Skate Bowness February 6, 2023

Ever since my last skate at Bowness on Friday, I could not wait to get back there and blade away!  There was no wind in the forecast until well into the afternoon so by gong this morning, I knew I would be in total control of my speed and direction.  It did not even cross my mind what the ice surface might be like!   When I arrived, I checked the board to see it was rated as "wet ice".  When I checked the conditions for myself, I then realized the rating had not yet been updated from yesterday. 

This is what I saw when I scooted on down to see what I could see.  That was the fire pit I sat by on Friday.  It broke through the ice, was clear of all wood and the benches were removed.  

The loop in around where the canoes & kayaks are hibernating and where the ice bikes are, was blocked off.  When I looked closer, it was obvious why!  At this point, the groomer came by and we chatted.  He was walking around taking photos of the conditions.  He said The Canal should be good, yet The Ice Trail maybe not.  He was concerned for the rest of the skating surfaces taking into consideration it is forecasted to be warm all week.

When I looked out onto The Lagoon, I knew I would be OK skating there.  The sweeper just finished sweeping the ice.  I gave it a go.  After slowly skating around the entire area, I then decided to stick close to the right in this photo, as it was smoother.  

I have been enjoying making these short skating videos.  This is today's report! It starts just after skating under the bridge then onto The Canal.

Skating west from The Lagoon towards The Canal, by the cafe then under the bridge was brutal. Then it was good to the end.  It had been swept but not flooded.  Nothing had been flooded by the time I left near 11:00am which is very unusual.  This video shows the good part along The Canal.

As I stated in the clip, I made the most of today.  I stuck to the smoother surfaces as much as possible and managed to cover just over 17 kms. The blue lines show the ice I covered.  

I truly hope the conditions will improve again at some point before winter is over.  From experience, I know that the end of skating season can come quickly when the ice is beyond repair.  My last skate at Bowness last season was February 3rd.  Time will tell, I will wait out this week then check in again if the weather gets cold.  The Parks website shows everything at the Park is still open.  All the bumps, cracks and holes may be OK for some but I will pass on that.

To date this season, I have skated 149 kms in total which is the most I have ever done in a season.  I will hold tight with hopes I can add to that!