Practice ice safety as spring marches on

Walking, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, skating and playing sports can be dangerous pastimes when you don’t know how to tell if ice is thick enough to withstand weight.

There are ways to assist in gauging the potential safety of ice, such as observing its color, testing its thickness and being aware of external factors such as temperature, local conditions and local knowledge. However, no sport undertaken on ice over water bodies is ever without risk. If in doubt, do not go onto the ice; moreover, it never pays to be too early or too late in the season. As the days get longer the temperature rises, precautionary factors should be considered when enjoying Alaska’s spring.

Recognize that there is no such thing as “safe” ice. Conditions and unseen or unknown factors can render seemingly safe ice suddenly dangerous. Take all care and precautions to avoid mishaps and to put rescue plans into immediate action should something go wrong. While playing in the outdoors, create an emergency safety plan. If something does go wrong while you are testing or recreating, already have in place the safety procedures that you will carry out for immediate rescue.

For starters, you should be adequately dressed in full cold weather attire. Wear some form of flotation device, even a boating life jacket, especially if you are testing or snowmobiling. Never go without a buddy or two. Tell other people where you and your buddy are and what time you expect to return home. Have a spare set of warm, dry clothing in a waterproof bag. That way you can reduce the risk of hypothermia by changing the wet clothes immediately. Other useful supplies to have as part of an emergency kit include an emergency blanket, hand and foot warmers, thick socks, candles and matches. Pack such emergency items for all winter sports outdoors.

Recognize that determining the safety of ice is dependent on a combination of factors, not on one factor alone. Ice safety is determined by assessing the following factors together: appearance of the ice — its color, texture and features, thickness of the ice — there are recommended thicknesses for different uses, external temperature over a period of time and on the day, snow coverage, depth of water under ice and size of water body.

Observe the ice. Look at the ice to see if you can see any cracks, breaks, weak spots or abnormal surfaces and to identify the color(s) of the ice. Know your ice color meanings. Although a useful indicator, color alone should not be relied upon. For instance, ice of any color subjected to a running water force underneath will be weaker than ice not subject to that pressure.

• Light gray to dark black — Melting ice, occurs even if air temperature is below 32 degrees. Not safe, its weak density can’t hold a load, so stay off.

• White to opaque — Water-saturated snow freezes on top of ice forming another thin ice layer. Most times it’s weak due to being porous from air pockets.

• Blue to clear — High density, very strong, safest ice to be on if thick enough; stay off if less than 4 inches thick.

• Mottled and slushy or “rotten” ice — Not so much its color, but its texture. This ice is thawing and slushy. It is deceptive. It may seem thick at the top, but it is rotting away at the center and base.

Most prevalent in spring is water bodies may be showing signs of browns from plant tannins, dirt and other natural materials that are resurfacing from thawing. This is not suitable for even a footstep.

Alaska’s abundance of rivers, lakes, wetlands, snowfields and glaciers comprise an estimated 40 percent of the nation’s surface water. There are more than 12,000 rivers in Alaska. Alaska has more than 3 million lakes ranging from pond size to 1,000 square miles. Be safe when enjoying the outdoors of Alaska. Think your route through and take precautionary actions to avoid injury and have fun!

Virgie Thompson has been mayor of Houston since October 2010.