The Society’s Sledsmart program was created in 1996 to address the problem of water-related snowmobile deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador. However, the problem reaches much further than the shores of this province. For all Canadian water-related deaths and those related only to ice, about two-thirds of the victims were participating in recreational activities.  One recreational activity, snowmobiling, accounted for about half of all recreational ice-related deaths.  As might be expected, nearly all water-related snowmobiling deaths involved unsafe ice or open holes in the ice.

Ice is never completely safe to travel or play on.  If you do decide to venture onto an ice surface, you need to know about the factors that affect ice and to understand their influence on ice to prevent an incident from happening.

• Ice thickness alone does not indicate safety
• Clear water will freeze before dirty water
• Fresh water will freeze before salt water
• Vegetation under the ice will make it weak
• Changes in temperature will cause poor layer of ice
• Snow cover can mask weak ice and act as an insulator, increasing the temperature of the ice
• Slush may indicate that ice sheets are eroding or that water is rising through cracked ice
• Waterfowl and fish activity create open areas of water that may ice over when they leave, creating a dangerously thin area of ice that is weaker than the surrounding ice.
• Human influences such as hydro-electric dams, storm water retention ponds, agricultural irrigation or thermal effluent influx can all effect the formation of ice even up to several kilometres downstream.

The Newfoundland and Labrador  Lifesaving Society launched a revised DVD to make Canadians more aware of the dangers of snowmobiling on ice-covered bodies of water.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) partnered with the Newfoundland and Labrador branch of the Lifesaving  Society  to provide an additional nine-minute avalanche  awareness message for snowmobilers.  This valuable content  is included as a bonus section on the Sledsmart DVD.  There is a sharply rising trend in avalanche fatalities among snowmobilers, and with more education and awareness the CAC hopes to counter that trend.

Purchase the Sledsmart DVD for $19.95 (shipping and taxes included)

Download order form or purchase your copy using the PayPal link below.

Ice: The Winter Killer: a resource manual about ice, ice safety and ice rescue. Features ice-related drowning statistics; facts about ice, ice smart safety tips; signs and symptoms of cold shock response and hypothermia; ice rescue procedures; signs and symptoms of critical incident stress; steps to help communities promote ice safety.

Contents include:
1. The cold facts: preventable ice-related deaths in Canada.
2. Frozen water: characteristics of ice;
3. On thin ice: ice safety guidelines;
4. The silent killers: cold water immersion and hypothermia;
5. Breaking through: fundamentals of ice rescue.
6. Lifesaving priorities: continuing the rescue process;
7. Elements for success: resources for completing a safe ice rescue;
8. The aftermath: stress reactions to rescues;
9. Getting the word out: public education and community action.

Appendices include how to obtain more information about ice, ice safety and ice rescue. Published by the Lifesaving Society, September 1998. Revised September 2007. 148 pages, spiral bound. ISBN 0-920326-48-X

Order ICE The Winter Killer for $36.00 (shipping and taxes included) or purchase using the PayPal link below.

Special offer - Winter Ice Safety Combo
Order Ice:  The Winter Killer AND the Sledsmart DVD for the special price of $40.00 including shipping and taxes in North America.  If purchased individually, they would cost $56.00.  You save $16! 

Download the order form, complete and fax or email to our office or purchase directly through PayPal at the link below.

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