The Greenbird ice craft is now set up at Canyon Ferry. The ice is in reasonable shape with a usable area of about 2 miles by 0.5 miles. This is tiny compared to the whole lake, but also huge compared to the runways we use to run on in the UK, so it should be enough room. We have one little modification to do on the steering system before we are able to run at any speed, but this is under way and will be finished in a day or two.

One thing that is already very clear is that the weather at the lake is almost completely unpredictable. It seems to have its own micro climate that differs from surrounding towns and the forecast! (wind can funnel down valleys differently, giving very different patterns on different sides of hills) The only solution will be to stay on permanent standby, near the craft. The week ahead looks quiet and warm (great to improve the rough ice surface) then a new weather system should move in towards the end of the week. As long as there is not more snow, we should be in very good shape by the weekend.

Well after a few very cold weeks in Montana the lake at Canyon Ferry Dam is now properly frozen. A week or two before christmas temperatures were as low as -30 deg C, which builds ice thickness very quickly and is exactly what we needed. However, very soon after the freeze, it also snowed, which is exactly what we did not need! The general consensus from the locals was that the lake was then out of action for a month or so, or until the snow disappeared.

(Technical note: even a light dusting of snow can make the lake unusable. The moment it snows, it is not necessarily a problem as it is still light and fluffy, but it quickly drifts with the wind into sizable mounds, which then freeze into solid lumps, turning the smooth ice into more of a mogul field. To be able to approach record speeds, we need snow free ice for a minimum of 3 miles)

However, conditions have improved much sooner than we thought and after local inspection on New Years day, a significant part of the lake was clear and usable, with ice conditions improving all the time.

I therefore jumped on a plane and am currently on route to San Francisco, where the team van awaits. After a 1000 mile drive to the frozen north of Montana, we will set up on the lake, hopefully next weekend.

Many thanks to Dave, John, Jim, Dale and all the locals for the detailed weather reports over the past few weeks, much appreciated.

Time to make the sacrifices to the weather gods and hope the snow holds off for as long as possible!