Ice Measurement and Safety

With the cooler temperatures, the ice has formed earlier than usual this year.  For your safety, please stay off the ice until it measures 6 inches (15cm). 

The Great Slave Snowmobile Association will start ice testing on Yellowknife lakes the weekend of October 31.  Measurements will be posted on Monday, November 2 and will be updated every following Monday until all areas tested have reached an ice thickness of 6 inches (15cm). 

Please call 9-1-1 or 873-2222 if you see that someone has fallen through the ice or is in distress.

Safety Tips

The City of Yellowknife Fire Division strongly recommends that you stay off the ice until it measures 6 inches thick.  Please be careful when traveling on the ice, especially in a vehicle or on a machine, and keep these tips in mind:

• Be aware of your surroundings
• Travel with a partner
• Carry dry clothing and an emergency kit including matches
• If travelling in a group (when snowmobiling), spread out when stopped (to spread the weight across the ice sheet)
• Carry a form of communication to call for help if your break through the ice
• Stay off the rivers; flowing water under the ice creates very thin ice even in cold temperatures
• Leave a travel plan behind and an expected return date/time
• If you are unsure of the ice thickness, drill a test hole or stay off the ice