Driving on the ice

[TheWelder]

I took the whole family ice fishing to Chain yesterday, it was my wifes first time, and she was terrified of driving on the ice. It got me thinking, how much ice is "safe" to drive on? Whats the thinnest any of you guys have ever driven on? We drove out on the lake, there was 15 or 20 other trucks out there so I didn't think twice about it, but I was surprised to find only about 7 or 8 inches.

Whats the thinnest you've ever driven on?

The fishin was good at Chain by the way.

[Izumi]

I use this chart.

http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/safeice.php

I play it safe with the truck and wait for 10"-12" mark.

[TheWelder]

Thanks Bob:lol:

[crownroyal]

I've gone out by myself recently in a SUV with 9", but was un-nerved everytime another vehicle drove by. These vehicles were wise enough to keep their distance at low speeds as well, but all that noise was a bit much. I go by a chart similar to one just posted so I assume I was safe but would definitely wait for thicker ice if there is any doubt in your mind.

[Shmag]

You may of found 7-8 inches of ice, but that doesn't mean the whole lake is frozen that much. Currents and air/gas pockets can sure keep it from freezing. I had an eye opener on Slave a few years back, when most of the lake was 3ft thick and then we went to an area that was known to have some underwater current and there was less than 1ft of ice there.

There was another guy talking on here that he was on Slave's nine mile point last week with 18 inches of ice, and i heard a truck broke through 2 days ago at assineau bay in 10ft of water, which is about 10-15km away.

My advice to you this time of year is, stay on someone else's tracks, drive slow, keep your window's opened a bit, and keep in mind the newer vehicle's have the auto door lock when in gear(take that off) and if the track's disappear into a hole, hit er in reverse.lol

Happy Fishin

[theduke]

i find 8 inches to be a lil thin i wait untill abut 14 or more inches also dueto the fact that we drive big trucks, even on chain the past weeks it looked to be a lil to thin due to all the snow on it, it also got a lil slushy, a good tip if u wanna drive on the ice with notmuch thickness it take off ur seat belts and drive with the doors cracked open just incase u need to jump out. stay safe out there

[Jester]

I use this chart.

http://www.almanac.com/outdoors/safeice.php

I play it safe with the truck and wait for 10"-12" mark.

36 inches = 110 tons

There is no way in heck that I'm taking a D11 out on 36 inches of ice..:scared:

[marlin1]

we went through Pine one year and it was 8 inches where we checked . Younger and stupider , I would want 12" for a truck at least

[Brian]

You just never know...........I went through the ice in late January on Gull a few years back. There was a good 30 inches of ice. Problem was.....a pressure ridge that buckled down instead of up, & flooded over top, froze & drifted over with snow. Broke through better than a km. from shore. Hung up 5 ft. down on the thicker ice. Far worse than frightening! Don't really know how to safeguard against that. No surface indication at all. Perhaps stay in someone else's tracks as much as possible. Still ice fish all over, but very difficult not to worry when in untracked snow. Can't think of too many things (within reason) more frightening.....

[Winch101]

Most of the reports in the south talk about water on top already ...

If we get more snow this will be a walking year for most ....

[LongDraw]

I personally know one family that had a tragedy by driving on the ice, and a couple of other guys that have broken through. Is it really worth driving on the ice? A small toboggan, an ice shack and and extra 10 minutes could save your life, or a huge tow/salvage bill.

If you are so worried that you drive with your seatbelt off and the doors open you should obviously not be out there.

[AxeMan]

I was on Spencer Lake with my quad several years ago and saw some natives go down in about 5 feet of water where the creek comes in at the west end of the lake. They were going at a considerable speed and actually drove right into open water. The guys got out of the truck onto the ice and yelled "Son of a B**ch". It echoed across the stillness of the lake. Sorry, I couldn't help chucking to myself once I knew they were safe. Another group was behind them in a little Bronco. This happened about an hour after they laughed at me for driving my quad in the cold across Touchwood Lake to get there. They asked me for a pull since they had seen my 4x4 with a winch at the campsite at Touchwood. This was Christmas time and a warm fall that year. Well, my truck didn't move, not that I could have pulled them out anyways.

Moral of the story.....open water holds no vehicle weight at all!

[Okotokian]

I took the whole family ice fishing to Chain yesterday, it was my wifes first time, and she was terrified of driving on the ice. It got me thinking, how much ice is "safe" to drive on? .

You took your family on it yesterday and you are just thinking about it now??? :(:lol:

Seriously, never driven on ice before, have no idea what is safe, and it would scare the heck out of me.

[ctd]

I usually walk up to a KM on the ice instead of driving, when I do drive the windows are down, life jackets are with in close reach and some one knows when I will be back to the minute. or they start looking.

[Albertadiver]

I've driven on lakes ever since I can remember, however we won't go on with anything less than about 14" as our general rule of thumb. We'll also stay on previous tracks for the most part. As an example, out on Pine lake there's generally a 'road' from scotty's to the north beach along the lake and people fish on either side of that.

Wife and I drove on Gull lake a week or so ago. I saw a guy working on a skating area and talked to him a bit and checked ice depth. Was pretty nervous because we went on the ice near aspen beach and drove all the way to Brownlows. Kept speed under 30km and stayed relatively close to shore. I know there are springs between Brewers and Lakeview campgrounds (worked there during high school) so was especially careful around there.

[denpacc]

My dad told me that back in the late 1950's they had a 30 ton crane on the ice at Ghost Reservoir when building the new bridge. They diverted the highway 1A (which I think used to be the transcanada at the time, but don't quote me) traffic on to the ice for a couple of months that winter. My pops also said it was an exceptionally cold winter with the ice being about 30+ inches that year. Glad I wasn't that crane operator. :lol:

I am sure 12-14 inches of solid ice can easily hold a car/truck in January and February.

Cheers

[TheWelder]

You took your family on it yesterday and you are just thinking about it now??? :(:lol:

Seriously, never driven on ice before, have no idea what is safe, and it would scare the heck out of me.


I didn't sweat it too much cuz there was already a load of trucks bigger and heavier than me out there, if I pull up to the boat launch, theres 20 trucks in the parking lot and none on the ice I ..... reconsider my options at that point lol, with 20 trucks on the ice already its kind of a no-brainer:lol:

[cujo1969]

Maybe they just followed the 1st truck on the ice. As soon as people see 1 vehicle out they just drive out without checking the ice.

[riskytype]

When I go ice fishing I go to relax. I don't go fishing to spend the day waiting for my truck to fall through. It only takes one idiot to go ripping across the ice and the ice waves and hits the shore. I need more than 12" to feel safe. 10 years ago, I 4x4 into a lake north of Edmonton and I though it was pretty cool driving next to and zig zagging along with a group of 6 otters. The ice was booming like crazy. When I jumped out to start fishing, my auger went 6 inches and punched through. I started my truck and walked it to the shore. I stopped right on a spring because the ice all around was over 2.5' thick. It was the first time I had seen otters in an alberta lake. I think it was lawrence lake but I'm not 100% sure.

Just my personal position.....