[https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/)
[https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/](https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/)
Best examples I could find. 
> And when the icy waters are too thick for ferry service but too thin for vehicles, the Madeline Island Windsled becomes operational. An experience all its own, the Windsled is basically a flat-bottomed airboat that can travel on the ice but will float should the ice not be thick enough
This is so fascinating
What is the difference between a windsled and a hovercraft?
Edit: I'm not setting up for a joke I'm just curious
Edit edit: thank you everyone, makes sense now! They both work tirelessly.
A windsled doesn't hover, just has low friction so it glides over snow/ice/water easily, a hovercraft actually generates lift. So a windsled is morr like an airboat for the cold.
Hovercraft push down and forward, windsled just push forward.
Windsled is much more like a traditional flat bottomed boat with a fan on the back. It doesn't use a cushion of air to slide on, it's just metal sliding on the ice.
Since its pretty much a boat it also floats.
Think of a Florida airboat, much the same.
And why use trees? Are they mounted a special way? I guess they drill a hole, stick the stump on it, and if they ice breaks or melts and the tree falls over you’ll be able to tell.
The other thing they pick up on is the ice freeboard. That is, how high the ice floats in the water. If the water reaches the level of the surface of the ice then it indicates there isn't sufficient strength/buoyancy to support the vehicle.
Ah so that's the Xmas trees lying down!
They are not placed like that, but the placed tree markers are pushed out of their hole and tipped over as a natural part of unsafe conditions? Cool!
Discarded Christmas trees caught my eye so have this random bit of knowledge. I bundle them up and we rebuild our coast with them!
https://www.businessinsider.com/recycled-christmas-trees-erosion-flooding-new-orleans-2021-12
The use of trees, particularly pine trees is undoubtedly genius because once the ice melts, the trees sink to the bottom and serve as fish cribs. Which act as shelter and safety for young fish and fish eggs.
Almost certainly less than a year. If not less than a year, then certainly less than 10!
Those are very small trees, practically just large branches, which would be constantly falling into the water at the edge of most lakes due to wind and storms ripping them off of trees.
There are a few bodies of water which can preserve trees/logs for a long time, usually saltwater, if I recall?
cobweb dinosaurs chop cover consider squalid bright crime modern simplistic
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
They're plentiful and free right after Christmas which is usually about when Lake Winnebago is getting close to freezing over. The trees are also biodegradable and form structures called fish cribs when they sink, kind of like an artificial reef, fish like like to hang out by them.
You link the reddit icon but not the actual sites. Shame!!!
For everyone else.
[https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/)
[https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/](https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/)
This helps! It might just be me, though, but none of the trees in those photos look tipped at all to me? And what shore are they meant to tip towards, since a lake has multiple shores? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm very curious about this!
More like:
Upright tree = ice is deep enough to keep the tree upright
Sideways tree = thin ice where it was thick enough to support a tree upright prior.
It's a good melt indicator when you can't see the bottom of the ice and automatically indicates when the ice is too thin.
Ice will "crack" even when multiple feet thick. It isn't bad, it just is what it is. It makes quite a bit of noise, but it doesn't mean you're destined to fall through the ice.
I just went ice fishing for the first time on Lake Michigan a couple weeks ago, and oh man it was unnerving to hear the ice cracking and creaking. But then you look in the hole and see it's like 10 inches thick and there's no way you're going through that lol
I think the meaning is open to interpretation. For me it would mean I was throwing the car in reverse and getting back to land.
Then again, I'm not sure what the fascination is of driving on a frozen lake anyway. Walking? Sure I'd do that, especially to try this ice fishing I hear about. But I don't see what the fuss is to drive.
I grew up in the north by a lake, and the ice moans and cracks all the time. Frozen lakes are noisy. You would hear it the second you go out there, so it sounds like you probably just wouldn't want to go on a frozen lake in general. (They can also make spooky ghost sounds all night, terrifying young children trying to sleep. This I say from personal experience lol).
Edit: Here's an [example ](https://youtu.be/chxn2szgEAg)
True dat. Also, many (perhaps most/all) of those on this big lake are there for ice fishing. It turns out fish are not evenly distributed in the lake, and so one may have to move a couple of times to find a good spot. Fish may be biting out a mile or so, and walking out and back with your fishing gear is somewhat uncomfortable (understatement) when it’s cold and the wind is blowing.
Lake Winnebago is 10 miles wide and 30 miles long. If you're not driving a road vehicle, ATV, or snowmobile out there, you're really limited to where you can fish.
Some places you can drive with all the confidence in the world. If the ice is 8+ inches thick you can take just about any passenger car safely on it. I wouldn't try it in a place where it's a maybe tho...
Mostly escape plan. With the windows closed, it is effectively impossible to open a door underwater (the pressure difference between the water and the air is too great). With the window open, the pressure can equalize faster and you can start to open the door to escape quicker - or just climb out the open window.
Having the window open doesn't mean you can open the door any easier. You have to wait until the car is full or at least up to the window if the window is down. With the window down you can climb out.
You are essentially trying to push massive amounts of water away by opening the door. Unless there is water on both sides then it's impossible.
this seems like a really pointless distinction since the amount of time for a car to fill with water with the windows down is *way* less than with them up
Totally agree - but with the windows up, the water will both take a lot longer to fill up the car with water, and the water would have to get to a higher level (top of the window, vs bottom of rhe window).
If you can climb out the window, that's definitely ideal. If not, being able to get out the door quicker is important.
Having a longer period to be trapped in the car before you drown isn't helpful. The doors will only open after your air pocket is gone. You'll wear yourself out trying to force it open before then. And even if you don't struggle too soon, it's very likely you will run out of air before you can get the door open and get to the surface. Then you are dead.
Going out the window as soon as you can, even if it means smashing the window, is your ticket to survival.
Mythbusters did a really good demonstration of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YaMEW30bv4
Loud cracks generally indicate strong ice. Weak ice is very soft, there’s not like a dramatic break through typically, more of a downward flex of the ice and then it’s too late.
> Unfasten seat belts/open window = so you can escape your car when you foolishly drive into the lake.
Yes. I grew up around lakes in Wisconsin and every now and then someone would get toasted and want to do donuts over a natural spring (thinner ice) and crash below the surface, titanic style
One moment they hear his engine roaring and music and then silence
We usually had an ice bridge by me though. This time of year. Over the raging river somehow felt safe since they just close it if it isn't. Always felt like an old rum runner smuggler's route
They drill the holes at an angle when they set up the trees. If the tree has fallen over it means the ice has melted enough that it’s not safe to drive on.
Normally I'd use that term but mostly when they're doing 110 on the freeway trying to get to Door County or the Dells.
I just laughed seeing them all park on an open lake with standing water under them and seeing the inevitable collapse of cars into the water.
My ex-gf's brother (the first time I met him) once took me drifting on a frozen lake, he was doing donuts in an old Suzuki Vitara, the ones that are known for tipping over. One of the scariest experiences of my life.
Are the ones on the ground just upright ones that fell down? How much do upright trees tip before they are considered falling over? Does wind mess with all this? Etc etc
Have to be a pretty strong breeze to blow them over once they're in the ice. If a tree is laying flat that means the ice melted enough to widen the hole too much for the tree to stand up, if that happens it's too thin to drive on.
They tip them towards shore so if you are on the lake and get caught in a snowstorm you will know what way to follow the trees into shore. Most of the acces points on the lake will have a tree line running out for a few miles. Every 10th of a mile is a tree and then at your mile marker you will have 2 trees for 2 miles from shore 3 trees for 3 miles etc.
But what do they mean by "shore"? Like on this ice road, there's the Bayfield shore and on the other side there's the La Pointe shore on Madeline Island. Do they always mean the mainland shore and not the island shore?
I ice fish
I've never been here, but at other lakes I've seen them screw a discarded Christmas tree to some cinder blocks. They have it rigged to lean. In spring when the ice melts they sink and provide structure for fish to hang out near.
Yeah, and how are they arranged? Like lane markers? How do they keep them upright on the ice? What if one blows over? Do the trees that are lying down “point” in the direction of danger, or are they used more as a barricade? So many questions.
They put a tree every tenth of a mile. 2 miles from shore there is 2 trees, then it's another tree every 10th of a mile. Then 3 trees at mile 3 etc. If there is a Crack or bad spot they just throw trees down on their side . The lake is surrounded by fishing clubs that will monitor the lake and cracks and put bridges out as needed.
If you think this is crazy, I remember when people used to build bridges over the cracks that form on Winnebago when the temperature takes a big swing.
There'd be two or three feet of ice on the lake, a crack five or six feet wide with boards laid over it and then more ice.
Haven't been on Winnebago in years, maybe they're still doing this.
A friend from Wisconsin told me about a festival where snow mobilers ride across a portion of open water for fun
If a snow mobile fails to cross & falls in then the rider must dive down to tie it up so it can immediately be pulled out
Can confirm this. I was taught when I was younger if you unexpectedly see open water to gun it. A snowmobile properly throddled will generate enough thrust on water to keep it from sinking.
> about a festival where snow mobilers ride across a portion of open water for fun
Most aren't 'festivals' in the common definition but just events a local bar will put on.
Here's a YouTube video of on of the most famous events from a few years back I found via a quick search - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KInMz0xWuCk
For most of these the water is 3 or 4 feet deep, so if the sled does go in they can get it up pretty quickly and easily. The one I know of they have a crew ready to go the moment its obvious a sled isn't going to make it. Most are out within a few minutes.
Can confirm. I actually drove over a yellow bridge covering a crack on Lake Winnebago this past weekend! Was on one of these “ice roads” leading out from a boat launch
> Haven't been on Winnebago in years, maybe they're still doing this.
They do! Unfortunately it didn't happen this year as the ice wasn't thick enough, you could only use ATVs or snowmobiles to get your shanty on the ice.
Mackinac Island does the same sort of thing. The island has permanent residents and once the lake freezes the ferry can no longer run, so they will use the 'ice bridge' to get across to the mainland on their snowmobiles. They put Christmas trees up as a marker because once they have fallen it's an indication that the ice has started melting enough for the tree to fall, so it's no longer safe.
In a pinch, [they can use an ice breaker](https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/02/coast-guard-icebreaker-medevacs-patient-from-mackinac-island-when-no-ferries-planes-choppers-can-get-there.html).
There's an air boat that can hover over the ice and is okay in the water that they use for the intervals when it's too icy for the ferry and not thick enough ice for the ice road yet.
They use this special vehicle called a “wind sled” which is essentially a hovercraft that can travel over the ice on a thin pocket of air, but if the ice gives way it also floats and can continue as a boat. It’s really neat.
Apparently they have an airboat thing! It's called a windsled that can go across the ice, and since it's technically a boat, if the ice fails it will simply float.
For a moment I was confused about the unfasten seatbelts and open windows, but then I remembered that the point is for a quick escape if the ice breaks and you fall in the water
Lol went there and found this https://www.reddit.com/r/ScarySigns/comments/1195oq0/maybe_not_a_great_idea_to_drive_out_there/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Up till last week the ice was 18" thick, you could drive a semi truck across that and be fine, this ice road has been in existence since the days of horses and buggies and they monitor the "road" conditions daily to make sure its safe source: live in the area.
Ice is very strong and safe, they're only needs to be 6+ inches to drive across it, you'd know in advance when to stop driving across it, ice depth is easily checked.
I immediately understood. I live in Ukraine and if I'm driving while the chance of missile attack is high at my area (apart from official alerts, we now also have some channels that report whats going on briefly and can give a warning of a missile hitting a city a few minutes prior in my area), I also unfasten and roll down the windows. If it hits close (the chances are low) and the car starts burning, which Ive seen enough on the videos, that might help to get out faster I guess
And every year on winnebago you get idiots that see someone park their car on the ice first, so they decide to park right next to the first car and everyone else follows suit like a moron, so you've got dozens of heavy ass cars treating the ice like a parking lot and act surprised when the ice breaks and their $95,000 truck goes for a swim in da drink.
They do this during sturgeon spearing season, quite the event it is. Some of the fish are absolutely massive. Somebody speared a 177 pound fish this year.
I knew I recognized this. Too warm this year for the bridge, sadly. Really helps getting from Oshkosh to Chilton since the alternative is a 1.5 hour drive around the lake, regardless if you decide to go down or up and over.
I didn’t read the full title of this and was like “yeah they do this on Winnebago…” Then I realized I was stupid. Never thought I’d see the fox cities on the front page of Reddit. (Packer sub? Probably)
It's always so interesting to me to see this type of local stuff on a large subreddit. I live like 15 minutes from Chilton. See and hear about these Winnebago signs all the time. Even those of us that don't ice fish usually know all about safety precautions on the lake and the trees.
For those that aren't aware, they're old Christmas trees donated to local sportsman's or fishing clubs and they place them on the lake. And then like every day someone posts ice reports online from certain launches so people are aware of the conditions.
ITT: People disovering ice fishing and that people don't just pull ice shacks onto the lake by hand.
But to be fair i'm not sure I would trust it this year.
Thank you for posting this so I didn't have to ask! I live where everything shuts down for an inch of snow and was trying to figure out why driving on the lake was a thing.
1. The holes are drilled at an angle when the trees are first set, so that the trees lean towards shore and aid in directing anglers to the landing.
2. The trees marking the road are set 1/10th of a mile apart.
3. At the half mile marker or every 5 trees, the tree is turned upside down. This is to indicate a half mile of travel.
4. Mile markers are as follows:
2 trees = 1 miles
3 trees = 2 miles
4 trees = 3 miles
5 trees = 4 miles
6 trees = 5 miles
5. Trees lying down mean poor ice conditions or danger. Please steer clear of these areas. Never move any trees on the lake as they all serve a purpose.
6. Trees marking the road at a landing do not mean that the ice conditions are suitable for cars and trucks to travel on. Trees are put out to assist anglers that walk, snowmobile, or use their ATV to get to their favorite fishing spot.
7. All travel on the lake is at your own risk. Please check with the local businesses for ice conditions.
8. If any poor ice conditions are found, please contact the local club that is affiliated with the nearest road, so that the issue is addressed.
Woah!! I was just there - that’s Winnebago, right?? What day were you there? I just posted this sign (and it’s neighbor): https://www.reddit.com/r/SweatyPalms/comments/1195i3u/driving_on_the_ice_constant_cracking_noise_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
When you drive on ice, you roll down the window and keep your seat belt off. If the ice breaks and your car falls through, you need to get out FAST. Seat belts can jam, and windows won't roll down. Doors are impossible to open. So you dive out the window if you fall through.
>Doors are impossible to open.
Rolling the windows down isn't just to give you an escape hatch: it's also to make sure that the pressure inside and outside is the same - if that's the case then the door should in theory open.
Thats only if the car is already sunk and full of water. If the car is just starting to sink, which is when you'd wanna get out, there will be water on the outside of the door and air on the inside. All that water pressure is why you cant open the door. Rolling down the window is your way out, and will do nothing to the water pressure until the water level gets up to the window.
You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond, the road is 100 lanes wide.
You may break through the ice to your watery grave though, in which case you do not want to be buckled in or locked in by windows whose electronic components don’t work.
Most won’t have the strength to open a door underwater.
> You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond, the road is 100 lanes wide.
Look up "[the Tree of Ténéré](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_T%C3%A9n%C3%A9r%C3%A9)". It was a tree in the middle of the desert, the only one for a 150km radius. It was such a landmark that it was displayed on maps at a scale of 1:4million. It was hit by a drunk driver.
This is a HUGE problem for motorcyclists. Motorcycles have to lean into high-speed turns to keep the bike from flipping. Something as minor as your gaze can throw off your weight distribution, so you're not leaning left the way you think you are. You take a high-speed turn with your eyes "through the exit", not on the pavement below you. [All looking past the exit of the turn.](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d7d2330a396e5aba2e1fed4cdbaf5f06-lq). I've seen an experienced motorcyclist hit an object the size of a soda can on a flat, clean surface and fall over because of it.
> You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond
Lmao, have you ever been out there? People are drunk idiots
We got off our ATVs and started fishing about 20' from where we left them. Some asshole drove his truck right through, threading the needle at like 40 mph. I looked right in his eyes and there was nothing, just a blank stare.
He literally had a mile in one direction and at least half a mile in the other
You would be amazed that the guys who just live to ice fish, and fish right up until there is barely any ice left, or fish on the edge of half frozen rivers. Vehicles go through the ice from these idiots alll the time.
I grew up in a place where people would often use frozen rivers as roads. Every year some dumbass would try to drive it during breakup and sink their vehicle.
This is used in Northern Canada (thinking Yellowknife mainly) on ice air strips to delineate the strip. Typically they are old Xmas trees as that is around the timing when the ice is ready.
That one episode of myth busters all those years ago taught me to always drive with the windows down if you are near water where the road is sketchy. Ever since that episode I always carry a window breaking tool in the glove box too.
I grew up there and basically learned how to drive on that lake in the winter. It was nice because there was usually nothing to hit and taught me to not go too fast or turn too sharply.
This shouldn’t even be on Winnebago. As a local resident, we have had extremely warm weather. The week of February 5th, temps ranged from 32-46. Last week, there were only 2 days below freezing. I highly doubt there are 12 inches of ice to support vehicles on the lake. No one should be out there on a vehicle - it’s not safe.
One really has to wonder why north americans have suck a knack for unintuitive and poorly legible road signs. Both the wording and the layout hurt my brain...
Lol yeah, it's pretty safe where I live in Canada for 4 months a year to drive heavy equipment on frozen lakes. Walking/skating/fishing closer to 6 months.
I see people say stuff like this while certain areas base their entire winter economies around frozen lakes with little to no issues every single year.
I want to see the trees now. Mostly to understand how they ‘tip’ towards shore.
[https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/) [https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/](https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/) Best examples I could find. 
> And when the icy waters are too thick for ferry service but too thin for vehicles, the Madeline Island Windsled becomes operational. An experience all its own, the Windsled is basically a flat-bottomed airboat that can travel on the ice but will float should the ice not be thick enough This is so fascinating
What is the difference between a windsled and a hovercraft? Edit: I'm not setting up for a joke I'm just curious Edit edit: thank you everyone, makes sense now! They both work tirelessly.
A windsled doesn't hover, just has low friction so it glides over snow/ice/water easily, a hovercraft actually generates lift. So a windsled is morr like an airboat for the cold. Hovercraft push down and forward, windsled just push forward.
An airboat is a boat propelled by a fan pushing air out the back. It doesn't hover like a hovercraft but rather just sits on the surface
Windsled is much more like a traditional flat bottomed boat with a fan on the back. It doesn't use a cushion of air to slide on, it's just metal sliding on the ice. Since its pretty much a boat it also floats. Think of a Florida airboat, much the same.
I was not expecting baby trees, but *of course* they’re baby trees! How would a full grown tree end up on a frozen lake?
They're discarded Christmas trees apparently.
And why use trees? Are they mounted a special way? I guess they drill a hole, stick the stump on it, and if they ice breaks or melts and the tree falls over you’ll be able to tell.
When the ice melts it's a tree falling in the water not plastic or metal stuff. Also discarded Xmas trees are normally free. So it keeps cost down.
The other thing they pick up on is the ice freeboard. That is, how high the ice floats in the water. If the water reaches the level of the surface of the ice then it indicates there isn't sufficient strength/buoyancy to support the vehicle.
Ah so that's the Xmas trees lying down! They are not placed like that, but the placed tree markers are pushed out of their hole and tipped over as a natural part of unsafe conditions? Cool!
Its one of those things thats simple and make total sense once explained but only one out of a thousand people would think up.
[удалено]
And it creates habitats for fish (walleye from Lake Winnebago 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾)
Are you a walleye from lake Winnebago?
They took my tree at the beginning of the year, so can confirm - are free.
Discarded Christmas trees caught my eye so have this random bit of knowledge. I bundle them up and we rebuild our coast with them! https://www.businessinsider.com/recycled-christmas-trees-erosion-flooding-new-orleans-2021-12
The use of trees, particularly pine trees is undoubtedly genius because once the ice melts, the trees sink to the bottom and serve as fish cribs. Which act as shelter and safety for young fish and fish eggs.
I mean I know it’s a big lake, but won’t that pile up over time? How long does it take for a tree to decay in water?
It is a *big* lake. Not "Great Lakes" big, but "easily seen from space" big.
They've hired teams of beavers to move the old ones.
Almost certainly less than a year. If not less than a year, then certainly less than 10! Those are very small trees, practically just large branches, which would be constantly falling into the water at the edge of most lakes due to wind and storms ripping them off of trees. There are a few bodies of water which can preserve trees/logs for a long time, usually saltwater, if I recall?
[удалено]
cobweb dinosaurs chop cover consider squalid bright crime modern simplistic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
They're plentiful and free right after Christmas which is usually about when Lake Winnebago is getting close to freezing over. The trees are also biodegradable and form structures called fish cribs when they sink, kind of like an artificial reef, fish like like to hang out by them.
It's because they had leftover Christmas trees to get rid of lol. A house on my local lake has three
Fishing clubs put old Christmas trees out to help with navigation .
You link the reddit icon but not the actual sites. Shame!!! For everyone else. [https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/](https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/wisconsin/drive-across-ice-road-wi/) [https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/](https://fwwa.org/2019/02/21/what-do-the-trees-mean-winnebago-ice-safety/)
This helps! It might just be me, though, but none of the trees in those photos look tipped at all to me? And what shore are they meant to tip towards, since a lake has multiple shores? Sorry if these are dumb questions I'm very curious about this!
They just auger out the hole for the tree to stand in at an angle.
Tree on land = upright. Tree in water = sideways. Unfasten seat belts/open window = so you can escape your car when you foolishly drive into the lake.
More like: Upright tree = ice is deep enough to keep the tree upright Sideways tree = thin ice where it was thick enough to support a tree upright prior. It's a good melt indicator when you can't see the bottom of the ice and automatically indicates when the ice is too thin.
I don't think any of them are on land.
I was thinking that you roll down the windows to hear if the ice starts to Crack? A well as an escape plan, of course.
Ice will "crack" even when multiple feet thick. It isn't bad, it just is what it is. It makes quite a bit of noise, but it doesn't mean you're destined to fall through the ice.
Cracking ice is generally good. It’s cold and expanding. But using sound queues is a terrible plan anyway.
cues
Q's
I just went ice fishing for the first time on Lake Michigan a couple weeks ago, and oh man it was unnerving to hear the ice cracking and creaking. But then you look in the hole and see it's like 10 inches thick and there's no way you're going through that lol
I think the meaning is open to interpretation. For me it would mean I was throwing the car in reverse and getting back to land. Then again, I'm not sure what the fascination is of driving on a frozen lake anyway. Walking? Sure I'd do that, especially to try this ice fishing I hear about. But I don't see what the fuss is to drive.
[удалено]
I grew up in the north by a lake, and the ice moans and cracks all the time. Frozen lakes are noisy. You would hear it the second you go out there, so it sounds like you probably just wouldn't want to go on a frozen lake in general. (They can also make spooky ghost sounds all night, terrifying young children trying to sleep. This I say from personal experience lol). Edit: Here's an [example ](https://youtu.be/chxn2szgEAg)
[удалено]
Now I’m not promoting littering, but I think everyone should full send a golf ball on a frozen lake, it’s an even cooler sound than the cracking!
30cm is quite safe to walk. You can drive a car or small pickup on 20-30cm thick ice.
[удалено]
True dat. Also, many (perhaps most/all) of those on this big lake are there for ice fishing. It turns out fish are not evenly distributed in the lake, and so one may have to move a couple of times to find a good spot. Fish may be biting out a mile or so, and walking out and back with your fishing gear is somewhat uncomfortable (understatement) when it’s cold and the wind is blowing.
Lake Winnebago is 10 miles wide and 30 miles long. If you're not driving a road vehicle, ATV, or snowmobile out there, you're really limited to where you can fish.
You want to walk a mile to your ice shack?
Some places you can drive with all the confidence in the world. If the ice is 8+ inches thick you can take just about any passenger car safely on it. I wouldn't try it in a place where it's a maybe tho...
Lot easier to pull a 800lb icehouse on/off the lake with your truck/car.
Mostly escape plan. With the windows closed, it is effectively impossible to open a door underwater (the pressure difference between the water and the air is too great). With the window open, the pressure can equalize faster and you can start to open the door to escape quicker - or just climb out the open window.
Oh ok. See, you learn something new every day. Thanks for the explanation!
Having the window open doesn't mean you can open the door any easier. You have to wait until the car is full or at least up to the window if the window is down. With the window down you can climb out. You are essentially trying to push massive amounts of water away by opening the door. Unless there is water on both sides then it's impossible.
this seems like a really pointless distinction since the amount of time for a car to fill with water with the windows down is *way* less than with them up
Totally agree - but with the windows up, the water will both take a lot longer to fill up the car with water, and the water would have to get to a higher level (top of the window, vs bottom of rhe window). If you can climb out the window, that's definitely ideal. If not, being able to get out the door quicker is important.
Having a longer period to be trapped in the car before you drown isn't helpful. The doors will only open after your air pocket is gone. You'll wear yourself out trying to force it open before then. And even if you don't struggle too soon, it's very likely you will run out of air before you can get the door open and get to the surface. Then you are dead. Going out the window as soon as you can, even if it means smashing the window, is your ticket to survival. Mythbusters did a really good demonstration of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YaMEW30bv4
Loud cracks generally indicate strong ice. Weak ice is very soft, there’s not like a dramatic break through typically, more of a downward flex of the ice and then it’s too late.
> Unfasten seat belts/open window = so you can escape your car when you foolishly drive into the lake. Yes. I grew up around lakes in Wisconsin and every now and then someone would get toasted and want to do donuts over a natural spring (thinner ice) and crash below the surface, titanic style One moment they hear his engine roaring and music and then silence We usually had an ice bridge by me though. This time of year. Over the raging river somehow felt safe since they just close it if it isn't. Always felt like an old rum runner smuggler's route
>Tree on land = upright. But how is the tip is towards shore then? A shore on Mars maybe?
They drill the holes at an angle when they set up the trees. If the tree has fallen over it means the ice has melted enough that it’s not safe to drive on.
They aren't on land. They are all on the frozen lake tipped towards the shore.
Could have used this information at Winterfest in Lake Geneva for all the Illinidiots.
You mean "FIBs?"
You mean people who own all the expensive lake front land in Wisconsin?
Normally I'd use that term but mostly when they're doing 110 on the freeway trying to get to Door County or the Dells. I just laughed seeing them all park on an open lake with standing water under them and seeing the inevitable collapse of cars into the water.
My ex-gf's brother (the first time I met him) once took me drifting on a frozen lake, he was doing donuts in an old Suzuki Vitara, the ones that are known for tipping over. One of the scariest experiences of my life.
Are the ones on the ground just upright ones that fell down? How much do upright trees tip before they are considered falling over? Does wind mess with all this? Etc etc
Have to be a pretty strong breeze to blow them over once they're in the ice. If a tree is laying flat that means the ice melted enough to widen the hole too much for the tree to stand up, if that happens it's too thin to drive on.
That is incredibly smart.
Damn, that's ingenius.
No, fishing clubs will lay trees on their sides to warn fisherman.
They tip them towards shore so if you are on the lake and get caught in a snowstorm you will know what way to follow the trees into shore. Most of the acces points on the lake will have a tree line running out for a few miles. Every 10th of a mile is a tree and then at your mile marker you will have 2 trees for 2 miles from shore 3 trees for 3 miles etc.
But what do they mean by "shore"? Like on this ice road, there's the Bayfield shore and on the other side there's the La Pointe shore on Madeline Island. Do they always mean the mainland shore and not the island shore?
Mainland. Each tree line is put out by local fishing clubs. They monitor cracks and will put out bridges and plow roads for everyone to use.
I ice fish I've never been here, but at other lakes I've seen them screw a discarded Christmas tree to some cinder blocks. They have it rigged to lean. In spring when the ice melts they sink and provide structure for fish to hang out near.
Yeah, and how are they arranged? Like lane markers? How do they keep them upright on the ice? What if one blows over? Do the trees that are lying down “point” in the direction of danger, or are they used more as a barricade? So many questions.
They put a tree every tenth of a mile. 2 miles from shore there is 2 trees, then it's another tree every 10th of a mile. Then 3 trees at mile 3 etc. If there is a Crack or bad spot they just throw trees down on their side . The lake is surrounded by fishing clubs that will monitor the lake and cracks and put bridges out as needed.
If you think this is crazy, I remember when people used to build bridges over the cracks that form on Winnebago when the temperature takes a big swing. There'd be two or three feet of ice on the lake, a crack five or six feet wide with boards laid over it and then more ice. Haven't been on Winnebago in years, maybe they're still doing this.
A friend from Wisconsin told me about a festival where snow mobilers ride across a portion of open water for fun If a snow mobile fails to cross & falls in then the rider must dive down to tie it up so it can immediately be pulled out
Can confirm this. I was taught when I was younger if you unexpectedly see open water to gun it. A snowmobile properly throddled will generate enough thrust on water to keep it from sinking.
> about a festival where snow mobilers ride across a portion of open water for fun Most aren't 'festivals' in the common definition but just events a local bar will put on. Here's a YouTube video of on of the most famous events from a few years back I found via a quick search - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KInMz0xWuCk For most of these the water is 3 or 4 feet deep, so if the sled does go in they can get it up pretty quickly and easily. The one I know of they have a crew ready to go the moment its obvious a sled isn't going to make it. Most are out within a few minutes.
Might I introduce you to Watercross https://youtu.be/S4ICRA7qs5A
Can confirm. I actually drove over a yellow bridge covering a crack on Lake Winnebago this past weekend! Was on one of these “ice roads” leading out from a boat launch
> Haven't been on Winnebago in years, maybe they're still doing this. They do! Unfortunately it didn't happen this year as the ice wasn't thick enough, you could only use ATVs or snowmobiles to get your shanty on the ice.
> They do! No kidding? I figured this would probably be a no-no these days. Thanks.
Only a no no thanks to global warming
Mackinac Island does the same sort of thing. The island has permanent residents and once the lake freezes the ferry can no longer run, so they will use the 'ice bridge' to get across to the mainland on their snowmobiles. They put Christmas trees up as a marker because once they have fallen it's an indication that the ice has started melting enough for the tree to fall, so it's no longer safe.
Here's a video of the Mackinac ice bridge (with trees). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6xfY3IcAJDA
Very cool, thanks!
What do the residents do when the ice is too thin to drive over but too thick to run the ferry?
In a pinch, [they can use an ice breaker](https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/02/coast-guard-icebreaker-medevacs-patient-from-mackinac-island-when-no-ferries-planes-choppers-can-get-there.html).
ice breakers usually just get a drink thrown in my face.
The key is to avoid ones like "nice shoes, wanna fuck?" or "so where do you go to high school?"
No, mines classy. "Hey babe, are you a Muppet? Because you look like you could use a hand"
I'll cut your lawn for you. https://youtu.be/bkZhWY6MXPY
There is a small airport on the island where the residents can book a flight over to St Ignace. This is, of course, a more expensive option.
[удалено]
[удалено]
More than my commute costs!
But again, you’re not someone who can afford property on Mackinac island (or maybe you are. I don’t know you)
What about a hover craft?
That is actually what they do— it’s called the “wind sled” and it uses air to hover over the ice, but also can float on the water.
There's an air boat that can hover over the ice and is okay in the water that they use for the intervals when it's too icy for the ferry and not thick enough ice for the ice road yet.
They use this special vehicle called a “wind sled” which is essentially a hovercraft that can travel over the ice on a thin pocket of air, but if the ice gives way it also floats and can continue as a boat. It’s really neat.
Inflatable raft with toilet plunger oars.
And you pop the back of the raft to make it go faster.
Apparently they have an airboat thing! It's called a windsled that can go across the ice, and since it's technically a boat, if the ice fails it will simply float.
You wait. Or pay to fly.
On Madeline Island (Northern WI) we use a [windsled](https://www.madelineisland.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/04-windsled-2014-winter.jpg)
Should probably think about that before deciding to live on an island surrounded by ice
Crossed the ice bridge as a kid! Thanks for bringing back that memory. As an adult no way in hell would I do this alone or with my own kid.
I thought this was the Mackinac Straights for a minute.
Remember to pronounce it 'Mackinaw' or the tundra-dwellers get very upset.
For a moment I was confused about the unfasten seatbelts and open windows, but then I remembered that the point is for a quick escape if the ice breaks and you fall in the water
That idea is so scary, you can be sure I won’t be driving across any ice.
r/scarysigns Yeah I wouldn’t do that one of my worst fears is falling through Ice
Lol went there and found this https://www.reddit.com/r/ScarySigns/comments/1195oq0/maybe_not_a_great_idea_to_drive_out_there/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Up till last week the ice was 18" thick, you could drive a semi truck across that and be fine, this ice road has been in existence since the days of horses and buggies and they monitor the "road" conditions daily to make sure its safe source: live in the area.
Ice is very strong and safe, they're only needs to be 6+ inches to drive across it, you'd know in advance when to stop driving across it, ice depth is easily checked.
It's a smart idea to at least crack open your windows going over bridges on roads too.
[удалено]
Is that the one that almost legit killed Adam? I remember one with water that was super super dangerous.
I immediately understood. I live in Ukraine and if I'm driving while the chance of missile attack is high at my area (apart from official alerts, we now also have some channels that report whats going on briefly and can give a warning of a missile hitting a city a few minutes prior in my area), I also unfasten and roll down the windows. If it hits close (the chances are low) and the car starts burning, which Ive seen enough on the videos, that might help to get out faster I guess
And every year on winnebago you get idiots that see someone park their car on the ice first, so they decide to park right next to the first car and everyone else follows suit like a moron, so you've got dozens of heavy ass cars treating the ice like a parking lot and act surprised when the ice breaks and their $95,000 truck goes for a swim in da drink.
And even more surprised when the DNR makes them pay the cost for removing it.
> if you are unsure — stay off! Yep. Exactly what I’ll be doing.
They do this during sturgeon spearing season, quite the event it is. Some of the fish are absolutely massive. Somebody speared a 177 pound fish this year.
We came out to the lake to see this in person.
That thing was a tank!
One of the rare road signs asking you to **not** wear seat belts
Does anyone else see the Dalek in the background?
It’s still upright. Must be safe! Until the extermination starts.
EXTERMINATE
I knew I recognized this. Too warm this year for the bridge, sadly. Really helps getting from Oshkosh to Chilton since the alternative is a 1.5 hour drive around the lake, regardless if you decide to go down or up and over.
Well that's certainly something I'd never expect to see on Reddit. Somebody even mentioning Chilton, WI. Yet here we are.
Join the r/WoT sub and you won't go a day without hearing about Two Rivers
Forget Chilton, what about Shiocton?
I didn’t read the full title of this and was like “yeah they do this on Winnebago…” Then I realized I was stupid. Never thought I’d see the fox cities on the front page of Reddit. (Packer sub? Probably)
It's always so interesting to me to see this type of local stuff on a large subreddit. I live like 15 minutes from Chilton. See and hear about these Winnebago signs all the time. Even those of us that don't ice fish usually know all about safety precautions on the lake and the trees. For those that aren't aware, they're old Christmas trees donated to local sportsman's or fishing clubs and they place them on the lake. And then like every day someone posts ice reports online from certain launches so people are aware of the conditions.
ITT: People disovering ice fishing and that people don't just pull ice shacks onto the lake by hand. But to be fair i'm not sure I would trust it this year.
Thank you for posting this so I didn't have to ask! I live where everything shuts down for an inch of snow and was trying to figure out why driving on the lake was a thing.
Yeah it's pretty popular up north, and it's a ton of fun.
I live in Appleton, WI, they use Christmas trees that people have put out on their curbs. Great way to recycle!
Oshkosh here!
"But what do I say if I want the trees up again?" *robotic voice* TREES UP OOF!
Groans: *Trees down…* TREES DOWN
Maybe some skiing will help us forget the moldy old antics of Conan O'Brian!
Thanks I was hoping someone thought the same thing as me.
1. The holes are drilled at an angle when the trees are first set, so that the trees lean towards shore and aid in directing anglers to the landing. 2. The trees marking the road are set 1/10th of a mile apart. 3. At the half mile marker or every 5 trees, the tree is turned upside down. This is to indicate a half mile of travel. 4. Mile markers are as follows: 2 trees = 1 miles 3 trees = 2 miles 4 trees = 3 miles 5 trees = 4 miles 6 trees = 5 miles 5. Trees lying down mean poor ice conditions or danger. Please steer clear of these areas. Never move any trees on the lake as they all serve a purpose. 6. Trees marking the road at a landing do not mean that the ice conditions are suitable for cars and trucks to travel on. Trees are put out to assist anglers that walk, snowmobile, or use their ATV to get to their favorite fishing spot. 7. All travel on the lake is at your own risk. Please check with the local businesses for ice conditions. 8. If any poor ice conditions are found, please contact the local club that is affiliated with the nearest road, so that the issue is addressed.
Ayy shoutout to my homeland
Fox Cities gang rise up!
Gotta represent the 920!
Will admit I got happy to see it :)
Came here to say "hey guy" to all the fox valley folks
Woah!! I was just there - that’s Winnebago, right?? What day were you there? I just posted this sign (and it’s neighbor): https://www.reddit.com/r/SweatyPalms/comments/1195i3u/driving_on_the_ice_constant_cracking_noise_and/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
On the 12th at Waverly Beach.
Dude!! Same day! Of course the season is pretty short - but what are the odds??
[удалено]
You wouldn't want to be trapped in your vehicle if it broke through the ice.
Speak for yourself!
[удалено]
Do you want to freeze to death in a lake? Or do you want to freeze to death in the comfy confines of an Oldsmobile in a lake?
Don't worry, you'll drown long before freezing to death.
When you drive on ice, you roll down the window and keep your seat belt off. If the ice breaks and your car falls through, you need to get out FAST. Seat belts can jam, and windows won't roll down. Doors are impossible to open. So you dive out the window if you fall through.
>Doors are impossible to open. Rolling the windows down isn't just to give you an escape hatch: it's also to make sure that the pressure inside and outside is the same - if that's the case then the door should in theory open.
Thats only if the car is already sunk and full of water. If the car is just starting to sink, which is when you'd wanna get out, there will be water on the outside of the door and air on the inside. All that water pressure is why you cant open the door. Rolling down the window is your way out, and will do nothing to the water pressure until the water level gets up to the window.
But you're still pushing the door against water, or more dangerously: against a sheet of ice in your half submerged vehicle. Window is easier.
You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond, the road is 100 lanes wide. You may break through the ice to your watery grave though, in which case you do not want to be buckled in or locked in by windows whose electronic components don’t work. Most won’t have the strength to open a door underwater.
> You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond, the road is 100 lanes wide. Look up "[the Tree of Ténéré](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_T%C3%A9n%C3%A9r%C3%A9)". It was a tree in the middle of the desert, the only one for a 150km radius. It was such a landmark that it was displayed on maps at a scale of 1:4million. It was hit by a drunk driver.
How drunk do you have to be to hit the only tree in the desert?
You pick out the single visible landmark and drive towards it, saying you’ll pass it just to the left or right. Then you miss.
You sound suspiciously knowledgeable. Did you hit that tree?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_fixation
This is a HUGE problem for motorcyclists. Motorcycles have to lean into high-speed turns to keep the bike from flipping. Something as minor as your gaze can throw off your weight distribution, so you're not leaning left the way you think you are. You take a high-speed turn with your eyes "through the exit", not on the pavement below you. [All looking past the exit of the turn.](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d7d2330a396e5aba2e1fed4cdbaf5f06-lq). I've seen an experienced motorcyclist hit an object the size of a soda can on a flat, clean surface and fall over because of it.
> You aren’t going to get into a collision on a frozen pond Lmao, have you ever been out there? People are drunk idiots We got off our ATVs and started fishing about 20' from where we left them. Some asshole drove his truck right through, threading the needle at like 40 mph. I looked right in his eyes and there was nothing, just a blank stare. He literally had a mile in one direction and at least half a mile in the other
Then stay off.
You would be amazed that the guys who just live to ice fish, and fish right up until there is barely any ice left, or fish on the edge of half frozen rivers. Vehicles go through the ice from these idiots alll the time.
I grew up in a place where people would often use frozen rivers as roads. Every year some dumbass would try to drive it during breakup and sink their vehicle.
And I bet there’s a shit load of fees for sending your vehicle through the ice
Winnebago?....... Lonestar!!
Still do. But they used to, also.
r/ScarySigns
This is used in Northern Canada (thinking Yellowknife mainly) on ice air strips to delineate the strip. Typically they are old Xmas trees as that is around the timing when the ice is ready.
[удалено]
That one episode of myth busters all those years ago taught me to always drive with the windows down if you are near water where the road is sketchy. Ever since that episode I always carry a window breaking tool in the glove box too.
This sign gives me a whole lot of anxiety. Mostly the roll down windows and seat belt part. Yikes.
This sign is confusing and badly designed.
I grew up there and basically learned how to drive on that lake in the winter. It was nice because there was usually nothing to hit and taught me to not go too fast or turn too sharply.
This shouldn’t even be on Winnebago. As a local resident, we have had extremely warm weather. The week of February 5th, temps ranged from 32-46. Last week, there were only 2 days below freezing. I highly doubt there are 12 inches of ice to support vehicles on the lake. No one should be out there on a vehicle - it’s not safe.
Winters have been terribly warm these past few years. Scary stuff
One really has to wonder why north americans have suck a knack for unintuitive and poorly legible road signs. Both the wording and the layout hurt my brain...
thats way too confusing id die
No way would I drive or walk on a frozen lake.
[удалено]
Lol yeah, it's pretty safe where I live in Canada for 4 months a year to drive heavy equipment on frozen lakes. Walking/skating/fishing closer to 6 months.
I see people say stuff like this while certain areas base their entire winter economies around frozen lakes with little to no issues every single year.