Snowmobiler survives trip over water when ice abruptly runs out (http://www.whbf.com/Global/story.asp?S=6158544)

PORTLAND, Maine -- Imagine being on a snowmobile, gliding across a frozen lake, when all of a sudden you see the ice disappear and you're facing open water.

That happened to Gary Huntley as he was racing across one of the biggest lakes in Maine last Saturday. So he made a split-second decision that saved his life.

Huntley decided to speed up. He hit the water doing 80 miles-an-hour. And though the snowmobile slowed down, he managed to glide over the waves for at least a mile, maybe two, before reaching safety.

I'm no scientist, but it just doesn't sound like a heavy snowmobile could skim at 80mph over the top of the water for even 1 mile.

No surprises there. Actually they sometimes have races like that they are shown on ESPN2 at some crazy hour in the morning. As long as you are on the throttle you stay a flot with brute force

http://www.iwausa.org/

Yep, it can be done. The spinning track throws the water back and keeps the momentum up. The skis keep the front out of the water. You have to have speed going in. And you have to watch you balance. You can even turn on water by shifting your weight from side to side of the sled.

Yepp, they set a worldrecord in the river next to my parents last summer - from the ocean up the river 25 km (15 miles or so) and then turned on water and drowe back.

The limit seem to be the stamina of the driver and the amount of fuel the snowmobile can hold.

Cheers, Niclas

I'm no scientist, but it just doesn't sound like a heavy snowmobile could skim at 80mph over the top of the water for even 1 mile.

That's what amazed me when I read the story. I didn't know it was possible, but ...


While snowmobiles aren't designed for water, it's widely known they're capable of riding across the water's surface for short distances, a practice known among riders as "skimming" or "skipping." The trick, riders say, is to maintain speed so that the belt that drives the snowmobile becomes something of a paddle wheel.

That's what the two riders in Maine were able to do, telling a story that shocked game wardens, according to The Associated Press.

The distance one of them traveled was roughly three miles, possibly more, Sgt. Tim Spahr, the investigating game warden, told The AP. "It's staggering when you look at it — how far this guy went on a snowmobile over open water," he said.

Authorities warn that it's an extremely dangerous practice — make a wrong move or let off the throttle, and the snowmobile will sink like a rock. Modern, high-powered machines are not lightweights. Some of them weigh close to 500 pounds.

Skimming was outlawed by the Maine Legislature in 2003, but the practice continues on lakes and ponds across the country.


Linky (http://www.thetranscript.com/headlines/ci_5322385)