Don’t walk on ice unless it’s 4-inches thick

Mild weather makes for dangerous conditions

PETERBOROUGH — People traveling on ice-covered rivers and lakes should know the risks, says Peterborough OPP officer Iain McEwan. Police say they continue to get calls from people saying they spotted someone walking out on the ice.

Often the worst time to travel across ice-covered rivers is during the onset of mild weather. Two years ago, after a late February thaw two people drowned in two cases of vehicles falling through the ice on the Ottawa River. One case was just west of Ottawa. The other was just east of Ottawa.

For safe travel by foot there should be a minimum thickness of 10 cm (4 inches) of ice, McEwan said. A single snowmobile or ATV requires ice that is 15 cm (6 inches) thick.

He added, however, that lake and river ice can be affected by many factors including thickness, currents, pressure cracks, age of the ice, snow cover and weather. Conditions can change dramatically from lake-to-lake and from bay-to-bay, especially during unseasonably mild weather, he said.

Cracking is to be expected. Even the St. Lawrence River will crack under your boots when it’s 10-in. thick.

Do not travel on ice alone, especially at night, McEwan said. He also recommends: carry a compass, scan the terrain for changing conditions – buckled ice or changing currents – and loosen buckles, undo belts on packs or equipment you are carrying so that they can be easily removed. Snowshoe bindings should be loosened if you are wearing them on the ice.