The Magazine of The Sierra Club
Surviving a Fall Through the Ice
I was on a solo backcountry ski tour in Colorado, working toward an American Mountain Guides Association certification. It was early May. The weather was warm and clear, and I slept under the stars. The trip was fantastic—until the third afternoon, when I decided to ski across Snowmass Lake.
I was skiing above the lake on a south-facing slope. I quickly realized that the snow was too wet and loose to ski on, so I straight-lined toward the lake, which looked snow-covered and frozen.
Right before I hit the lake, I saw that the ice wasn't as solid as I'd thought. My skis broke through. I extended my arms and poles, catching myself on the edge of the hole.
I was taking an EMT course at the time. The instructor had told us that the common element in drownings is panic. So I stayed calm, released my skis one by one, and used them like bridges across the hole to hoist myself out.
Once I was back on solid ice, I skied across a more frozen area of the lake and descended to the snow line, where I laid out all my clothes and gear to dry in the sun. I hiked out to my car before nightfall.
This article appeared as "Falling Through" in the November/December 2015 print edition of Sierra.
Ask the Expert
Jason Johnson teaches ice rescue to National Park Service staff in the Great Lakes region.
"No ice is safe, but some frozen surfaces are more dangerous than others. Major red flags are discolored ice, moving water underneath, objects poking through, and cracks or slushy snow on top. If you fall through, first control your breathing, then swim back to the last good ice you stood on and pull yourself out on your stomach using your elbows. Distributing your weight like Donny did is good. Get warm however you can."
