Lake Winnipesaukee High Powered Rocketry (LWHPR) #834
 

Lake Winnipesaukee High Powered Rocketry (LWHPR) #834
Pronounce Win-na-pa-sock-key

I found out about this club just last week.
They launch HPR to 16K.
The only setback about the launch site is the two and a half mile walk one way.
At today's launch was bright and sunny, light winds, cold temp's, 22 degrees F.
They are launching again next W/E.
It's the last one for this year.
Not sure if I want to stand in the freezing cold on the ice.
There was a guy on a snowmobile retrieving rockets.
There was a second sled there until the track broke off the sled in the middle of the lake.
All in all an interesting day.

Those temps are way below my temp threshold for doing ANYTHING outdoors.
Anything involving a snowmobile will not have me involved.

I'm a founding member of my local RC club/airstrip, formed in 1991. Since 2000 we have had a "Chili" fly on January 1st each year. I have attended that ZERO times, even in the years I served as VP.
No matter how fun the activity, it's no fun in the cold.

In February? A two month flying season is a pretty short season!

I made a mistake.
They stop launching in early March.
Still it IS a short season.

I went to a wedding in the Menomonie/Eau Claire area in March about 20 some odd years ago. About a million people were still ice fishing, and the pickup hadn't fell through yet...they had a pool for cash if you picked the date it fell through. Really nice folks in both towns. I can see how a frozen lake would be a good launch area, as long as there is some fairly soft snow to keep you from breaking fins. Our snow glazes over into concrete pretty quick.

There was a light, fluffy snow last night.
A few inches only.
There was a crust on the ice.
The snow helped a little.
There were several CATO's on the pad and in the air. Those were cool!
A few altimeters froze during flight and did not deploy. Broken fins.
I learned a new trick about keeping the altimeters warm besides body heat.
Lost two rockets to wind drift.(not mine) I did not bring any rockets to launch.
I'm LPR only.
Like I said, it was a very interesting day.

To add to this post, as I walked out onto the ice, there was a group of people and a person with a chainsaw cutting the ice.
I kinda sorta thought it was odd, no auger, a chain saw.
I let it go.
On my walk back, I saw a sign of a divers group.
OK, they were diving.
Cool.
Cold.

Thankfully we don't have extended periods of sub freezing temps, or I'd have to do that. It doesn't get thick enough for us to get out on it and train for ice diving. I do train in the winter, though.

I hope they weren't diving to recover a corpse!

No corpse. No police.

Just diving.

January, February and March they dive in the Pemi river on the coast of NH.

The water is very clear and they look for a certain type of sea life.

Don't ask, I can't remember.