here we go again,first Fatality of the Season,and a few sleds thru the ice

bluemonster1

bluemonster1

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A 16 year old boy was riding with a group of 5 and he lost control and hit a tree..prayers to his family.Last week we had two mishaps were sleds went thru the ice,2 brother's slept on the not open trial after going thru the ice,slept over night and removed most of their clothing..lucky they were found the next day .They are in not so good shape in the Hospital.And a women went through the same,but survived by snuggling up to her Dog to keep warm.
The beginning of a season seems to always be bad,people have to plan and be prepared..

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Snowmobile-creash-leaves-teen-dead-235952051.html

http://kenoraonline.com/index.php?v...t=default&page=&option=com_content&Itemid=160
 
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Oh man that stinks. People just need to stay off the ice until later in the season or at least let it thicken up more. Think smart and ride safe guys!!


iPhone using the dreaded Crapatalk
 
the boy that got killed was riding at about 7 pm Saturday and when taking a corner lost control and hit the trees.Police say darkness and speed were the culprit in this fatality..man his parents must be going crazy now especially just before xmas yet..so sad to hear this happening.I would say inexperience is another factor here.
 
I feel bad for the family of the young boy. Like SRX500kid said need to think smart. Need to ride with the "when is it going to happen to me instead it won't happen to me" attitude. Please ride safe and lets hope not to hear about any more mishaps.
 
Very sad.......
I had a few close calls when I was younger. Now I ride with a "what if" mentality. "what if" i come into that corner too quick, "what if" there's someone coming around that corner in my lane. Same mentality I use on my bike.
Be safe out there.
 
without someone testing with an auger cannot assume anything when it comes to ice. Ice fisherman usually the best source since they cut a hole and can tell how thick it is. But its not the same everywhere. Currents and snow covering will affect freezing. A well pounded path from previous machines is always the safest since the ice will freeze thicker there and you know it was good enough at one point. December is too early IMO regardless of the temp. It takes time to get at least 8-10" of ice most of which is not clear/blue ice anyway so its weak. We have people go through on Lake Simcoe just north of Toronto every year. They're usually fisherman in this case after the first week or two of subzero temps. Not enough time and not long enough. When I lake ran. Me and my son would park by a main trail come off the lake and watch to see if groups of sled were coming and how many. After a half hour or so if a few dozen had appeared to enter the bay at the marina and come off without sinking there asses in slush. We'd make a controlled mad dash onto the trail and turn to swoop back paying attention to the track whether it was sinking or not at anytime and back on land at the marine. After some discussion we'd venture out the trail staying on the packed track lefted by dozens of crossings and looking to see ahead any slush troughs where a sled was boating in slush. Eventually they freeze but become a hazard if you hit one without seeing it coming (especially at night). It can toss you good or flip you. When on the ice especially the first 6 time or so we don't dilly dally about. We have planned stops point (on shores/land) on the route across the lakes. Watching each other we move pretty good that being fast enough to over anything but never wide open with reserves available it we hit a soft area to power through. Getting we and even stuck in slush is an extremely bad experience. Only happened once real bad on a small pond getting stuck in deep slush. No fun and 5hr later we got out.

The thing about water is it does not freeze once covered in snow. So venturing of a pounded track you could be into it big time. Cutting across fresh power maybe fun but be prepared to head back to the path quickly if you're seeing a dark slush trail where your track went over. Some areas as in Haliburton Lakes area have a lot of riders going across in groups and established routes. Staying on them is the safest but you need to be very cautious. We watch each time for travellers and fresh tracks after a snowfall. Never be the first after new snow. (Lake water comes up over the ice with the added weight and now a big wet area). Even early Jan is early and so many variables to make it hazardous. Night running is especially bad idea. Some riders run the open water area's on lakes where the current keeps it open. Following the many tracks at night takes you, you guessed it to the open water. You may or may not make it across by the time you see it attempting to stop won't work. Steering away may not either. I've been caught on that point once.
 
I personally check the ice every winter before riding on. Dont really see alot of this around here though.
 
95rxl650 said:
Fella that works with my wife wrecked his sled and broke 3 ribs on the weekend. Never left the yard.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a run away sled. I always check the throttle action. I must return and not stick to normal position. He learnt something, the hard way no doubt.

The School of Hard Knocks been manned by a serious task master. I've not graduated yet. It seems I still have a few thing to get right and go back to school.
 
heard today that guys are already riding on the main River system out here,is early but it has been bitterly cold for over 2 weeks already.The River would be the only place to ride a long distance because there is not a lot of snow in the ditch's or fields.Bad start for this season so far,had a lot of miles put on last year at this time.I have been caught in deep slush many times,once I was stuck ..took a long time to turn sled around and try to climb back up the River bank..almost impossible actually.I would not want to break thru ice,it would be my last time on this Earth for sure.Keeps reminding me of my Daughters boyfriend who drowned last year late in the boating season..I keep seeing him in my head trying to stay afloat in the freezing water in Ontario.He didn't survive it,imagine going thru the ice yet and going under..scary thought...
 
I personally won't even ride on rivers just for the many reasons mentioned above. Lakes, no problem. Heck I was just out on the ice yesterday with my Duramax. 18" of ice on the lake already.

Always sad reading stories like all of these.
 
We by definition a river is moving water, hence a current which in its nature resists freezing even when below its freezing point. From shore to shore the thickness may vary a lot. Unless you and other do the occasional ice auger hole test you assume too much. Bitter cold is one thing but it does not equal to thick ice in a given time.

Case in point. A number of years ago I bought a ice rink kit. A large plastic 20 x 50ft or so flat bag arrangement that had a fill opening. Filled with water once it was a laid out in the yard as flat as possible. We here in Toronto area had -20C temp for two weeks straight. I could not get it to freeze right through while in the bag. Only about 30% frozen. In the end I slit one end to expose the ice to the freezing air directly. After which freezing water belched out of. I shored up the leaking areas with snow which froze around it be never ever froze through that winter. A disaster in itself. Even then I'd seen numerous examples of unfrozen areas near creeks around lakes, outlets of rivers. Getting to close to them on the ice and you're through. I have no desire for a Polar bear swim especially suited up as I am on the sled. I have no idea how some people get out in all that gear.

Never the less I doubt your river is truly frozen thick enough to be safe. You're just get over it fast enough before it opens up and forcibly invites you in. I'll wait another month or so if its was me. Snow will stop all freezing no matter how cold, until its packed down and the insulating quality is eliminated. There are plenty of riders who are not around because they firmly believed it was frozen and thick enough and may have rode a day or two before there last ride.

ITS TOO EARLY AND IT NEED A LOT OF TIME TO THICKEN SUFFICIENTLY - WAIT AND LIVE TO RIDE ANOTHER YEAR

If you must get an auger and run some test holes in key areas being careful as you move from shore to the center. A sheet of plywood or something else can distribute your weight so you don't plunge through.
 
Rivers are alluring as they provide a path thru the forest...I've seen tracks down rivers I could not imagine following ..some people get on a sled and go stupid..usually drunk or young or both.

I think WI. has a law on rivers..I know we swim our Honda ATV's (Honda ATV's float) and that's illegal.
 
well I know in the corners some areas take longer to freeze,I have passed may open areas on the River,but stay to one side and not in the middle .There are 2 rivers that meet up and ice fishermen always fish there.Last there I stopped to ask them how thick the ice was,was around 10 inch's after xmas.I mean some of these guys run their 4x4's trucks on this ice and even a Hummer..so if they don't go thru I sure won't with my light weight sled..I know the River system good here..further out there is always moving water due to some damning,but hasn't stopped me from riding on by..
 
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I don't think there are any special laws about river riding in Wisconsin. I used to get a ton of miles on in the season on the Milwaukee river in Newburg. Any time it had been cold enough, but there was only an inch of show we were running the river at a friends house that was right on it. Only once did one drip through the ice, and I was not there that day as I was recovering from my 21st birthday hangover.
 
I've never ridden on a river. Can't say I'd want to. I see too many thin areas at both ends of them and even along them up in northern Ontario. Everything else might be frozen but not them. Some places where its not moving too fast its covered over. With a Sled at 600-700lbs gased up and 230+lbs for a suited, booted rider the ice has to handle 1000lbs pretty much. You might get over it but the person behind will and can go right in because its weakened. Happened many times. Going like a bat on them is not wise since negotiating turns on ice even with snow on them isn't fun. Too much can go wrong.

I hear you say there aren't any lakes but you make have a very good sense of the state of it. Better than most and its smart checking with the fisherman. All the other areas on the way can be all over the place in thickness and that's what would scare me. As with the lakes they need time to freeze without snow on them. Longer is usually safer. Some stretches will never be safe. Once down on it you appear not to able to get back out whenever you want. Than must have taken plenty of years off you for sure. It does not sound like a pleasant cruise. We got some hear and lakes can drop 15-20ft from summer and rocks are protruding out. No sled will ever move that rock nor the maple trees lining the trails and roads. No matter how fast you hit them many have tried and they're still there.
 
Funny thing is this experience I had on that same river years ago. I was on my skidoo formula plus ( heavy all steel prs chassis) on the river and we knew that if you went past a certain spot, that there were rapids, and no ice. I stopped the sled, about 100 yards from that point, but kept it running. I put my foot down from the running board, and it went straight through the ice. I quickly hauled a$$ out of there and onto solid ice. So while there are a lot of pounds of weight, there are a lot of square inches that the weight is displaced over. Granted that doo had a 16 inch wide track, but for a 121" sled, it was super heavy. I should do the math, but my 200 lbs at the time on a size 12 footprint was more weight per square inch than the heavy sled with me on it.
 
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