Ice

The Alaska Aces dropped their exhibition opener on Tuesday night, falling 3-1 to the Stockton Thunder.   Alaska enjoyed a 32-25 edge in shots on goal, but couldn't overcome shaky numbers on special teams. Stockton scored twice on the power play, and held Alaska to 0-for-7 on the man advantage. Stockton's Matt Jones opened the scoring 7:41 into the first period with a 5-on-3 goal. Jones batted the puck out of mid-air to beat Aces goalie Travis Yonkman, who made 22 saves. The Thunder led 2-0 after one period.

Ice on the Seward and Sterling highways caused about a dozen vehicles to slide off the road Friday morning, according to Alaska State Troopers. AST spokesperson Megan Peters says troopers received most of the ice-related vehicle-in-distress calls from Mile 79 of the Seward Highway, in the Portage area, and Mile 69 of the Sterling Highway near Cooper Landing. No injuries have been reported in the wrecks, and tow trucks have been called to retrieve most of the vehicles. Peters said the ice was some of the first of the season, advising drivers on both highways to slow down and keep an eye out for ice. “This is just a good reminder for people to prepare for winter driving conditions,” Peters said.

Editor's note: This story has been changed to reflect that the accident occurred on the Susitna River, not the Deshka River. by Channel 2 News staff Saturday, March 13, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- State troopers have identified a Houston snowmachiner who fell through ice on the Susitna River Saturday and is presumed dead. Troopers responded to a call at 3 p.m. Saturday reporting that 51-year-old Scott Aslakson and his snowmachine fell through ice near Deshka Landing.

A Cooper Landing man was rescued Saturday after falling through ice and spending nearly 20 minutes in the water, according to Alaska State Troopers. Troopers were informed at about 10:40 a.m. Saturday that 57-year-old Bob Overman was getting into position for fly fishing near a local bridge when he broke through ice and went into the water. A witness said Overman had been submerged at least once. First responders, including a Cooper Landing Volunteer Fire and Rescue member and an Alaska Wildlife Trooper, threw a parachute cord tied to a backpack out to Overman.

Snow and ice have created dangerous road conditions this week, but Anchorage’s parking lots and sidewalks are just as dangerous. A local shoe store, Skinny Raven Sports, is offering a creative solution: snow tires for your feet. Skinny Raven is well-known for serving Anchorage's running community, providing footwear and outerwear essentials. But near the back of the store resides an unadvertised service, one which customers like Judy Caminer learned about through word of mouth.

A small plane broke through the ice at Lake Hood Seaplane Base on Tuesday, but no injuries were reported, according to authorities at the scene. According to airport police, a pilot thought the ice was solid enough to take off on. He reportedly taxied his plane onto the ice. The ice was not solid enough, and the plane broke through the ice. The pilot was the only person aboard. The pilot waded to shore and called authorities. The Lake Hood Seaplane Base is currenly closed.

Anchorage’s Town Square Park saw some cold competition over the weekend, after the annual Crystal Gallery of Ice carving competition kicked off Friday. Teams of professional carvers chiseled away, creating eye-catching art from ice blocks. The artists say carving up the cold ice can be a heartwarming experience. “Best part of the creation -- getting better at working together,” said sculptor Jenny Rosenbaum. “We're recently engaged so we're getting better at working out ideas together; I like the detailed chisel work and he likes the power tools more, which works out for both of us.” The ice sculptures will be on display until February.

by Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, February 17, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A worker clearing power lines in the Valley died Wednesday evening when his tree and brush cutting machine fell through the ice. It happened around 4:30 in the afternoon about a mile into the woods near mile 62.5 of the Parks Highway. Alaska State Troopers say 23-year-old Jack Forshee of Anchorage was killed when his Hydro-Ax machine broke through the ice of a pond. Firefighters say it sank in about 15 feet of water.

A growing glacier. That's how neighbors in the Settlers Bay area of Wasilla were describing the flooding situation Wednesday. Since the start of January, flowing and then freezing water has caused an ice build up more than a foot deep on Settler Bay Drive. One neighbor has put out more than 200 sand bags outside his home. Neighbors said Wednesay, the biggest help has come from the borough. The Mat-Su Borough Public Works Department brought in graters and ice melting machinery to break up and remove the ice Tuesday.      Neighbors Tim Heingartner and Dameon Kowalke are downhill from a newly built home that they said is the source of the problem.

A man who stood on a frozen East Anchorage lake after police attempted to serve a warrant on him Thursday afternoon has surrendered to officers, following the dispatch of water-rescue units to the area. APD spokesperson Dani Myren says the incident that led to the chase involving 19-year-old Siaosi Sila began at about 2:30 p.m., when police received an open-line 911 call from a home on the 1700 block of Kodiak Street. "At some point, someone identified this address as associated with this gentleman," Myren said.

Emergency officials are closely watching the Talkeetna and Susitna rivers and are preparing for potential spring break-up flooding, a few months after floodwaters seeped into town last fall, temporarily evacuating the small town. Assistant Chief of the Talkeetna Fire Department, Eric Denkewalter, said on Thursday that usually Talkeetna residents brace for fall flooding, but this year, colder spring temperatures are causing a concern. "When you have conditions like this when it's very cold through the spring months, and then the weather does change into some very warm weather...

NASA says "after a record melt season, an Arctic cyclone, and a fascinating fracturing event, Arctic sea ice has reached its maximum extent for the year. Contact Neil Torquiano

Carvers from Russia and Japan took top honors at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. Two carvers from Russia won the single block abstract division with their meteor sculpture. Teams consisting of one or two artists carved for up to 60 hours to create sculptures from a block of ice measuring 5 feet, by 8 feet, by 3 feet and weighing more than 7000 pounds. Carvers from Japan won the single block realistic division with their sculpture of a locust. Anonymous judges look at the pieces and determine their score based on creativity, presentation and technical criteria.

The 2013 Iron Dog race weekend begins Friday, February 15, 2013 at Big Lake and runs through Sunday with the Official Start of the Pro Class. Friday, February 15th:  Trail Class Start Schedule of Events 8:30-9:30 am | Trail Class teams starting showing up and getting ready. 10:00 am | Trail teams start rolling out. 11:00 am | Sponsors and vendors setup for the Saturday events and position for the Pro Class race on Sunday. To Be Announced:  Big Lake Winter Fest New in 2012.

Today, at the 25th Annual Jewel Lake Ice Fishing Jamboree hundreds of children swarmed the lake's frozen waters in hopes of catching any kind of fish they could. The Swim Like a Fish Foundation sponsored the event along with the Boy Scouts of America and Alaska Sports Fishing Association who volunteered to help the children throughout the day. "The weather is cooperating and the fish are definitely cooperating and people are coming out just to have a good time with their kids," Swim Like a Fish Foundation President Jeannette Menchinsky said.

In a few days, emergency responders will run through an exercise testing crisis preparedness on Fort Wainwright. The training exercise, dubbed "Ice Fog" will run from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1, Monday until next Friday. The U.S. Army Garrison at Fort Wainwright will be joined by responders from the City of Fairbanks, the Alaska Division of Forestry, and the Bureau of Land Management, among others, to evaluate its capabilities and plan for the base. People who work, visit or live on Fort Wainwright may see emergency vehicles or experience delays or access restrictions.

A growing glacier. That's how neighbors in the Settlers Bay area of Wasilla were describing the flooding situation Wednesday. Since the start of January, flowing and then freezing water has caused an ice build up more than a foot deep on Settler Bay Drive. One neighbor has put out more than 200 sand bags outside his home. Neighbors said Wednesay, the biggest help has come from the borough. The Mat-Su Borough Public Works Department brought in graters and ice melting machinery to break up and remove the ice Tuesday.      Neighbors Tim Heingartner and Dameon Kowalke are downhill from a newly built home that they said is the source of the problem.

Many people in Anchorage slid out of their homes Monday and glided into work after warm weather melted a majority of the snow and turned side streets into ice skating rinks. A sign in midtown flashed 47 degrees around lunchtime. Mary Lee Miller had little metal studs attached to the bottom of her sneakers near Westchester Lagoon. “They're a lot cheaper than a broken hip,” Miller said. Russ Kaiser slid across the sidewalk to get to his pick-up truck in West Anchorage.

An ice carving competition began Friday in Anchorage's town square, located downtown between 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue next to the Performing Arts Center. Ice carvers from all across the state and all over the world worked over the weekend to complete their sculptures. The carvings are being called the "Crystal Gallery of Ice. " Six-thousand pounds of block ice were transformed into beautiful works of art. The ice sculptures will be on display through February.   Contact Jessica Ridgway