The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I'm looking for a source of cheap ice anchors/screws to use on lakes to tie down with.

What are you guys using................Tim?

Buck Buchanan, Galena, AK

When I was in Alaska I carrieds a two inch diameter ice auger to bore a hole through the ice.I then tied a piece of rope to the center of a ten or twelve stick of wood and pushed it down through the hole to beneath the ice. The piece of wood worked like a toggle blot on a piece of sheet rock. It spread horizontally beneath the ice and then when things re froze, it made a secure tie down. When we were through, we cut the rope off at the surface of the ice.

I got some Ice screws at Beaver sports. They cost about 50 bucks apiece.
A friend of mine has even used them to hold his cub down out on the coast by screwing them into the ground. I carry one of those portabe shovels too.

Thanks Tim,

We are going to "town" next month and I'll take a look then. I can put in a permanent anchor here on the lake but I think a person should have a couple in the airplane for "just in case".

Buck...............Galena

Tim, are you talking about ice screws designed for ice climbing?

You can also order them online...even with shipping they would probably be cheaper than Beaver Sports (though any excuse to get in that store is a good one - or a bad one depending on the condition of one's self control )

I bought a dozen new off ebay a few years ago, figure they cost around $6 a piece including shipping. I don't remember the brand but I know REI in Anchorage had the same exact ones for ~$30 a piece. Shop around all the sports stores, Beaver Sports, Inter Mountain Sports, Test the Water all in Fairbanks, and REI, Barneys, couple others in Anchorage. I think I got rid of all mine except the ones I use, I'll dig around in the shed.

Paul

You guys are right I always end up paying top dollar and then finding what ever at half price a few weeks later. Shop around.

The advantage in using the "toggle" sticks I mentioned inthe above post is that they are inexpensive enough to throw away or abandon. The screw type can be a bitch to get out of the ice.once ther're frozen in real good.

Dick,

are you sure you know what these ice anchors are they're talking about? They're a hollow tube of high-strength alloy maybe 7" long with a square thread machined on the exterior. The cat's meow for tying down in a different place each day, or for emergency use. Small & lightweight. A lot easier to install than trying to drill 3 holes thru 30" of ice everytime you want to tie down.

the wooden stick toggle is what everyone uses for permanent tiedowns. Come break-up they float and can be retrieved - not necessariily for reuse but so you don't have trash floating around your floatplane lake. But for traveling around ice anchors are the way to go, you never run out of tiedowns and you don't need to bring an auger.

speaking of which, where do you find a 2" ice auger? The smallest ones I've been able to find are 6", with 8 and 10" more common. I think a 3" hole would be perfect for a 2x2 with a rope though the middle. A 3" hole only requires the removal of a quarter the material of a 6" hole. I've used long fluted wood boring bits in ice less than 12" thick, but I've not seen them bigger than about 1½". Anyone?

- paul

Buck- In the past, REI in Anchorage has sold the 8" Russian titanium ice screws for less than $20.00. The first ones I bought were $12.00 but that was years ago. They don't always have them in stock but it's early in the season and you might luck out. Ask to get on the wait list if they are sold out, their supplier is very sporatic.

The titanium screws are VERY light (obviously) and incredibly tough. I don't think they can be pulled out of solid ice but they won't hold at all in packed snow. They must be used in solid ice only. Use a tent stake, rebar, or any kind of bar 12" or longer to screw them in. Once you get them started don't stop until they are all the way in.

I use two screws at each tiedown point spread out about 30 degrees from vertical so you get an angled pull, not straight up. When it's time to go, just hit the top of the screws with a hammer or blunt side of an ax a couple of times like you're trying to drive a nail. They then will screw right out.
Richard

Here is the cheap Russian ones they are IRBIS brand. I surfed the net but didn't see any deals, did see a iceshanty dot org site they were talking about using them to anchor there ice shanty's they were buying them at this place "Kittery Trading Post Retail Store" 888-587-6246 some were back east. I didn't see any thing on there web site. I have a friend that might be going to Poland in afew weeks I'll have to have him look around over there.

Good luck,
Paul

Black Diamond Equipment makes tubular ice screws, probably the ones you guys saw at REI. They're high quality and expensive, but BD is renown for their good warranty.

BD Turbo Ice Screws come in lengths from 13-22cm: