pbhockey4 0 Report post Posted February 2, 2012 I go to a college in NH and a few days ago me and a few of my college friends have played a few times on the pond. A couple days ago the temperature reached 50 which obviously means cant play with that temperature. Now them temperature has dropped between the mid 30s and the mid 20s. How long should I wait till me and my friends can go back out on the ice? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TBR 11 Report post Posted February 3, 2012 Assuming the ice didn't completely melt away, you can play after just one night of temps in the 20's. I would play in the morning unless the sky has overcast.Pond hockey is tricky like that. If the sun is out and it's in the mid to upper 20's, you could have lots of hazards (cracks, water holes, melting around the edges). But you could also have quality ice with temps around 40 as long as the skies are dark.The thing you really want to pay attention to is color. If the ice is black, dark brown, dark green, dark gray, you're good. If it's cloudy, light gray or white, you're asking for trouble.Ideally you'd also want the ice thickness to be around least 4". An old hat who knows what he's doing could easily gauge that by tapping his stick or eyeballing cracks and bubbles. But if you want to be totally certain, a cork screw from your local hardware store will allow you to bore holes in the ice in various spots and physically measure whether it's game on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monty22 833 Report post Posted February 3, 2012 Have the heaviest guy with you jump up and down. If he dosen't go in, you should be good to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rc272 0 Report post Posted February 4, 2012 like tar said color is a big part. also if there is no longer slush on top that usually meant my pond was good to go, stay clear of the edges tho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
