Is anyone going to TipUp town this year.
For those of you that aren't familiar, it's on Houghton Lake in Michigan, right off of I-55. It's a festival on the ice, There's a bunch of tents, ranging from craft tents, to "warm up" tents, to beer tents, etc...
It's mostly snomobiles on the ice, but there are usually a bunch of quads, too. Thanks to the beer tent(stupid idea), there's usually an abundancy of sloshed snomobilers pushing 120mph on the lake. That sucks, but it's a big lake.
I have mixed emotions on the whole occasion, but I'll probably go anyhow. If anyone else here is going, let me know, maybe a few of us could meet up for a hot chocolate and some riding.

 

When does it start, I always wanted to check it out,We have a cabin just south of WestBranch thats not to far away. I think this will be yhe year.

 

It's somewhere in January. Nobody can say for sure, because it's hard to predict the thickness of ice.

 

Its held the last 2 wk ends in Janurary.There is no longer alot of 120 mph riding,the DNR are usually out in FULL swing on these wk ends and will take anyone drunk to jail,whether they are in a car,truck,quad or snowmobile.
Bill

 

HI! I'm back in town... And just how would an individual of your stature know that the DNR would haul someone of a lower stature, into jail...
Don't answer that!
I'm pickin' with you...
I'm not goin', Bill. Don't like ice riding...
Not when there's ten feet of water underneath... :0)
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

Once the ice is thick enough, you can park earth-mover trucks on it. I hardly think your quad is gonna break it.

 

The thickness of the ice is not the problem. Ice and brakes are a problem. Somehow, I don't get a really warm feeling when I think of driving a six hundred pound four wheeler on ice, while there's four hundred snowmobiles capable of one hundred miles per hour and three thousand pedestrian, walking in the same area and you call this fun...
Major accident waiting to happen. Just don't want to be a party to it...
However, I have gone through the ice before. So don't tell me about thick ice... :0)
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

Ecorman,
im a ice fisherman,so we will respectfully disagree on the ice issue.

I have gone to tip-up town about 5 times so far,and man,WHAT A BLAST.You will see 8 thousand lb 4x4 trucks/with attached campers EVERYWHERE.So I hardly think that a 600lb quad and rider will even put a dent in the ice?

You are very correct,there are thouands of people/riders at tip up town.But it is very CAREFULLY patroled.Even with all the folks and riders on the ice,its still one of the safest riding events in the state.I do respect your not wanting to go though,

Shucks,I was going to ask you to go to?
Bill

 

Bill wrote: Shucks, I was going to ask you to go to!

I was being a bit of a comic, Bill. Think you stole my show with that line. But thanks anyway.
Chuck, Suzuki KQ 300, GPS & lunch...

 

I'm sorry to hear you feel unsafe on ice. But I do agree I feel a bit unsafe about the snowmobile/beer-tent combo. The only incident I've heard of with someone going through the ice at TipUp Town, was a Chevy Suburban that went too far out onto the lake. The rear end went through, all the way up to the roofline, but the front end stayed up. Snowmobilers were using the roof as a ramp. My Brother-in-law was there to see it.
You just gotta be selective where you go. Next to shore is a bad place to be hanging out in a heavy vehicle, and wandering out to the middle of the lake is a bad idea, too.
Being that you're afraid to venture onto ice in fear of it breaking, with your 600lb. quad, I'm guessing that you must weigh about 10,000 lbs. Time to diet, man!