Dillon Colorado – This year, the ice on Dillon Reservoir formed on the night between Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, just a couple of days ahead of schedule. By the evening of Dec. 23, the ice was already a couple of inches thick near the Dillon Marina, where a few people tested the surface.
Local safety experts caution against experimentation on the frozen surface. Lake ice can be notoriously tricky, thick in some spots and thin in others, depending on sub-surface currents, winds and other factors. Denver Water’s regulations for the reservoir prohibit snowmobiling on the reservoir in any case. The earliest the lake has ever frozen was Dec. 10, back in 1972, but last year wasn’t far behind. In 2005, the ice formed on Dec. 11, the second-earliest date ever.
Records from last year don’t show particularly cold temperatures in late November or early December. In fact, the average daily minimum temperature for Nov. 2005 was 12.6 degrees, well above the historic average of 9.7 degrees. But the average high temperature for Dec. 2005 was quite a bit colder than the norm, at 26.4 degrees, compared to the historic average of 32.8 degrees. The earliest ice-melt on record is April 28, 2002. The latest date on record is May 31, in 1982.
The latest date for the lake to freeze up was Jan. 31, in 1981. That late date was a real anomaly in the records. There have been only four other years since 1966 when it took until January for the ice to form, and all those ice-over dates came early – within the first few days of the month.
What if YOU fall in?
Try not to panic. Instead, remain calm and turn toward the direction you came from. Place your hands and arms on the unbroken surface of the ice (here’s where the ice picks come in handy.) Work forward on the ice by kicking your feet. If the ice breaks, maintain your position and slide forward again. Once you are lying on the ice, don’t stand. Instead, roll away from the hole. That spreads out your weight until you are on solid ice. This sounds much easier than it really is to do.
What if a companion falls through thin ice?
Keep calm and think out a solution.
Don’t run up to the hole. You’ll probably break through and then there will be two victims.
Use some item on shore to throw or extend to the victim to pull them out of the water such as jumper cables or skis, or push a boat ahead of you.
If you can’t rescue the victim immediately, call 911. It’s amazing how many people carry cellphones.
Get medical assistance for the victim. People who are subjected to cold water immersion but seem fine after being rescued can suffer a potentially fatal condition called “after drop” that may occur when cold blood that is pooled in the body’s extremities starts to circulate again as the victim starts to re-warm.
Recommended minimum ice thickness
4″ of new clear ice is the minimum thickness for travel on foot
5″ is minimum for snowmobiles and ATVs
8″- 12″ for cars or small trucks
(Remember that these thicknesses are merely guidelines for new, clear, solid ice. Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe.)
