Cold weather will help ice thicken up, but it's not yet safe to walk on yet. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Thin Ice

Despite cold weather, most ice still not safe to walk on in Prince Albert area

Dec 8, 2021 | 12:00 PM

It may have felt cold enough to freeze your face off the last couple of days, but the cold weather hasn’t had enough time to build up ice on bodies of water.

As such, it will still be a while before you can go strolling on the frozen river.

Parkland Ambulance is cautioning people against going out on the ice in the Prince Albert area right now. The cold weather will eventually allow enough of a buildup to walk or even drive on, but we’re not there yet.

“Remember that many of our lakes, rivers, and backyard dugouts are definitely not frozen,” said Lyle Karasiuk, director of public affairs for Parkland Ambulance. “They’re not safe surfaces to walk on. If someone does fall into one of those areas and you’re able to get them out, or it’s you yourself, you need to get dry and you need to get warm very, very quickly.”

One of the surest signs that the ice is not thick enough is that open water is still visible on the North Saskatchewan River. You need at least four inches of ice to safely walk on, and rivers can take a longer time than other bodies of water to get to that point.

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“You have to remember, there’s current under most rivers,” said Karasiuk. “So that water is always moving, and it does take some time for it to get strong enough to freeze. A shallow pond, maybe, but you need to make sure, because if you’re venturing out on the ice — even on a shallow pond — getting wet is no fun at all, especially if it’s very cold.”

Colder weather is not only welcomed by some hobbyists, it’s actually necessary for their hobbies to begin. This is true for ice fishers, but those wanting to build shelters or drive out on the ice have a while to wait yet, as Karasiuk said the ice should be at least ten to twelve inches thick before you drive any kind of vehicle out on it.

Even after all this cold weather, you might still find ice unstable. Should you be out on ice that suddenly starts cracking or threatening to break, backtracking is the best thing you can do.

“If someone goes through the ice, first let’s make sure we can safely get to them,” said Karasiuk said. “If it’s you and you’re wandering out on the ice and you start to hear the ice cracking under you, go back where you came from. If it was not cracking when you first got on, it might be strong enough to hold you going back. Don’t go forward, go back.”

If someone does go through the ice, or if you should find yourself in that boat, you’ll need to act quickly.

“Stay low, use something to extend your reach,” Karasiuk added. “A rope, a tree limb, something you can throw out to them they can grab on to.”

Once you get them safely to shore, Karasiuk stressed you need to get emergency services involved right away as it won’t take long for someone to get extremely cold.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP