Anybody ever fall through ice or get stuck in slush?

[G]

Got stuck in slush when I was about 14 with a JDX 6 John Deere. It was so POWERFUL that I thought I could make through that green snow on the river. 3 of us reefed on it for hours and all we did was get wet. Finally we went back to town and got a come along and about 100 feet of light chain and then tied the chain to a tree and pulled the wretched thing out. Was a good lesson though. Have stayed away from green snow ever since.

 

[slimcake]

Right up there with humidity and bugs are cold and wet. I will turn around before I chance getting cold and wet.

 

[chords]

Got stuck in slush big time on a 2 up pulling my shanty. About a 1/2 mi off shore. I dropped off solid base into shin deep slush. I was able to full throttle turn around. Untied the shanty and it was tough go myself slopping around but I lifted the sled back up to somewhat solid snow. Then struggled pulling the shanty back up by hand. Now I'm exhausted, wet cold legs and a ball of sweat and thought I was gonna either go thru or have a heart attack and headed back home.. After a rest period, I attached an old set of water skis to my 2x8 shanty runners. Next day I ran out and stopped short of the slush and set up.

 

[euphoric1]

twice... once stuck in slush running shoreline on Pine Lake between mercer and hurley 1986 formula plus got wet up to knees, once fell through ice on a 1977 Scorpion TK out by Hwy 20 in Racine county, trail went through what we thought was just marshy area, well it was about 5' deep, was young, got really wet, before sled sank another rider came by hopped in held skis up and we pulled it out. After pulling a few times with plugs laying near plug holes, 12" flame shooting out of plug holes, dried it all out and away I went home with tail between my legs. If it looks iffy it probably is and just because its frozen going across the lake doesn't mean its completely frozen along the shore line. Lesson learned! BTW remember Pine Lake Lodge? Best, Biggest, Greasiest burgers you could find back in the early 90's

 

[gary_in_neenah]

Yeah, we were just kids screwing around on the river back home. Big old Arctic Cat Panther and the skid filled solid with packed slush. Wet, cold, and aching from all the pulling. Oh, did I mention it was at night? Looking back.....I'm just lucky to be here!

 

[indybru]

Yes, I it was over 20 years ago new to the sport and made a rookie mistake early in the year december. I was riding out from a storage unit in Merriweather with my son. We were taking a trail into Bergland though the swamps. I was leading and broke though the ice. My sled an Indy Trail sank, I called the Polaris Dealer where I bought it and ended up getting a tow truck.

The temp was dropping maybe single digits. The tow truck driver wouldn't hook up the sled so I went to the storage unit and put on my wetsuit ( I used it for white water kayaking and canoeing) got in the water to hook up the chain, I had to stay in to be sure the sled stayed on top of the ice until it was pulled out. Tow truck brought sled to Lake Gogebic Sports and kept over night was able to use the new day. The seat was frozen all winter didn't get soft until the next year. Crazy huh?

 

[scott_l]

Last winter my son was riding his 120 on the lake, he asked if we could take a lap around the lake, I said sure and grabbed my sled (done the same thing probably close to 50 times the prior winter and up to that point last winter). We were a ways from the house and we both hit a slushy spot I was able to get trough it but the 120 had no chance. Parked my sled and hurried back to my son on foot. Picked him up and carried him to my sled. Pulled both of our helmets off and caught my breath. Had to go back for his sled, I knew there was good ice as we had the fish house out but it was an an uneasy walk back to his sled. Between pulling on the ski and pushing the handbags/throttle got his sled back to my sled/son. Again caught my breath, told my son we are making a big circle around the slush then fallowing our same tracks back to the house. Got back safely but I was wet up to the knees and dumped water out of my boots. It was a learning lesson for both of us.......yes I knew the lake and have never seen slush in that area but just a few days before got a pretty good dumping and that forced water up through the cracks. Reminder to us all as they say ice is never completely safe. Stay safe everyone!!!

 

[chkh]

Was in West Yellowstone with a group of 15 sleds, rode across a lake with around a foot of fresh snow to get to Eno's bar and grill. Ate lunch and was headed back accross the same lake when my buddies Polaris 400 blew a head gasket. The others in the group said just pull his belt and you can tow him back to the bar and Eno will let you use his truck to get parts back at the motel. They went on there way and we began to drag the Polaris back going much slower. We dropped in a foot of slush. I unhooked and we first freed my sled and I packed a trail. We carried that dead Polaris for 100-200 feet and tried again only to sink again. After carrying it for a long ways we finally were able to pull it with my sled. I had Sorel's that were soaked but still seemed to be of some help, he had moon boots which were worthless. We got back to the bar, borrowed Eno's truck, got dry gear, picked up his spare piston and head gasket and were riding 3hrs later. Had a great week with Brian Nelson tours back in 1986. Always enjoy reading on John Dee.

 

[mrbb]

well I went thru the ice a few times over the decades, first time was a on a MX bike(studded tires) crossing a frozen farm pond, that was spring feed from the middle of the pond
got about 3/4 of the way across and hit a soft spot that swallowed the front tire, stopped at the forks, but wasn't fun trying to get out,when your a small kid and a big bike

next Update NY, before trails were well maintained, a bridge crossing a small stream,about 6 ft across, but was dug deep for flood control) was washed out and folks were trying different places to cross at random, I gave it a go, and darn ski went under the bank on the other side rather than climbing up and out, and caused the front end to sink in about 4 ft of water!, back of sled was staying on top of ice, but when we jumped in to pull back and lift out, the whole thing caved in and we , 3 of us were now standing in 4 ft of water wresting the sled out!
wasn't a fun ride back to where were staying to dry off, but sled ran great never stalled and belt never slipped,. so IMO< got really lucky could have been worse!

next, LOL> went through ice on another pond on a ATv, just the back end broke through, and was sitting on frame, or was until trying to lift out, then the rest of the ice about whole thing caved in, and was soon standing in about 3 ft of water, just backed out after that as was almost on shore as is!


on a side note, NO motor vehicle involved, as a kid, growing up rural, there was a private lake about 10 miles away in a very remote area, only a 6 mile dirt road in and non one used it in winter time that held BIG fish, but was closed to fishing minus club members!
SO< me and a buddy decided to sneak into the place and try our luck ice fishing, we had NO real ice fishing gear, but we did have a big ax and a sledge hammer, and a lot of dumb in us both!
we hiked down to the lake, almost all down hill, in snow over our knee's(we figured for sure NO one else would be there or this dumb to go there in this snow and super cold, maybe 10 degree's out)
OH to be young and dumb! LOL

we made it there OK, shoved some snow off the ice about 20 ft from shore, and started smashing at the ice with the ax and sledge hammer, about the time we started to get a hole opened, the whole area we were standing on let loose and in we went, all our gear sank, and my my buddy was screaming we were going to die,
water was only about 6 ft deep(luckily) , and we managed to get yourself outs and then started out long walk out, about 10 minutes after we started out everything we were wearing was turning into a frozen ice rock, knee's on pants wouldn;t bend everything was stiff as could be, kept having to try and break things so they would bend!
that one I will never forget, it was a LONG cold walk out and honestly we got really lucky we didn;t go out into the middle of the lake to dig a hole, or might not be here to tell of things!, no one knew where we were,a s again we were not allowed there so, didn;t tell anyone

I fell thru the ice a few more times, but never anything like that, hunting swamps that never seem to freeze solid in all area's you find weak spots now and then, but normally just a wet food or likes

when I used to play off road a lot, I have burred a few trucks in water holes that ice stopped me, but normally backed out, or got pulled pretty fast

 

[fish633]

euphoric,talk about a parallel universe.I too got stuck in slush on pine lake just off the pier about 100 yards with my mom and dad late one night.
We got the sleds out with help from Jim(Corbley) at Pine Lake lodge.He saw us out there struggling and came to aid then gave us a ride back to our house in Hurley.We were soaked and would have been hypothermic by the time we got home had we ridden back.In the 80's you had to ride a trail not a rail grade it was an hour from Hurley to Pine lake in those days.

 

[600_RMK_144]

Closest I ever came was in Hahn's Peak, CO. There is a lake across from HP Roadhouse cabins we were staying at. They warn you not to cross it cuz the snow piles up so quick that it insulates the lake and it never has a chance to freeze. We decided to chance it. I'm sure it was not as bad as I thought, but there was some wide open sections of slush that I swear I felt the sled going down. Kept it pinned and made it across, but made the crew take the long way around on the way back to the cabin.