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Originally Posted by Outdoorsman
I am curious how you guys and gals are determining ice thickness? I have seen many posts where people will post an estimate of ice thickness. Short of drilling a hole every so often, is there another way to make that determination?
I choose to stay off the ice for the most part but on occasion when riding in a group we do cross various lakes and ponds. Personally I would prefer a longer ride simply to stay off any body of water, but club rides etc. kind of prohibit that if I want to stay in the group.
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The ONLY way to confirm ice thickness for your personal safety is to drill a hole and check yourself. Beyond that, knowledge of the area, experience, common sense all comes into play. Never play “follow the leader” without doing your due diligence.
From a personal experience, a couple years ago I was group riding on snowmobiles in Canada. The group had a scheduled lake crossing to make it to their next destination in a timely fashion. In Canada most trails are marked across lakes to ensure their safety....that’s not good enough for me... so,..I personally made a point of finding some local fishermen the night before, bought them a couple drinks at the outfitter we were staying at and requested they take take me on to the lake to drill a couple test holes. It took about 15 minutes and they were glad to do it and we had fun considering they couldn’t speak a lick of English!
My point is do whatever it takes to ensure your safety and confidence and NEVER follow anyone off a cliff!
Great question by the way!
Dan