FUN ICE HEAVES at Calling Lake!!

[Drewski Canuck]

Ice was very active at Calling on the weekend.

A fresh heave along the east shore for miles gave a surprise.

The Ice pan was upright and piled up, but on the lake side the snow was brownish???

I was busting the heave down and a chunk flew off into what turned out to be slush from the snow falling into open water. With the snow coming down, the open water was filled with slush and it appeared to be ice, but was not.

Water was not deep, but this is a first where the ice popped up and left a complete void of water, NOT ice, on the lake side of the heave. It was about 15 feet of open water, so how that happened is anyone's guess. It stretched for miles like that.

So just be cautious travelling toward a heave until you can be sure that it is actually frozen and thick enough by testing the ice around it by probing with an auger, or an axe.

In a couple of days the open water near the heave should re freeze, but it will take some time to get to the prior thickness that was safe to travel over.

Drewski

[SNAPFisher]

Wow. That is a huge open spot alight!

I'm sure it happens more then we think. I parked near one at Pigeon and walked up to it. I wanted to check something on the other side so decided it was smart to jump across. Looked solid, and was not. Luckily one leg went through so could have been worse.

I'm sure when it collides and heaves some sections can break off and slide underneath the other side and then relax leaving a nice gap.

[capper]

Hey everyone could you update me on conditions on calling. are you able to drive over to volkswagon point or are there ice heaves blocking the way. Just wanting to know if i should bring the sleds or i’m able to boot around in the truck. Thanks

[Dean2]

Large areas of open water, on either side of a heave is VERY common. The shallower the lake overall and or the shallower the heave, makes this more pronounced. Also common is an open area below a heave. Wind direction when the heave formed determines which side the open water is usually on but a wind shift can leave open water on both sides. Some of these areas never re-freeze properly for the rest of the winter. Definitely be VERY VERY careful around an ice heaves or other abnormalities.

[Skabulon]

Originally Posted by capper

Hey everyone could you update me on conditions on calling. are you able to drive over to volkswagon point or are there ice heaves blocking the way. Just wanting to know if i should bring the sleds or i’m able to boot around in the truck. Thanks

I'm also wondering this, I'm hoping to take a buddy out for his first overnighter on Tuesday night

[Drewski Canuck]

Fun continues!!!

Took a couple of friends out fishing at Calling on Sunday. Decided to go to the east side about 11ish, had to run in and fuel up the sled. Crossing that had been smashed flat at the ice heave was still flat.

Came back about 3:45 and the ice had snapped, and piled up about 4 to 5 feet high???

We had to do down about a 1/4 mile to get across the heave and drive parallel to shore to get back to the cabin.

We did not hear anything more than what sounded like groans and cracks all afternoon.

Hope everyone else made it off the ice OK on Sunday!!!

Drewski

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Large areas of open water, on either side of a heave is VERY common. The shallower the lake overall and or the shallower the heave, makes this more pronounced. Also common is an open area below a heave. Wind direction when the heave formed determines which side the open water is usually on but a wind shift can leave open water on both sides. Some of these areas never re-freeze properly for the rest of the winter. Definitely be VERY VERY careful around an ice heaves or other abnormalities.

X2

Sound advice

I was out once and people were jumping the ice heave on quads and snow mobiles.

Looked like fun until one guy smashed through the ramp and into the lake. A snowmobile barely made it across and I ran over to grab hold of the front and he left off and together we pulled it up onto the ice. Another foot back… likely too much mass would of been on the water.

This was on Pigeon.

Heaves smash together and pull apart.