New Hampshire

Police Searching for Lake Winnipesaukee Snowmobile Daredevils

Police say two men took a snowmobile out on the lake with a water skier in tow

Police in Laconia, New Hampshire, are searching for two daredevils who decided to take a snowmobile out over open water on Lake Winnipesaukee over the weekend, with a water skier in tow.

That’s right, they were water skiing in the winter, barefoot, behind a snowmobile.

“Historically, people have skimmed the channel but I think that was the first time someone has done it with a water skier on the back,” said Laconia resident Andrew Wallace.

Witnesses said spring was in the air on Saturday.

“It was like 55 degrees,” said CJ Gulbicki.

When Gulbicki heard the rev of the snowmobile’s engine, he grabbed his cell phone and caught the stunt on camera.

“He dropped both his skis there and proceeded to go barefoot the rest of the way,” Gulbicki said.

Crossing open water on a snowmobile is called “skimming.”

To stay afloat, the driver needs to get up enough speed on solid ice or land before hitting the water.

“They’re known as a local stunt team around here and they just went for it,” Gulbicki said.

“It’s a pretty extraordinary feat,” Wallace said.

For spectators, it’s certainly something to see, but there’s one big problem.

“It is illegal,” said Laconia Police Captain Matt Canfield.

In 2006, New Hampshire outlawed skimming because of the risks.

“If you lose that speed or anything upsets the balance of that machine, it dives into the water and sinks,” Canfield said. “When you’re traveling at 50, 60, 70 miles per hour on a snow machine, the water it’s like hitting just solid pavement.”

If caught, police say the daredevils could face up to a $1,000 in fines.

But in Gulbicki’s opinion, it’s a risk they had to take.

“I mean, you can’t put a price on legendary,” he said.

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