2024-01-19
Take the right knowledge and equipment with you out on the natural ice
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Be safe on the natural ice, like here on Munksjön.
Frozen lakes and rivers look inviting in winter and it can be tempting to go for a walk or a skate on the surfaces. But remember to bring the right equipment and to avoid areas where the ice is weak, such as by bridges.
In line with the recent weeks' snow, cold temperatures and sunny spells, people have increasingly ventured out onto frozen lakes, such as Munksjön in central Jönköping. If you are thinking of doing this, then it is good to have the right knowledge and equipment first to avoid going through the ice, or to know how to get out of a hole in the ice if an accident occurs.
At least ten centimetres thick
On the Jönköping municipality's web page ‘Safety on the ice’, it says that no natural ice surface is completely safe to be on. This is because the ice changes all the time depending on, among other things, weather and water currents. The ice must be at least ten centimetres thick for you to walk on it. This can be measured with an ice spike (ispik).
The ice surface should be transparent
The core of the ice surface should be transparent and hard, while a darker colour indicates a thinner surface of ice. Furthermore, you should always examine thick drifts of snow on frozen surfaces, as the ice beneath the snow may have melted away.
Read more about ice safety here
External link, opens in new window. (in English) and how to get out of a hole in the ice and what to do if someone falls through External link, opens in new window. here External link, opens in new window. (Swedish).
Facts
Equipment you should always have with you out on a frozen lake or river is: ice picks (isdubbar) to pull yourself out of a hole back onto solid ice, an ice spike for measuring the ice, a rescue line and a change of clothes packed in a dry plastic bag in a backpack, which can also function as a life jacket.
The most important thing is to bring a friend because you may not be able to get out of a hole in the ice on your own. Children must always be accompanied by an adult.
A frozen surfaces’ weak points are at: reeds, ice channels, jetties, bridges, headlands, drains, outlets, inlets, straits of water, shallows and windblown spots on the ice.
