Twice as nice on the ice – racing, runway set to start soon

LAKES REGION — Stuck at home, and sick of it? Then perhaps this is the winter to lose the habit of hiding from the coldest days of winter and instead embrace what the conditions have to offer.

For decades, people in the Lakes Region have found ways to have a kind of fun that can only be had in late January and through February, when the ice on lakes and ponds is thick enough to carry heavy vehicles. These two winter pursuits – racing cars on the ice in Moultonborough and landing planes on Alton Bay – are not only spectator-friendly, they are also naturally suited to social distancing, which, in case you haven’t noticed, is so hot right now.

Icy rooster tails

First up is ice racing, where amateur motorsports enthusiasts line up on frozen ponds, usually Berry or Lee Pond, in Moultonborough, in vehicles that would look at home in a demolition derby.

Scott Burns, one of the board members of the Lakes Region Ice Racing Club, said racing usually starts on the third or fourth weekend in January – and could begin as early as this Sunday.

“We have to check the ice to see if we’ll be racing,” he said. Check the club’s Facebook page on Sunday morning to see if, and where, they will be found.

If the ice is thick enough, and of good condition, ice racing is one of the most economical forms of motorsport around. Spectators can take in the action for $10 per carload, and, said Burns, most people watch from the comfort of their own car. They have their usual crowd of fans, and Burns said he wouldn’t be surprised if they see some new faces behind windshields this year.

“I think it’s a release to get out of the house, especially with COVID,” Burns said. “You’re in your car and in your own little bubble, it’s a good way to get outside and enjoy a competitive sport.”

Signs will be posted encouraging people to “wear masks when appropriate” when walking around, and access to the pits will be limited, Burns said. He added that the usual practice of lining up racecars for public inspection during intermission won’t be happening this year, as it tends to draw crowds.

Those cars do include some purpose-built machines, but much of the competition will take place between drivers piloting cars that would otherwise be sent to the scrapyard. They take the glass out, install roll cages and a fire suppression system, put chains on the tires and see who’s the fastest.

“For a driver, it’s a time of year to enjoy the camaraderie of your friends in a competitive environment that’s economical,” Burns said. “We are literally racing for a $3 trophy, all the proceeds go to local families in need, charities and scholarships.”

Cleared to land

A loftier kind of motorized transportation takes place on Alton Bay most winters, where private pilots have been clearing a runway since the 1960s. Paul LaRochelle, a local contractor, took over the runway a little over a decade ago, and since then he’s become an official part-time employee of the NH DOT’s Aviation Department as the ice runway manager.

LaRochelle said while there are likely scores of private ice runways around, Alton Bay’s is the only public one in the lower 48 states. And it’s a popular one for pilots and the general public. One recent year, when ideal flying conditions coincided with the town’s winter ice festival, the runway was declared the busiest in the state, with more take-offs and landings than Manchester-Boston Regional Airport.

LaRochelle said ice on the bay is growing well this week, and that the runway might be open as early as next weekend. While many of the planes are light, he said he waits until there’s a good 12 inches of ice the length of the runway so he can plow the landing strip.

Why Alton Bay? LaRochelle said that it has been a seaplane base since the 1940s, and in the ‘60s an owner of a local marina decided he wanted to land his plane on the ice. The practice has stuck around, since local businesses realized that the unusual feature brought not only pilots to the bay, but also scores of onlookers.

“We’ve had pilots from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont and Canada,” LaRochelle said. COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit visits from our neighbors to the north this year. Also prohibited will be the chance for the curious public to get up-close looks at the planes and chat with the pilots.

However, the length of the bay, and lots of available parking, mean there will be plenty of opportunities for people to take in the only-in-Alton sight from the comfort of their own vehicle.

“In a good year, we’ve had, in my estimation, around 700 aircraft come in and leave in a period of over 5 weeks,” LaRochelle said. That activity is compressed into weekends, though, especially if the conditions are favorable. “Good weather on a weekend, we could have 100 planes come in on a given day.”

What draws so many pilots to Alton? The novelty, LaRochelle said.

“It’s intriguing to them to land and take off on the ice. It’s just the opposite of other airports; they shut down other airports because of ice,” LaRochelle said. “This is just a different situation for them. And they’re well-received by the townspeople. The townspeople love to see the planes come in and take pictures of them.”