A beautiful sunny day of -18 degree Celsius. You’re outside walking, going to work or grocery shopping or hanging out with friends.
You’re enjoying the the frosted eyelashes, runny nose, and a painfully cold wind…
…swish and THUD! All you see is a bright blue sky. That’s right, you just fell on your butt.
Kamloops is known for being British Columbia’s second-sunniest city and ideal for any of the four seasons. During winters, it gets snowy and cold, yet days are mostly sunny and windy. Ranging from temperatures of -5 to -20 degrees, Kamloops is home to a vast diversity of people from all across the world. There are people from countries who have never experienced snow.
Now, the first bit of this blog you just read. That was about me. Yes, I’m the one who fell on ice and hurt my hips. I have been living in Kamloops for almost 4 years now. You would expect that I would’ve learned how to walk on ice by now, but here we are. This fall of mine made me wonder how many new comers to Kamloops from other countries know about walking safely on ice. Therefore I decided to make a quick tip list for these people and for myself (everyone needs a refresher, don’t judge me.)
ICE
I’m sure almost everyone has heard of the term “black ice”. Black ice, being transparent ice, forms on roads or streets making it look like wet. This makes the conditions to drive or walk extremely hard.
We’re going to jump right into the tips section.
How to walk on Ice?
Penguin Walk
Penguin walking involves sticking your feet out slightly while keeping your legs together, arms out to the side for balancing. Then you take short steps to move, as if you’re wiggling your body forwards…quite exactly like a penguin. If you ever see me outside, you will be able to see me do this constantly. This may seem goofy to others, but only people who need to use it will know that our lives depend on it.
Make sure you don’t lean your head or body to the front too much as it will ruin your center of gravity.
Marching
Marching is a technique used in ice skating. If you look up walking on ice tips, you won’t see Marching as part of it. So why is it here? Well, this is a technique that I found out that works for me. As the name states, you march on the ice when you’re walking. You lift each foot up and place them down, putting weight on the front of your feet while keeping your arms by perpendicular to your body in a walking motion. This technique requires quite a bit of practice to figure out if it works for you or not, so be prepared to fall.
General Tips
As a general rule of walking in snow/ice, make sure you wear gloves to keep your hands out of your pocket. Having your hands outside ensures more balance and in the off chance that you fall, you will be able to break the fall more easily with the help of your hands.
- Wearing headphones and listening to music can affect your balance. If you notice that even when you’re being careful and still falling, then try taking off your headphones and being more aware of the sound of your steps. Identifying the “crunch” of stepping on snow and not hearing it will help you navigate easier.
- Do NOT cheap out on winter boots. This is a lesson I had to learn after lots of falls. I always thought winter boots were only to keep your feet warm and I never cared for what kind of treads I had. After a while, I learned that the treads matter more. Getting good boots with decent treads help in reducing the surface area between your feet and the ground, and gives you more traction. You can also use spikes that can be put on any shoes.
- Keep your attention on the road and traffic. Make sure you are wearing reflective gear or lights. If you happen to fall on/onto the road, this ensures that drivers can see you and make the attempts to stop, especially on a snowy slipper day.
- Walk on powdered snow if you can in a very icy spot. It gives you more grip.
With all these tips in mind, I hope you can walk safe out there. Be sure to share whatever tips you know to others in need!
And if all of this fails when you’re on ice, well, take your best foot forward and hope for the best.
