Comment by adriand | Hacker News Reader

Comment by adriand | Hacker News Reader

Reminds me of an idea I had a few years ago when the northeast states and provinces like Quebec and Ontario were in the grip of an intense cold snap as a result of a "polar vortex". I live near Lake Ontario and the surface of the entire lake froze over to a thickness that would support a transport truck.

You probably see where I'm going with this: throw a big party/rave in the middle of the frozen lake. The goal would be to keep it on the Canadian side (where I live) but far enough out into the lake that local police have no jurisdiction - IANAL but my primitive thinking was to see if you could situate it where it would require federal intervention, which seems to me unlikely to materialize in time to stop a party.

In any case, we would be in the middle of a very large lake, and I'm not sure that there are any laws preventing throwing a party there in the first place.

Naturally, to be a welcoming environment, a party like this would greatly benefit from a huge bonfire, raising concerns about risks that are less likely when you party on dry land, but I thought it was a fun idea...

In the late 90s, there were a few "no man's land" raves in places where jurisdiction was ambiguous between Israel and the (then brand new) Palestinian Authority's west bank territories. Neither the israeli army, police or palestinian police wanted to mess with a huge, internationally negotiated agreement for the sake of a party.

Around 1999-2000 the "Oslo Process" which created those jurisdictional grey areas collapsed into it's current state, things got violent and the raves ended.

Funny how "what's normal" depends on where you're from. Middle Eastern no-mans-land seemed like a cool place for a party, to 16 yo me. Frozen lake in winter seems way to dangerous to even consider. What sort of a lune would go to a frozen lake party?!!

Lots of people in freezing areas of the world do all sorts of things on frozen lakes/water bodies. There are ice roads in Canada's North that are only open when it's cold enough for the water to freeze. Heavy transport trucks use them all the time! And of course there's the hockey/skating and ice fishing.

Madmen. You can run from or fight violence. Can't outrun cold.

In my mind, if a lake is that frozen, we're in a war against nature.

I know you’re joking, but you can - you know - literally outrun the feeling of cold in most situations.

You’re really cold? Eat. Run. Increase your insulation.

It's better than being too hot. At least if you're cold you can add clothes. If you're too hot there's a limit to how naked you can get!

OT, but what will happen to them after global warming? I guess its not too different than what happens during summer times.

This is actually a serious problem. Cheap shipping seasons are getting shorter for the remote North [1].

[1] https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-335-100-days-of-sean-s...

I went to Canada's winter carnival a few years back. There is a lot going on but one is a canoe race through the ice choked St. Lawrence river. I recall them wearing spiked shoed to climb over ice flows.

I stayed one night in an ice hotel. Absolutely beautiful lit up by LED lights and with ice sculptures. It was pretty cold by my SO couldn't sleep as it was -10f, She said when she closed her eyes she thought, "don't fall asleep, you will freeze", so we bailed. They provide the sleeping bag/liner and instructions (no cotton pajamas etc..)

Cold can be very dangerous though, because hyperthermia makes you not think clearly about what to do next.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quebec_Winter_Carnival

One thing to keep in mind - should anyone find themselves sleeping in a very cold situation - is to eat significantly more than normal, particularly fatty foods (butter!). In the cold, your body uses a lot of calories to keep your body temp up and eating a dense meal right before bed goes a long way to your overall comfort.

I also have a belief that keeping a hot beverage ready-made in a thermos (tea or just hot water) should be considered a safety item when winter camping, sea kayaking, etc. Warming yourself from the inside is more effective than trying to throw on extra layers.

You can enjoy this in Europe too. With a sufficiently cold winter, you'll get a nice bunch of ice roads between Estonia and Finland when the Baltic Sea freezes up. It sounds pretty awesome.

What is ice fishing but a frozen lake party?

https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+fishing+party&source=lnm...

Some people go all out on the creature comforts:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ice+fishing+houses&source=ln...

Every outdoor party needs a huge bonfire! It's part of the ritual. Depending on your definition of "big", you might be able to get around the hot-logs-on-ice problem using propane gas burners - I've been using them for years to get around summertime burn bans and the risk of grass fires. It might not be as romantic as the traditional bonfire, but it's a lot better than nothing and it really helps keep people out on the dance floor all night. I started out with one of these, and the system I'm using now is just a scaled-up version of the same idea:

https://www.campingworld.com/portable-propane-outdoor-fire-p...

Seems like it might work for a frozen-lake party, since the heat stays up off the ground; you could throw a reflective insulating blanket underneath for even better results.

You'd be under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Provincial Police and their marine unit would no doubt ride some snowmobiles out there to find out wtf is going on.

The goal would be to keep it on the Canadian side (where I live) but far enough out into the lake that local police have no jurisdiction

What do the Canadian police do in the summer when a drunken idiot is terrorizing the populace by riding his jet ski like an ass? "Whelp, out on the water, nuthin' we can do, eh?" I imagine it's like the U. S., where any number of law enforcement agencies have jurisdiction to write tickets and arrest folks. And though IANAL, I don't imagine the physical state of the lake water going from liquid to solid being a factor.

Bullets know no jurisdiction. Here in San Diego boarder patrol is happy to shoot over to the Mexican size of the border.

In the US, on lakes, rivers, and intercoastal waterways, you can be charged with DUI if operating a motorized boat while intoxicated.

Sounds similar to cruiseships and law jurisdiction, the open seas doesn't follow the same conventions as inland

Take to the sea!

What kind of music? Please invite me :)

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