Ice Boating is for Badasses
The icy wind slaps my face as I step out of my truck at Canyon Ferry Reservoir, southeast of Helena, to the quiet bustle of recreationists getting ready in the parking lot. Through the thin tundra-like air, I hear a far-off sound akin to crackling thunder cutting through the wind as the ice boaters glide across the frozen lake.
This spot is called “The Silos”, aptly named after the two tall white silos you pass at the lake entrance. The ice boaters meet here almost every day from December to March, along with ice skaters, fishermen, and usually some curious bystanders. I am a bystander this afternoon. This is my first time seeing an ice boat.
It’s Sunday, and despite the unusually warm weather Helena has been experiencing this winter, the ice is still firm and the wind is still frigid out of the north. A few people are unloading their ice gear, and a few more are setting up for a day of recreation on the 35,000 acre frozen lake, one of the highest regarded ice recreation sites in the country.
Along with the wind, the backdrop is breathtaking. Rugged, snowy mountains tower in the distance, and the patches of snow on the ice resemble static waves.
I bundle up in my down jacket, performance windbreaker, double hat, mittens, and double wool socks, typically what I wear for a day of backcountry skiing. Then I head down to the boat launch that is now ten feet above the water level.
There are several people setting up boats on the ice near the shore. A young boy sits on a lawn chair with his dog, and a small pack of ice skaters and dogs loop around. However, I don’t see any way to get onto the ice. Huge slabs are smashed up against the land at haphazard angles. I pick my way through them, tentatively, clinging to the tiny cracks of brown, dry land.
When I reach the actual edge of the lake, my first step on ice causes crunching underfoot. I freeze. A man setting up his boat calls out, “It’s safe, come on out!”
The man calling to me is Dale Livezey, an active member of the Montana Ice Enthusiasts group, which many boaters use to communicate local activities and events. He’s setting up his 6-year old ice boat named Whoop It. The craft resembles a soap box racer with two-foot ice skates mounted on the sides and front, and a mast in the middle. As with most of the boats out on the ice, Dale made it himself. Several of his companions scoff when I mention the pre-made boats I saw for sale locally.
“These boats were designed to be built in a basement or a garage,” explains Lance, another nearby enthusiast eager to talk about his sport. He sails a DN. This classic style of ice boat was designed in 1936 as an entry for the Detroit News’ contest for the best design that could be built for under $50. It is still the most popular model on the ice to this day, although now they can cost several thousand dollars to build.
The sport originated in the Midwest but has had a prominent Montana following since the mid- to late nineteen eighties. The boats consist of a hull, built not unlike an old soapbox racer, a runner plank that is mounted perpendicular to the hull to hold a sizable runner on each end, a single front skate blade attached to a steering wheel or rudder, and of course, a sail.
Most boats out here carry only one sailor, with the exception of a single two-seater that is covered and anchored down to the ice along with the other ten or so unused boats this afternoon.
According to Dale, the boats are sail-able at winds from 5-25 miles per hour, although he called it crazy to sail in over 22 mile per hour winds. Like a “soft water” sailboat, the “hard water” boats go faster as you tighten the main sheet, reaching speeds up to eight times the wind speed. They top out at a breath-taking 70 to 85 miles per hour, depending on the size of the boat and the moxie of the pilot.
Donning helmets similar to those worn by motorcyclists, sailors use only the wind to propel their vessel and stop – no brakes. I realize these guys are made of something else out here on the ice. At this point, they’ve been setting up their boats for about a half an hour, bare hands on metal, and I’m shivering in my usually sufficient ski clothes. I note that everyone around me is way more bundled up than I am. I guess there is a learning curve to being out on the ice.
A third generation ice boating veteran pulls up to the shoreline in his 30 foot long carbon fiber purple rocket. A huge smile emerges as he pulls off his helmet. It’s Missoula resident Dave Gluek, who drives all the way to Helena for an average of 20 days per season on Canyon Ferry. He tells me, without hesitation, that today marks day 15 on the ice for him, with about a month left until the ice begins to rot.
“How’s the sailing today?” I ask, as I carefully navigate the slick surface to where he parked.
“Today is as good as it gets,” he replies, still grinning. Dave’s grandparents started sailing in the 1930’s, “when they still used cotton sails,” he boasts. Originally from the Midwest, Dave started sailing Canyon Ferry Lake in 1987 on a classic DN, but has been ice boating for over 50 years.
Dave is the owner of several boats out here. Most of them are the homemade variety, but this “Cadillac of ice boats” that he sailed today looks like the biggest one on the lake.
“I got it up to 70 miles per hour today – fast!” he exclaims.
How safe is it to sail that fast on an unforgiving, hard icy surface? While almost everyone wears helmets out there, Dave recalled back in 1965 his brother tipped his boat at high speeds. He said it looked like his nose had been scraped clean off.
But with the added safety gear, everyone from kids to active 88-year old Montanans enjoy this thrilling sport. And they are always welcoming to new sailors and inquisitive spectators.
“I’ve got that two seater over there, could take you on a ride sometime,” he offers. “Or I have some skates you could try out.” I shiver. I can’t feel my fingers or my toes anymore, I’m not even sure how I’m still able to hold my pencil. It must be frozen to my hand.
But judging by the smiles, this looks too exciting to pass up. I just have to go grab some more layers.
This article was written by Kathryn Rende. She is a freelance writer for the Montana Mint.
This picture used in the background for the quote blocks for this article was found on Flickr and abides by the site’s Creative Commons guidelines. Other photo credits to the author.
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