Info request. (Ski/Sled/Boots for frozen lake travel)

[Neil]

Hi everybody,
I'm planning a 600 mile ski trip in central Canada (Manitoba) that will be entirely on big exposed lakes (L. Manitoba, L. Winnipegosis, Cedar L. and L. Winnipeg.) The conditions will be quite cold with hard wind-packed snow conditions. What I'm looking for is specific information and advice regarding what type of sled, skis and boots I might want to use. Also, any input on how to plan and equip for a 4-6 week winter stint without landfall is also welcome.
Thanks!

 

[audrey]

Wow, sounds serious! And how to keep your flute from freezing up...

 

[paul ron]

Ask the Canadians...

Neil, get on this site http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/default.asp and ask the Canadians that live there.

Sounds like a grand trip, good luck and let us know how it went?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I had a neighbor from Minnesota once. She told me that entire towns move out onto the lakes for the winter. They have really elaborate 'shacks' with wood stoves, generators, TVs, and of course holes in the floor to ice fish through. The mailman use to come out on a snowmobile, and then ski between all the shacks to deliver the mail.

Are you tent camping? Maybe you can find some generous soul to let you stay in their shack... Don't forget your tip-ups to catch your dinner ;-)

This sounds pretty cool, actually... I would get to have two of the four activities I enjoy most (technically, ice fishing is not something I do very often.)

Tim

 

[Peakbagr]

Neil,

How can I get a job like yours? Sheesh, 6 weeks off, way to go!

 

[Neil]

Neil,

How can I get a job like yours? Sheesh, 6 weeks off, way to go!

It's easy, you become self-employed and figure out how to get by with no pay.

Bikehikeski: Except for passing through Grand Rapids, Manitoba (Go ahead, Google it )I'm pretty sure we won't see another living soul from day 1 to the end of this trip.

 

[cbcbd]

One word: Skijoring

 

[michaelb]

The people at myccr (canadian canoe routes) are also pretty knowledgable about winter tripping and some of them have probably been where you are going:

http://www.myccr.com/SectionForums/viewforum.php?f=36

 

[Lawn Sale]

When we went to Festiglace a few years ago for the ice climbers festival, we saw a lot of people kite skiiing. You might give it a try, they were really flying along and seemed to be having fun despite the -20°F temperature that February.

 

[Maddy]

Neil....I am so jealous!
Try this site for a pulk. There are lots of others on the web.
http://picearubens.tripod.com/Pulks.htm
I made one two years ago but it is not very sophisticated.
Good luck. It should be a grand adventure.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Egads Nanook!!! Six weeks of winter on exposed Manitoban lakes... now THAT'S an adventure! I'd have to think an ice auger would be handy... both for fishing and getting water in liquid form and saving valuable fuel. Also, is it possible to cache food prior to your trip? Since you're gonna be on ice/hard snow, you'll probably want some backcountry skis with metal edges. Boots... be sure that you can wear multiple layers of socks w/o the boot feeling tight. It's much easier to change wet/damp socks than to dry your boots each night. Sleds... I dunno... making my first next month. You may want to improvise some kind of small sail... I figure those winds can be whipping down those lakes, and you might as well take advantage.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

You do NOT want a home made sled if you are doing a trip like that. There is a reason that store-bought sleds cost way more than you can make one for. It has to do with the plastic and its ability to survive sustained cold and abuse.

 

[Neil]

Water is a big issue. I figure on 3-4 liters /day. I'm not too sure about drinking the water from those lakes but will be finding out soon. The ice is usually 3-4 feet thick, btw.

Melting ice chips would be better than snow but two people could go through almost a liter of fuel/day. That's close to 80 lbs!!!

I'll be looking into shipping a load of fuel and food by bus to a community that lies on NW L. Winnipeg about half way through the trek.


WWBF, I never thought of a sail. That could be good for the 300 miles straight shot south from the north end of L. Wpg. to Wpg.

 

[el-bagr]

Look into power kites. When there's wind -- and there's wind in Manitoba -- you'll fly. With the right foil, you can easily sail upwind. The problem with basic square-rigged sails is that you can't really control direction, you just go downwind. Unless you rig up a stiff mast, and figure out a way not to flip (outriggers?) a power or traction kite is going to work much better than a sail.

 

[DougPaul]

WWBF, I never thought of a sail. That could be good for the 300 miles straight shot south from the north end of L. Wpg. to Wpg.

Kites can be very useful in certain conditions. Used by Fuchs and Messner in their minimally supported crossing of the South Polar ice cap. IIRC, they could make up to 200km a day using them.

You might find "Antarctica Both Heaven and Hell" by Reinhold Messner worth a read. It includes gear lists.

Doug

 

[Tom Rankin]

Also, is it possible to cache food prior to your trip?

I would not cache food unless it was very well secured. Any polar bears around there? Wolverines? Wolves?

Are you bringing some way to communicate with the outside world?

 

[Neil]

I would not cache food unless it was very well secured. Any polar bears around there? Wolverines? Wolves?

Are you bringing some way to communicate with the outside world?

I won't be caching food allthough that's not a bad idea. There are no polar bears that far south (only 400 miles North of the 49th parallel) The trip is planned for 2008 but I want to figure out my gear (and test it) this winter.

I like the idea of just carrying a M&C but I will be attempting to get media coverage of some sort and sponsorships and that often means day to day communication. Nowadays, for less that a thousand bucks you can get a sat phone/gps and I'll probably carry one.

The sled on Kiffaru's site looks pretty good. For $600 it better be!

 

[Peakbagr]

Neil,

Shipping fuel might be an issue.

 

[TomD]

Neil, If you go to The Lightweight Backpacker site and post this question in the winter forum, there are a Canadian (Rick) and a Finn (Keron) who post regularly there. They winter camp in really serious cold weather and should have some tips for you. Rick has some pictures of his sled in one of his posts.
http://www.backpacking.net/bbs.html

 

[hillman1]

There is also a company that rents sat phones. The ad is somewhere in the back of backpacker mag somewhere.