Skimming and Footing through Weirs Channel

I believe that they turned themselves in. Was only a matter of time anyway. They interviewed the colonel from NH Fish and Game on the news this morning. He was not happy lol

TRBenj wrote: . Anyone got a link to the go fund me page?

KENO wrote: Here's a link to their go fund me page

Big balls footing out in the ice water. Too cold for me. I think I will wait until it warms up. Great stunt though. I like it.

Ken, thanks for posting the fund link, I threw a few bucks in the pot for those guys, saw Waterkier Seth Stisher and a senator amongst the donors, great stuff!!

The money they are raising is certainly sending a message and it's a message I fully agree with.

MrMcD wrote: Did not hear about this in the West. . I am amazed the Snowmobile has the power to pull a barefooter 40 mph on water. That is really cool.

Two problems living in the west! Yes, the snowmobiles do have plenty of power. Right out of the box many can reach speeds of 170 on land!! We actually have skimming competition here in the Midwest. With a deep lug track, it's pretty amazing how far they can go. Also, I don't remember the record for time skimming but I believe it was hours when the fuel ran out.

It's more fun when you take the whole family along

KENO wrote: Here's an interview with the skier interview

Okay, now this bandito crossed the line into stupid. I could list the winter fatalities over the years in and around the Weirs Channel, including some guy who died skimming with his son watching (which prompted the law) and a rescue diver practicing to be able to save skimmers. F&G has a job to do, They get stuck dragging bodies out of the Lake and off frozen mountains. No need to thumb them in the eye by taking a victory lap with the Boston new media. The skier needs to move on to the next item on his bucket list.

I can pretty much guarantee it isn't the first time these guys have done something like this. Maybe the first time in the winter, but they've done it somewhere before at least in the summer. That's not something you try on a whim and my guess is that the sled was set up for water. If you take the time to set the sled up correctly its not hard to skim, but there's no way a rookie is towing a skier, never mind a barefooter. It has probably been done by these guys at the grass drags or some other watercross event before.

The Fish and Game guys have had a rough few weeks. They hauled 3 bodies out if Winni, one of them being a 15 year old boy, they had 3 medivac accidents up north last week involving inexperienced operators riding over their head (2 were women with children on the back) and last weekend they rescued 17 snowmobilers in 2 separate incidents off of Stub Hill in Pittsburg who got stuck backcountry riding and had to call 911.. Both groups had 12-13 year old kids with them. And that's just NH. Its been a rough year in New England with 5 or so fatalities in Vermont, several in NH and 7 in Maine. Pretty sure those guys have had it with snowmobilers doing stupid ***************.

I personally don't have a problem with it, but I can see where they're coming from. At some point, some inexperienced idiot will try to one up them and it will end badly. As cool as it was, it's still against the law.

FWIW, all of the adults in the parties of snowmobilers who were rescued out at Stub Hill Pond were also charged and fined, because riding off of the unmarked trail in NH is illegal if you don't have written permission from the landowner. The law is the law, sometimes stupid, but still the law. Snowmobile skimming is illegal in Maine as well, even in the summer. Ask me how I know

Mike

Here is a great video from a 10 year old Warren Miller film demonstrating the power of a skimming snowmobile while pulling a barefooter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNgVvw2oTFk

Hah, got a thank you email from the guys via the gofundme site, said:

"Thank you!! We've had a Correct Craft our whole lives, ski and barefoot behind Nautiques - doesn't get any better"

Not sure how serious the charges actually are but perhaps they should use the funds towards an attorney to get any charges dropped altogether or something along those lines. Heck, if I was an attorney I would take their case pro bono!!