How Much ice is enough?

[DoublinUp 0]

I have a Nice little pond on front of my neighborhood and it has been below zero degrees for the last few days... id say the ice is probably 6 inches thick.. whats the best way to tell if the ice is safe to skate on?

[b33f 0]

Throw on a life jacket and lace'em up! For real though, we would always just check the shore/edge of pond/river and see how thick and stable the ice was and winged it from there.

[jds 20]

I have a Nice little pond on front of my neighborhood and it has been below zero degrees for the last few days... id say the ice is probably 6 inches thick.. whats the best way to tell if the ice is safe to skate on?

Here are the guidelines from the Canadian Red Cross:

15 cm for walking or skating alone (6 inches)

20 cm for skating parties or games (8 inches)

25 cm for snowmobiles.(11 inches)

However, I have heard 4 inches is safe for walking and I suppose the Red Cross airs on the side of safety. I have been on a pond skating with around three inches of ice. The more still the water the stronger the ice since a current undermines the ice. Just don't guess on the thickness or all this is moot

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

I just take a 15 pound rock chuck it in the air and if it doesn't go through, it's usually ok to skate on. Hasn't failed me yet haha

[Hermans 9]

Here are the guidelines from the Canadian Red Cross:

15 cm for walking or skating alone (6 inches)

20 cm for skating parties or games (8 inches)

25 cm for snowmobiles.(11 inches)

However, I have heard 4 inches is safe for walking and I suppose the Red Cross airs on the side of safety. I have been on a pond skating with around three inches of ice. The more still the water the stronger the ice since a current undermines the ice. Just don't guess on the thickness or all this is moot

how do you know if ice is safe? You can't.

the bigger issue to understand is how deep the water would be where you are skating and if there is a strong current. Most pond hockey is played in shallow, protected areas where there isn't much current and the ice is consistent. I'd go with the above list of recommendations if you're in an area where you're not going to be swept away (a river) or it's not deep (falling through won't submerge you).

Air bubbles, shifting currents, water warming faster or slower than the ice, etc can affect ice pretty darn quick. So if the risk of falling through is "low" then go with the above.

[dangle 0]

We don't get consistently cold (below freezing) temperatures in Maryland, so we only get about 1 week a winter we're able to skate on ponds. I've skated on 2" to 2.5" of ice... I don't recommend it though. The ice was waving at us.

We had 10 guys on 3" to 3.5" of ice without a problem.

[17D1998 1]

I just take a 15 pound rock chuck it in the air and if it doesn't go through, it's usually ok to skate on. Hasn't failed me yet haha

I laughed out loud at that one, but yeah it should work

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

I laughed out loud at that one, but yeah it should work

haha yeah, it sounds ridiculous, but it works

[GoBucky 0]

I wouldnt venture out onto the ice until there is AT LEAST 4" and wouldnt feel comfortable on it until there was 6". Around here, even the ice fisherman dont go on the ice until theres 4". (and those guys are the ones who tend to press their luck when it comes to going out on thin ice)

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

I wouldnt venture out onto the ice until there is AT LEAST 4" and wouldnt feel comfortable on it until there was 6". Around here, even the ice fisherman dont go on the ice until theres 4". (and those guys are the ones who tend to press their luck when it comes to going out on thin ice)

I was up at Lake winnipesaukee over break, people had their ice huts out there even though 100 feet away the rest of the lake wasn't frozen.

[GoBucky 0]

I was up at Lake winnipesaukee over break, people had their ice huts out there even though 100 feet away the rest of the lake wasn't frozen.

Yeah, ice fisherman are pretty crazy. I personally wont go out on the ice until its 6" thick but around here Ive heard of people being out on as little as 3" of ice.

It seems like every year you hear on the news about someone who went out on early ice, fell through and drowned.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

Yeah, ice fisherman are pretty crazy. I personally wont go out on the ice until its 6" thick but around here Ive heard of people being out on as little as 3" of ice.

It seems like every year you hear on the news about someone who went out on early ice, fell through and drowned.

I've been checking the news to hear about the first person to fall in. I won't go out on this lake to skate or snowmobile until the ice fishermen have their pickups out their because the lake is pretty big

[twolinepass 0]

Ask Gordon Bombay

[interpathway 9]

We don't get consistently cold (below freezing) temperatures in Maryland, so we only get about 1 week a winter we're able to skate on ponds. I've skated on 2" to 2.5" of ice... I don't recommend it though. The ice was waving at us.

We had 10 guys on 3" to 3.5" of ice without a problem.

Where in Maryland are you? We had some nice ice over here in Rockville.

[dw91 0]

6 inches is usually good. It also helps to know if the body of water is spring-fed, as that can create very weak ice. the ice is usually thinnest around the edge. I always thought it was great when the ice was really clear, then you could look for cracks, and see how deep they went. If you want to be super cautious, first time out go with someone else, tie a rope around you, and have them hold the rope on shore.

[flyerman 0]

http://www.modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php?/topic/18332-pond-hockey-ice-thickness/

[Machinehead2k5 32]

If you're in Atlanta, you can just ice skate on our roads. Who says a SE Division team can't host the Winter Classic!

[biff44 0]

Seriously, if you EVER get the chance during an ice storm, go out and skate around! It is wicked fun. A little scary to go down hill though!

Did it once in Troy NY, and had a blast!

As for thin ice, I once saw an interesting homemade device for ice fishermen. It was a wooden dowel, with a nail stuck into it (sharp point sticking out). You put a cork over he point, and keep 2 of them in your pockets. If you fall in, the real problem is that you can not get leverage to crawl back onto the ice to self-rescue. With this device, you can use one in each hand, and claw your way back onto the ice, and then crawl back to where it is thicker. If you are solo...might want to keep a pair handy.

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

If you're in Atlanta, you can just ice skate on our roads. Who says a SE Division team can't host the Winter Classic!

that's awesome

[biff44 0]

found this write up on safe ice thicknesses:

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/safety/ice_safety.htm

[hampshirepuck 2]

I just take a 15 pound rock chuck it in the air and if it doesn't go through, it's usually ok to skate on. Hasn't failed me yet haha

you must be from new england, I used to do that all the time when i was growing up and it worked fine for me!

but anyway 6 inches is generally the rule and what I was taught growing up

usually a at least 10 consistent days with freezing temps is good enough... just watch out for black ice i fell through when i was a little kid and it traumatized me for quite some time

[Jason Harris 31]

Seriously, if you EVER get the chance during an ice storm, go out and skate around! It is wicked fun. A little scary to go down hill though!

Did it once in Troy NY, and had a blast!

One of my hockey buddies moved to Portand, OR, and he told me about an ice storm during which he took the dog out for a walk. Or, rather, the dog took him out for a skate.....

[bostonjuniorblackhawks 1]

you must be from new england, I used to do that all the time when i was growing up and it worked fine for me!

but anyway 6 inches is generally the rule and what I was taught growing up

usually a at least 10 consistent days with freezing temps is good enough... just watch out for black ice i fell through when i was a little kid and it traumatized me for quite some time

yeah, I'm real close to southern NH.

I problem I'm having now is keeping the pond snow free so water isn't being pushed up

[wrangler 157]

found this write up on safe ice thicknesses:

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/recreation/safety/ice_safety.htm

On the pond where I used to work as a skating guard, we'd send out someone expendable, to drive around in the jeep. If he didn't got through, we let the kids skate. We were usually pretty sure it was OK, and I never saw the jeep break through.

Nowadays, I use lakes only for landing, and if there are ice fishing shacks, especially with pickups next to them, we figure it's okay to support a very light airplane.

[biff44 0]

On the pond where I used to work as a skating guard, we'd send out someone expendable, to drive around in the jeep. If he didn't got through, we let the kids skate. We were usually pretty sure it was OK, and I never saw the jeep break through.

Nowadays, I use lakes only for landing, and if there are ice fishing shacks, especially with pickups next to them, we figure it's okay to support a very light airplane.

It is a sound plan! Unfortunately, here in new england, if you drop a jeep thru the ice, they fine you for pollution until you are destitute, and THEN by law you still have to retrieve the jeep!

As far as the plane goes, I think one went part way thru the ice on lake Winnipesaukee a couple years back. They have a fly-in on the lake every winter.