Finding peace on the WILD ICE

By Josie Tuthill

A lesser-known but growing sport in the Gunnison Valley is skating the wild ice of local lakes and reservoirs. When the temperatures and conditions combine just right, skaters glide around carving into the frozen surface waters of their favorite summer swimming hole. Common locations are Blue Mesa near Gunnison or Long Lake outside of Crested Butte. Despite the term “wild” ice, the sport is one that offers tranquility and peace.

Skating wild ice in the Gunnison Valley is described as “a quiet magic” by local skater Mackenzie Bode. She says, it’s “co-existing with nature…serenity.” But it is not as simple as lacing up your skates and taking off. You must bring a prepared mind and have done your research. It is not something to do alone and the gear includes a life jacket, ice picks, throw bag with rescue rope, ice screw, ice probe, extra warm clothes, all packed in a bucket for transporting and to sit on while lacing up your skates-as Bode does.

Wild ice is most accessible and reliable at Blue Mesa Reservoir, the largest body of water in Colorado. Sitting at 7,519 feet in a low humidity climate, the reservoir can experience early freezing temperatures creating thick and clear hard ice. It is so deep that the light passing through the clear dense surface ice into the dark water beneath creates the illusion of a smooth sheet of “black ice.” These stretches of glass-like ice are hard to beat. However, “reliable is always relative with wild ice,” says Bode.

“The adventure and bliss of gliding over a large sheet of smooth ice, catching glimpses of fish and plants still alive below is beyond compare,” she says. But do your research, be safe, be responsible and be prepared. As with all outdoor activities, you must respect the reality of what you are doing.”

The minimum thickness of stable wild ice is four inches for walking and skating, and five to six if you are moving in a group, Bode says. You can check this by twisting an ice climbing screw into the ice or using an ice probe to puncture through the ice. And continue to check as you move further away from shore.

Take notice of the ice — are there bubbles? Bubbles in ice, although beautiful, can indicate that a melt and re-freeze occurred in that area. If there is a large bubble this can represent a spring pushing air up from underneath and can fracture easily, dropping you into the freezing water below. More questions to ask yourself are: has it been windy lately? Or snowy? Both conditions can create variability within the ice and bumps on the surface making it a bit more difficult to skate. It isn’t easy to evaluate, but according to Bode, it’s worth it.

“The best skating window often comes right after a strong cold snap with clear skies,” she shares. She wears neoprene skate covers to help combat the freezing temps. She recommends timing a skate early in the morning or late in the evening when temperatures are strengthening the ice.

Bode emphasizes the special peacefulness to starting a day watching the sunrise as you listen to that beautiful carve beneath your feet with each stride of your skate. But it sure can be cold! So, bundle up, do your research, and take your time enjoying another activity the beautiful Gunnison Valley has to offer.

A few resources Bode recommends helping your research to be prepared on the wild ice are:

•Triplepointtraining.com, where you can find online wild ice courses

•Thingstolucat.com

•Mindandmountain.com