I'm currently in the middle of my second Swedish winter, and to tell you the truth I'm still not used it. The cold is here all the time in varying degrees, along with the darkness. It doesn't matter if the sun is out or if it's cloudy, it's always cold. There's been so much snow falling in the UK too recently. Here in Gothenburg we've only had some light snow falls at night, but then it disappeared very quickly the following day.
This past week however it's been particularly cold. It's been beautifully sunny, just freezing cold, which in my mind doesn't make sense. In South Africa, when the sun is out it's warm, and when it's not out, it's night time. That's how it works. That's what I'm used to. Let's not even get to the darkness that covers Sweden in winters. A third of the country in total darkness, 24 hours a day for between 6 - 8 weeks. That's tough.
Yesterday however, I found something to do in the dark here, close to where we live. Ice skating. Because of the cold over the past 3 days, the little dam close to where we live has completely frozen over. So we decided to get out the ice skates and go for our first winter ice skate. Actually it's my first time ice skating here in Sweden, and first time on a natural dam, or pond. South Africa actually has a surprising amount of indoor ice skating rinks for a country where there's not really that much cold weather to speak of. So I did grow up ice skating whenever I could. This meant that I didn't fall at all, not like I did the first time I tried snowboarding. I mean I nearly killed myself. But that's another story.
I inherited some ice skates form my Swedish family here. A pair of really old, or vintage skates from the 80's I think, or maybe even before them. They're really cool, and fit perfectly. Not as sturdy as the new ones you get today, so the skating needs a bit more concentration.
Last night was so nice, ice skating with Ida, in the middle of the night, on our "own" little ice skating rink. Was very exciting, and a little romantic, now that I think about it. It's defintely something I'm adding to my list of things to do in the dark.
Tips on how to stay safe on ice:
- Gauging the strength of ice is very difficult. There is no such thing as 100% safe ice.
- Never walk or drive on cloudy ice
- Only go on clear, thick ice
- Spring ice is NEVER safe
- The thickness of ice is never consistent - it will be flat on top, but not on the bottom
- Snow on ice acts as an insulator - it makes ice warmer and weaker
- Extreme cold snaps will weaken the ice
- Ice formed over running water (rivers & streams) is more dangerous than ice formed over standing water (lakes & ponds)
- General ice thickness guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Natural Services (new, clear ice only):
- Less than 2 inches - STAY OFF!
- 4" and thicker - probably safe for walking and ice fishing on foot
- 5" and thicker - probably safe for ATV or snowmobiling
- 8-12" and thicker - probably safe for small cars or light pickups
- 12-15" and thicker - probably safe for medium trucks
- Noisy ice doesn't necessarily mean unsafe ice. It's just the layer of ice shifting and moving on top of the water.
- The safety of ice is ever-changing. It depends on a multitude of factors.
- thickness
- age of the ice
- temperature
- snow cover
- depth of water under the ice
- size of the body of water under the ice
- water chemistry
- currents
- local climate
- distribution of weight on the ice
- Your most important tool is common sense.
To read more, visit:
Ice Safety - How to Stay Safe on Ice - Ice Safety Tips