Folks over on the big lake define "Ice-Out" on Lake Winnipesaukee to be the moment when the ice that has covered the Lake since winter melts enough that the M/S Mount Washington cruise ship could navigate between its ports in Alton Bay, Center Harbor, Weirs Beach, Meredith, and Wolfeboro.

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Here on our little lake, we define "Ice-Out" in the spring as that date on which a Kayaker could first navigate from the Lakeview Estates Beach, at the north shore, to Opechee Point, in the southwest. Conversely, "Ice-In" is that date in the winter when the trip can no longer be made because of ice.

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Water flowing from the Lakeport Damn to the Winnipesaukee River tends to keep the southeast portion of the lake from freezing except in extreme conditions. This means that Ice-In and -Out dates tend to be defined by ice status at the lake's north end. The shallower water and lack of current there tend to extend the duration of ice coverage and make that area the first to freeze, often in December, and the last to clear, usually in April.