Acorn To Arabellavideo
Crossing Thin Ice in Newfoundland | Baker’s Brook Recon & Frozen Boat Fixes
March 6, 2026 · 26 min · 13K views · Baker's Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park
What this video covers
Steve and Carter complete a two-day backcountry ski and ice-climbing recon at Baker's Brook Pond in Gros Morne, Newfoundland, scouting conditions ahead of a planned return trip with Robin and others. On the second day, above-freezing overnight temperatures force them to abandon a crossing to Baker's Brook Pond's far gully; instead they ski toward Ten Mile Pond, but snow-covered Tuckamore slows progress and they turn back.3:34 On the third and final day, with temperatures staying below freezing throughout, they cross the pond using a structured risk-management approach: Steve cuts test holes with an axe to confirm six-plus inches of solid ice, both ski to distribute weight, Steve wears a climbing harness tied to Carter via a knotted rope for self-rescue, and all gear rides in a separate sled behind Carter to avoid a fatal entanglement if either breaks through.8:36 They reach the gully but find too much running water to safely access the ice climbs.12:09 Back aboard Arabella, Steve traces a power outage to a water-damaged dock connector that shorted when the bubbler was plugged in.17:30 He also disassembles two proprietary-screwed electric heaters clogged with dog hair from the boat's dog Akiva, drilling out tamper-resistant screws with a screw extractor to reach and clear the heating elements.21:35 The recon confirmed that Ten Mile Pond is reachable but not worth the approach from that angle, and that the ice climbing lies at the far end of the fjord.15:53
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