If you fall through the ice IRL...

[ajb1978]

Got sloppy crossing the Muskeg, fell through.  Made it back to Spence alright so no harm done, but it inspired me to write this post.

In real life, say you're walking on the ice, and plummet straight through.  Do you know how to get out?  Here's a quick primer on what to do if you find yourself taking an impromptu ice bath.

Stay calm--the sudden icy cold will take your breath away. The cold shock will nearly paralyze you for a few seconds--just keep your arms wide and up on the surface of the ice to keep your head above water.  It seems like an eternity but the shock only lasts 5 or 10 seconds.  Once the cold shock has passed, orient yourself so you're facing in the direction you came from.  Start kicking your feet, bringing them up behind you, until you're as close to horizontal as you can manage. (You want to take advantage of the buoyancy so you place less weight on the ice.)  Then move your arms forward in front of you, and start seal-crawling to get your chest up on the ice.  The water will probably make the ice slick, you will have terrible traction, but keep at it and you will inch your way forward slowly but surely.  If the ice breaks as you try to pull up onto it, just keep going.  Keep kicking and pulling yourself forward until you manage to get out of the ice.  Once you're on the surface, stay prone, spread your arms and legs wide to distribute your weight, and crawl until you feel confident you are back on safe ice.  (And you know it's safe at some point, because you were walking on it just fine moments earlier.) Then stand up slowly--if you hear or feel any cracking, go prone and crawl some more.  Eventually you'll be back on safe ice, can stand up, and skedaddle for someplace warm.

[Bruh-Ness]

100% correct