11-07-2018, 02:21 PM
The rescue rope throw bags are good products but they can be pretty pricey if you buy a longer one. I was concerned about a safe distance from broken ice and my 100 foot rope allows the rescuer to be back on sound ice or ground. 50 feet is probably long enough for most situations but cases have happened where a much longer rope is needed. When my friends went through the ice on their snowmobile in 1979 at the Gorge, the forward speed of the snowmobile caused it to go through about 50 to 60 feet beyond the edge of safe ice. We had to run around a very large hole that was created when their snowmobile crashed through the ice. Thankfully one of the three got himself out and reached back and pulled his brothers to safety.
It was about 25 degrees below zero and their clothing froze solid within a few minutes. Another friend and I had to walk from Gold Point to the Mustang boat ramp while our snowmobile was used to get the cold and wet brothers back to their vehicle.
It was certainly a helpless feeling watching them splash around in the water and we didn't have anything we could use to reach out to them because of the distance involved. I knew right then I would not go on any ice again without a long throw rope.
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It was about 25 degrees below zero and their clothing froze solid within a few minutes. Another friend and I had to walk from Gold Point to the Mustang boat ramp while our snowmobile was used to get the cold and wet brothers back to their vehicle.
It was certainly a helpless feeling watching them splash around in the water and we didn't have anything we could use to reach out to them because of the distance involved. I knew right then I would not go on any ice again without a long throw rope.
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