In winter, you quickly learn that ice can be either your best ally or your worst enemy. Overflow when the water rises onto the ice surface and slush when the overflow mixes with snow are conditions that can slow a sled team drastically or even bring it to a halt. The worst, though, is when the snow hides a layer of ice that is too thin to hold the weight of a person, let alone a sled.
Slush may form almost anywhere on a lake, but by retracing your steps the moment you encounter it, you can generally find a way to go around it. Avoid river and stream inlets, where slush is almost always found.
Open water
Slush and Overflow
Once it’s in contact
Pressure
turns to ice.
In the winter, you can fall three feet down through the ice and still find a layer of solid ice at the bottom.
