Montpelier area
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Kate Stephenson
Dec 14, 2018, 8:19:04 AM12/14/18
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Any suggestions for good spots in the Montpelier area?
Hoping to get out tomorrow for the first time this season.
Otherwise maybe we'll try Colchester Pond?
Kate
Vince Rossano
Dec 14, 2018, 11:51:23 AM12/14/18
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Kate,
I was on Wrightsville Reservoir on Wednesday. It had about two inches of snow covering a plate of gravelly-surfaced grey ice. It was skateable. But it wasn’t great fun. I skated from the dam up to the narrow neck above the fishing access area. The ice is usually thinner there due to a bit of current. I got to easy-single-poke ice there and turned around.
Before this warm up, if you couldn’t get far from home, I’d have suggested giving it a try. By tomorrow, though, it will probably be a slush bucket. You will be getting colder temps there on Saturday night than we will in Burlington; maybe the slush will freeze solid and allow skating on Sunday - but I wouldn’t count on it.
Colchester Pond might be the best chance for skating this weekend since it has a large plate of solid black ice, which won’t soften as much as grey ice in the warm temps. Sunday morning would probably be the best bet, if the forecast holds for a Saturday night of sub-freezing temps in the area.
But, perhaps, our ice maven, Bob Dill, can weigh in on whether 36 hours of above-freezing temps is likely to do irreparable harm to Colchester Pond’s sheet of black ice.
Vince
I was on Wrightsville Reservoir on Wednesday. It had about two inches of snow covering a plate of gravelly-surfaced grey ice. It was skateable. But it wasn’t great fun. I skated from the dam up to the narrow neck above the fishing access area. The ice is usually thinner there due to a bit of current. I got to easy-single-poke ice there and turned around.
Before this warm up, if you couldn’t get far from home, I’d have suggested giving it a try. By tomorrow, though, it will probably be a slush bucket. You will be getting colder temps there on Saturday night than we will in Burlington; maybe the slush will freeze solid and allow skating on Sunday - but I wouldn’t count on it.
Colchester Pond might be the best chance for skating this weekend since it has a large plate of solid black ice, which won’t soften as much as grey ice in the warm temps. Sunday morning would probably be the best bet, if the forecast holds for a Saturday night of sub-freezing temps in the area.
But, perhaps, our ice maven, Bob Dill, can weigh in on whether 36 hours of above-freezing temps is likely to do irreparable harm to Colchester Pond’s sheet of black ice.
Vince
Vince Rossano
Dec 14, 2018, 2:55:05 PM12/14/18
to VTNordicskating
On the other hand: for an extra 15 minutes from Montpelier, rather than Colchester Pond, you can get to Lake Morey, which currently has 4" of beautiful black ice. With no snow cover to melt and get mushy on top. That's where I'd head tomorrow if I still lived in Montpelier and wanted to skate.
Vince
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