pocketlily t1_j88kfil wrote on February 12, 2023 at 1:30 PM

Reply to comment by Stockmom42 in Fisherman dies after falling through ice on Lake Champlain; state urges caution on lakes this weekend by airhogg

Yea weather, average temperature, wind speed, wind direction, size of the body of water, amount of water moving through the area under the ice, how much ice is already there, amount of water on top of the ice, quality of the ice are just some of the factors. Ice can be dangerous but just because Champlain is unsafe doesn’t mean that other ponds with different factors are. Never assume the spot 15’ ahead of you has the same amount of ice as the spot you’re standing on, let alone the ice across town.

Stockmom42 t1_j88lhjp wrote on February 12, 2023 at 1:40 PM

The other pond also has a warning associated with it and a huge crack. Yet people are treating it like a fun spot to chill. We can calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow or just use some common sense and not play on ice when the conditions aren’t safe.

pocketlily t1_j88me3q wrote on February 12, 2023 at 1:49 PM

Or you can use an auger and a spud bar to continuously check the ice instead of guessing based on conditions.

casewood123 t1_j88p7h5 wrote on February 12, 2023 at 2:14 PM

What’s happening under the ice is also a factor of how safe it is. Such as current and amount of vegetation. If there is a lot of grass it emits oxygen which will rot the ice from underneath. Same with current. When the weather is warm, feeder streams run higher with runoff which will also deteriorate the ice from underneath.