Falling through ice - standard stuff but worth a read.

Link

This doesn't really affect me here at this time of the year, frozen ponds here only usually happen on the coldest days / weeks in winter. But in other places a warm spell could mean that pond you have gotten used to walking over is suddenly (and maybe with little sign) a lot weaker. And the edge on long term frozen bodies of water can easily get lost over time.

It's about 90 deg Farenheit here right now in Bangkok on most days so I have yet to see any frozen water outside, but I'm from Michigan in the U.S. and I have fallen through ice before. Unfortunately, the internet didn't exist back then and it wasn't something they taught in school. It was one of the few times I've almost died. I fell through, and kept "jumping" up onto the ice, but it kept breaking under me and I would fall through. The only reason I survived was because I was close enough to the shore that I was able to make it there before it was too late.

Thanks for the post. It's a good thing to have knowledge of if you plan on spending time outdoors in the colder environments.

Thanks, Now_then.

I have absolutely NEVER seen this before. That's why I love this site so much. Over forty and have never learned how to save my own butt if I fall in the ice.

I'll remember you when I make it out alive.

I like the bit about having a 10 foot branch and just walking with it parallel to the ice, that way if you do go through you have something to give you a second to pull your self together.

I had this happen to me once. I was home from school sick, I decided Id take our dog for a walk out back on my dads property. There is a large marsh area back there where i normally go skating theres also a beaver dam with its center open to allow water to flow through creating a weak ice patch close to the dam.

I knew better than to go to close to the ice near he dam but the dog didn't. So as i made my way around to help my poor dog (who was whining and yelping feebly and obviously in distress) i was very smart about my approach and splayed out as much as i could and made my way to where i could rescue my dog. Well i managed to grab a hold of her collar and pull her up but when i did the ice beneath me gave way.

I remember coming up and it was VERY difficult to suck in a breath almost as if someone had just knocked the wind out of me. I was soaked from head to toe and i couldn't touch the bottom of the pond and even if i had theres several feet of silt so i knew that i would find no purchase for my feet. i kept trying to pull my way up but the ice kept breaking as i pulled myself on to the ice. After what seemed like hours but was probably only a minute or two my feet found a submerged log which gave me just enough height to roll on to the ice. I rolled a couple more times to get away from the edge just like in the diagram in the link. then i hurried home and got out of my wet clothes a quick as i could. As far as being able to float my legs to the surface i think that would have been impossible due to my heavy winter boots that weighed about 20 pounds once wet.

Another way to get out is if you cant get purchase somehow to let your glove freeze to the ice giving you a handhold but this takes time that you may of may not have.

Good post!

My grandpa the ice fisherman would carry two "ice spikes" attached to a safety cord that ran up through his coat sleeves over his shoulders.

He made them by driving 3" framing nails into the ends of 1" dowel. He would then cut of the nail head and sharpen it on a grinder. He protected the tips with old corks or rubber stoppers.

You can also buy them commercially.