Numerous water bodies located in central Russia and in the north of the country are usually covered with ice in winter. Being in nature, tourists, fishermen and hunters may well find themselves in a critical situation if they go out onto the fragile ice. To avoid trouble, everyone should know the basic rules of behavior on the ice and strictly follow them.
How to determine the strength of ice
An ice-covered body of water can be dangerous for a number of reasons. Warm currents can pass in a lake or river, which erodes the ice from below. The layer of ice also becomes thinner during temperature extremes and during thaws. Being on not too strong ice, a person puts himself at risk and can end up in ice water at any second. That is why in winter time on reservoirs you need to be extremely collected and careful.
The easiest way to determine the condition of the ice cover is when the ice is free of snow. The most durable is ice, which has a characteristic greenish or bluish tint. If the ice is milky or interspersed in the form of bubbles, this should alert you. Light ice most often forms after heavy snowfall.
Usually the ice cover of the reservoir is not uniform - some places are stronger, in others the ice is weaker.
Step on the ice and make sure there are no large cracks on the surface. Ring-shaped cracks indicate that the ice is not very strong, so it is better to immediately refuse to move on it. The spongy ice of a yellowish tint, which usually forms after rain, is very unreliable. Complete safety while moving can be guaranteed only by ice, when pressed on, no cracks form at all.
The ice cover of fast-moving rivers can be dangerous, especially near the coast. In such places, the ice has a multilayer structure and is filled with small air bubbles, which make the ice brittle. In the middle of fast rivers, the coverage is more reliable.
It is recommended to go out on the ice in those places where it is not covered with snow, away from stones, rocks and flooded snags.
Basic rules of behavior on ice
Do not put yourself at risk by crossing a body of water on ice in those places where it is expressly prohibited by appropriate inscriptions or conventional signs. Before going out on the ice, check its strength with improvised means, for example, a long pole or a ski pole. Try not to cross frozen bodies of water alone. If you are walking as part of a group, maintain a distance of about five to six meters between participants.
Stay as far as possible from ice holes and places where water is exposed to the surface of the ice. Beware of crossing water bodies on ice in the dark, with heavy snow and wind. When skiing on ice, unfasten the bindings in advance and free your hands from the ski pole loops.
If you are carrying a backpack or bag on your back, move it to one shoulder so that the load can be quickly thrown off in case of danger.
Walk on the ice slowly, with a sliding step; look carefully at the space in front of you, pay attention to cracks and discoloration of the ice. If you encounter signs that indicate deterioration in ice quality, walk back by stepping on your own tracks and not making sudden movements.
If you do happen to fall through the ice, don't panic. Extend your arms as wide as possible and try to grab onto the edges of the ice. Try to slowly and without sudden movements crawl with your chest to the edge, pulling out both legs alternately. After getting out of the hole, do not get up, but roll in the direction from which you came to the dangerous place.
