Snowmobiling over frozen lakes, rivers

The Michigan DNR does not recommend operating on the frozen surface of water; however, the department recognizes that it is a popular activity. If an ice crossing is unavoidable there are several safety concerns operators need to be aware of in the event they fall into the freezing water. 

Once a person is suddenly immersed in freezing water, their respiratory system will automatically and instantly have an uncontrollable inhaling gasp reflex because of the cold shock.

If initially under the water, individuals will inhale water into their lungs. It is critical to get your head above the surface and first get your breathing under control which will take at least one minute. If you do not control your breathing the chances of drowning sooner are exponentially increased.

Once you have your breathing under control, get to the edge of the solid ice you were at before you fell in because you know that ice held your weight at one point. Secure your arms on top of the edge of good ice. Use your arms to lift your body up and kick your feet hard in a swimming motion while leaning over the good ice. Get your upper body up onto the solid ice and roll away from the open water. Using self-rescue ice spikes, which typically consist of two plastic cylinders with spikes on one end connected with a line, can greatly assist in pulling yourself out of the water onto safe ice.

Once you are out, do not stand up immediately or you will have an increased risk of falling through thin ice again. Once far enough away from the open water, begin to crawl away and eventually walk.

If you’re unable to get yourself out of the water ensure your arms, and as much of your upper body, are out as far as possible. Reach out as far as you can onto the ice and do not move your arms. This will hopefully freeze your clothes to the ice and keep you from falling farther back in and increase the chances of being rescued. You will lose effective movement in roughly 10 minutes, but you can remain conscious for up to two hours. You should yell or signal for help.

Do not remove any protective gear such as a helmet or jacket. Your appropriate protective gear (riding clothes, suit and helmet) will offer some degree of floatation and provide insulating qualities. Helmets, while not marketed as a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), are partially constructed of foam liners and offer about the same amount of buoyancy as a PFD. Wearing a helmet will also help retain body heat around your brain which would otherwise be lost quicker, hastening unconsciousness, if not wearing a helmet.

There are free safety videos available online to illustrate what to expect and how to react in cold water immersion scenarios. These videos made be viewed at: http://www.yukonman.com/cold_water.asp.