How to survive…

After years of sailing iceboats on frozen lakes all over North America , I know this: No ice is 100 percent safe, and no amount of fun is worth risking a tragedy.

Iceboaters are serious about ice safety. We watch the ice carefully. Before the lake freezes, we monitor water temperatures. We note the times, water and air temperatures when the ice first forms, and we monitor conditions as the ice grows. We do not guess at thickness, we measure it.

Many times, especially with new clear ice (”black ice”), we can look at cracks or fractures in the ice and see exactly how thick it is. If we cannot do that, we drill holes. We use drills with bits large enough to fit a measuring tape, and we use ice fishing augers.

We also ask ice fishermen. We never assume anything.

The right stuff

We never go on ice without some type of traction device on our feet. Ice skates work, and there are devices that slip over your shoes or boots such as Yaktrax or Stabilicers; also old metal-spiked golf shoes, track shoes or short, hex-head screws driven into the soles of old boots.

You need traction for a couple of reasons.

First, so you don’t want to slip and fall; you can be seriously hurt falling on ice.

Second, you will need a grip on the ice to assist someone else who has fallen through. A person you are trying to rescue may unintentionally pull you into the water.

We never go on the ice without a pair of “bear claws” or “ice claws” and a whistle around our neck.

Buy ice claws at tackle shops or you can make them yourself with dowels, glue and nails. Picture a pair of full-sized screwdrivers with the shafts cut down to an inch and sharpened to a point, tied to opposite ends of a thirty-inch cord. When you fall in, one claw in each hand driven into the ice will give you enough purchase so you can pull yourself out and slide along the ice to safety.

When is it safe?

How thick is safe? First, no ice is 100 percent safe. The strongest ice is the flat, glassy “black” ice that we can see through. Milky white “snow ice” is roughly half as strong as black ice.

Whether there is 4 inches, 8 inches or 18 inches where you stand and measure, I guarantee you the ice will be a lot thinner somewhere on that sheet of ice. You must be prepared. We do not sail on less than 4 inches of ice; we prefer to start with more.

Lake water rarely freezes all at the same time, so thicknesses will vary considerably in different areas of a body of water. If the ice in front of you LOOKS different, it probably IS different, so be wary.

Be especially careful after a rainstorm, no matter how cold it becomes afterward. Rainwater and melt water can “pond” on the surface of ice, and then seep through a crack, and open it up into what we call a “drain hole.”

A little wind can open that hole further and, when it refreezes, you are left with a thin-ice trap.

Rain and storm runoff can also activate underwater springs that erode the ice from below, and storm or melt water moving towards a drain or a dam spillway under the ice can create thin areas invisible from above.

Spring ice is especially dangerous. When the sun gets higher in the sky and the days grow longer in late Winter, even 12 inches of ice that was solid a few days before can percolate and crystallize to the point that you will drop right through.

Rescue on this type of “rotten” ice can be especially difficult and dangerous.

What happens if you fall through?

First, since I know that you will NEVER go on the ice alone, one of the people with you will immediately call 911 on a cell phone. Most fire departments in my area [Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton] are well-equipped for ice rescue.

Next, while everyone else separates from one another to distribute their weight, and backs away from the dangerous ice you broke through, you will have gotten yourself back to the edge of the broken ice and you will be using your bear claws to self-rescue.

You will reach as far as you can onto solid ice and drive the tools into the ice. You will then get your body near horizontal and, with a powerful frog kick, push and pull yourself up onto the surface.

Although much more difficult, this also works without ice picks if you put your forearms flat on the ice, get near horizontal in the water, then use that strong frog kick while pushing straight UP with your arms, falling forward onto solid ice.

Without ice claws, you cannot pull yourself out, but you can push yourself forward with strong frog kicks.

Once out and on the ice again, do not stand up. Stay flat on the ice, distributing your weight, and slide or roll away from the weak ice before standing and moving quickly to warmth and safety.

If you cannot get yourself out and the rescue squad has not yet arrived, you hold yourself on the edge of the ice, resting on your forearms, and your friends might wave down a passing iceboat. Most iceboaters carry safety gear including rope, know how to use it, and can transport a cold, wet individual quickly to shelter or to meet the rescue squad on shore.

If there are no iceboats around, some of your friends will be looking and/or moving towards shore for assistance. Some lakefront homeowners leave ice rescue gear; throw ropes, ladder or dock sections, planks, etc. at the shoreline.

Never assume, when you see ice fishermen, skaters, snow machines and iceboats all over a frozen lake, that all of the ice is safe. Check it for yourself. Talk to the people you see on the ice, ask if they know of dangerous conditions anywhere.

A frozen lake or pond is a wonderful place for the entire family on a sparkling winter day. Just approach the ice with respect and take charge of your own situation; know what you have. Do not guess, and never assume that the ice is safe.

Posted Jan. 24, 2010