MAT-SU — While the recently frozen lakes may look inviting to winter enthusiasts, be aware.

Cliff Silver, the chief of the Mat-Su Borough’s water rescue team, said the industry standard for safe walking is 2 inches of clear ice and 4 inches for standing still. Silver said the ice should be at least 8 inches thick before small vehicles try to drive on it.

“But that’s too thin for me,” Silver said. “Myself, I wait until Fisher’s Fuel truck drives across Big Lake.”

ROBERT DEBERRY/Frontiersman A colorful sunset paints the thin ice of Wasilla Lake a deep hue of orange and blue recently. Valley lakes and ponds have started freezing over but are not safe for foot or vehicle travel.

The problem with giving suggested measurements is each water body is different, he said. For example, Wasilla Lake and Big Lake have hot spots where the ice thins out.

“Like the channel in Wasilla Lake. Almost every year, we have had a vehicle go through that channel,” Silver said. “Luckily, it’s only four feet deep so the windows are typically out of the water.”

In Big Lake, there are weak spots where tributaries flow into the lake. Often, there are signs directing people around these channels, but often these signs are ignored.

“Moving water is 15 percent weaker,” Silver said. “They are up for a reason. They will figure it out.”

Once the snow comes, ice becomes weaker, he said. The added weight cracks the ice, which often becomes cloudy instead of clear. Take extra precautions when this happens, and add a few inches to the recommended safe thickness, Silver said.

The best way to gauge thickness is to drill a hole with an electric hand drill. There is no date after which ice necessarily becomes safe to walk on.

“Mother nature is fickle. There is no given dates for anything,” Silver said.

What’s most important, he said, is to be aware of the situation. For example, snowmachine trails pack the snow down, which reduces the insulating effect and makes the ice stronger. It is typically best to stay on the trail in swamps, even when the trail is a bit rough.

“When you start to make your own trail, that’s when you get into trouble. That’s when your find the overflow and you’re in six feet of snow trying to dig yourself out,” Silver said.

If you do ride across ice, there are some simple precautions that have saved many lives. Silver understands it is unrealistic to ask snowmachiners to wear life jackets or have spikes close at hand. However, keeping a dry set of clothes in a watertight vacuum bag will save near hypothermic riders. Most importantly, he said, put your cell phone in a sealable plastic bag.

“A number of people that fall through call us to come rescue them,” Silver said.

As of Friday, Silver’s team has not made any ice rescues this winter.

Mat-Su Borough water rescue team will have training exercises in the following locations. They will be simulations and not emergencies, so the public should not be alarmed, or interfere.

• Tuesday night in Willow

• Saturday afternoon on Wasilla Lake.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

What if I fall in?

First, try not to panic. This may be easier said than done, unless you have worked out a survival plan in advance. These tips may help.

1. Don’t remove your winter clothing. Heavy clothes won’t drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This is especially true with a snowmachine suit.

 2. Turn toward the direction you came. That’s probably the strongest ice.

 3. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface. This is where a pair of nails, sharpened screwdrivers or ice picks come in handy in

providing the extra traction you need to pull yourself up onto the ice.

4. Kick your feet and dig in your ice picks to work your way back onto the solid ice. If your clothes have trapped a lot of water, you may have to lift yourself partially out of the water on your elbows to let the water drain before starting forward.

5. Lie flat on the ice once you are out and roll away from the hole to keep your weight spread out. This may help prevent you from breaking through again.

6. Get to a warm, dry, sheltered area and re-warm yourself immediately. In moderate to severe cases of cold water hypothermia, you must seek medical attention. Cold blood trapped in your extremities can come rushing back to your heart after you begin to re-warm. The shock of the chilled blood may cause ventricular fibrillation leading to a heart attack and death.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources