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As ice season firms up, ranger reflects on potential polar plunge

A warm start to the winter created tricky conditions for iced-base recreation like fishing, which is popular in Wyoming.

The bright rescue suits of Wyoming State Park rangers are reflected in glassy ice during a recent ice rescue training at Curt Gowdy State Park. (Wyoming State Parks)

By Katie Klingsporn

Like a siren, it beckons. A smooth expanse of ice capping what in other seasons would be open water — inviting humans out to skate, fish or slip around. 

But with Wyoming’s winter starting unseasonably warm, wild ice conditions have been inconsistent, and in places, dangerous. As public lands rangers and other emergency services personnel convened at Curt Gowdy State Park earlier this month to take part in an ice rescue training, they experienced a first-hand reminder of why it’s always best to take precautions on ice. 

Even in specialized insulated dry suits and with equipment like ropes and slings, a rescue “definitely can be difficult,” said Curt Gowdy Chief Ranger Mark Caughlan. Ice is slippery, the water is frigid and the surface often cracks and crumbles under the person attempting to haul someone out. 

Best to avoid it all together with plenty of precaution, he said. That includes measuring the thickness of ice before venturing out on it with an ice augur or axe. Caughlan also encouraged recreators to travel with a personal flotation device and equipment like a throw-rope or ice awl. 

Rangers suit up in special insulated dry suits for ice rescue training, where they practice strategies for saving recreationists who fall through ice. (Wyoming State Parks)

Ice should generally be at least 4 inches thick for foot traffic, according to Wyoming State Parks. Ice that measures 6 inches thick can support one ATV, UTV or snowmobile. The ice needs to be between 9 to 12 inches thick for cars or small trucks, and a medium pickup truck requires ice that is 13 to 15 inches thick. 

Another tip from Caughlan: Pay attention to the texture of the ice. If it’s cloudy, coarse or ridged, that can indicate weaknesses. 

“Clear ice is the most stable ice, there’s not a lot of impurities, there’s no air bubbles,” he said. “If you see that white mushy ice, that’s the most unstable.”


This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.

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