miles with just a 20 min drive. Sometimes it's good to stay local.

Matt

On Sat, Mar 28, 2026, 7:53 PM Jamie Hess <nordi...@gmail.com> wrote:

The calendar may say it's springtime, but today was a perfect winter day on the ice. Surfaces remained hard all afternoon, thanks to a lot of passing clouds, a northwest breeze, and temps only in the upper 20s.

We started out of Sunapee Harbor as a group of seven. Thankfully the ice floes along the shore had fused together overnight and we were able to step out from shore onto the main plate. Most of Sunapee is a massive plate of thick black ice, but sadly, the warm spring weather earlier this week has taken its toll. Warm winds etched the crystal boundaries and turned a formerly smooth surface into a bumpy one. Despite the challenging conditions, four skaters persevered and visited all three of Sunapee's lighthouses on a 13-mile loop. (See attached pic taken at Burkehaven Lighthouse.)

Seeking a respite from the bumps, we broke for lunch and reconvened on Pleasant Lake in nearby Elkins, where the ice is smoother - especially at the far end of the lake. Skaters came from four different states (NH, VT, ME and MA) to enjoy what might just be the smoothest ice in New England. The duck droppings have melted their way down below the surface and the holes have frozen over, so you no longer have to skate through them. We saw a bald eagle feasting on a submerged deer carcass that was just starting to emerge through a hole in the ice. Ah, the joys of wildlife watching!

You may be wondering, "What's the plan for tomorrow?" I'll put that in a separate email because Vermonters may also want to know.

Happy skating,

Jamie

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