The Harvest
To Contact Ice Alaska
PO Box 83134
Fairbanks, AK 99701
(907) 451-8250 phone
fax (907) 456-1951
Updated12/02
For the year 2000 event, over 1,500 tons of ice will be used! The harvesting
of these hundreds of tons of ice is a huge undertaking. The cutting, loading,
hauling, unloading, and stacking of the blocks of ice requires countless
hours of volunteer time, the use of heavy equipment and constant thought
about how it can be done better. In 1998, for the first time, ice was
harvested from O'Grady pond - right adjacent to where the event is held
at ICE PARK. That in itself was a great improvement. No more long hauls
with flatbed trucks!
The ice harvesting experts of ICE ALASKA are continually refining their
methods for cutting and lifting heavy blocks of ice. Many saws have been
developed for harvesting and cutting the ice once it arrives at the park.
The most efficient method of harvest utilizes chain saws. Recently, a
sled developed by Tom Gullickson was added. Pictured below, it not only
makes the harvest more efficient but, also, less "backbreaking."
So far, the 1998 ice, which measured a record 54" thick, holds the
record for thickness. Cutting this ice required a 60 inch bar on the chainsaws!
Another efficient modification for the harvest was added several year's ago. It involved the addition of the extendible boom forklift to the harvest process. (Pictured above) These large forklifts are able to remove the huge ice blocks, weighing from 3,000-7,500 lbs, from the water, and later to transport blocks to the ICE PARK site area.
Harvesting ice on site from O'Grady Pond has provided many pluses, most notably less equipment. In previous years the harvest was done from ponds located several miles from the ice site. This meant that flat bed trucks were needed to haul the blocks to the site. Besides the flatbeds, it was necessary to have a loader at each end to load and unload the ice! But O'Grady pond also had some challenges! The recovery of the water table caused a few tense moments when a crew realized the ice was suspended 18" above the pond. And, the smaller pond has the potential of growing thicker ice! In 1998 the crews changed from 48" bars to 60" bars. It was an awesome task for our sawyers to handle the bigger saws. But handle them, they did and we had 54" ice!
In the last few years the crews have adapted to O'Grady Pond's challenges
and capitalized on its biggest asset, i.e. its location right next to
Ice Park. This year they performed the earliest harvest in memory. The
ice was a relatively thin 12 inches, but it was all done with the ingenuity
of people power! No heavy equipment! just a long handled scoop to pull
the block out, and a sled to move them aside! The resulting smaller blocks
were used for business sculptures, some being used much like "concrete"
blocks.
Every year harvest techniques improve, allowing for the harvest of more
ice to keep up with increased demands as the event grows. The one thing
that never changes is it remains a lot of work. The dedication of the
all volunteer harvest crew, their ingenuity, and just plain hard work
is what makes it all happen.
 |
 |
 |
| Event Schedule | Competition Application | Sponsors | About Ice Alaska | Home |