Don't go on ice unless you know how thick it is.

[Swede]

I just saw the sad story on CNN of a father and daughter drowning while skating on thin ice. Although there is no way to truly know the thickness without drilling,be sure it is well below freezing for a week or two.

"Thick and blue, tried and true.
Thin or crispy, way too risky."

http://www.outtakes.com/winter/winter.icesafety.html
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov05/373414.asp

[WritingIsMyReligion]

1. I always skate at public rinks.

Never anywhere else.

[napi21]

2. Yes, I saw that yesterday. So very sad, and how terrible for the

little 6 year old sister who was there too!

[undeterred]

3. This happens every year in Wisconsin

There are some parts of the state where the lakes are already frozen over enough to walk on and skate on and ice fish- but not in the southern half of the state. One or two really cold days doesn't do it.

[gizmo1979]

4. This happened very close to

my home.I don't know what the dad was thinking it was 40 some degree's just last week.We also had an eleven year old die from going through the ice on his ATV yesterday,so the divers had a rough day.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

5. They covered this story extensively in Chicago yesterday.

Too sad, but what was that father thinking?

The cold snap is the first real one we've had in the area and anyohe with an ounce of sense would know that it wasn't safe.

[in_cog_ni_to]

6. When I was a kid, the neighborhood I lived in had a small pond.

The owner of the subdivision forbid us to ice skate in the winter until he measured the ice thickness. It had to be AT LEAST 10 inches thick before we could skate.