Winter is on its way, and hopefully we’ll soon have a few frozen lakes to go ice-skating on. I can’t wait, as I just looooooove ice-skating! But thick, safe ice can take a little while to form, and the following factors all play a part:

- Steady sub-freezing temperatures: The colder it is for a longer period of time, the better the freeze-up of lake waters.

- Calm days and nights: The less the wind blows, the faster and more solid ice freezes.

- Water type: The higher the salinity of a body of water, and the larger its size, the slower the rate at which it will freeze. So a fjord will take a lot longer to freeze over than a small freshwater lake.

- Heavy snows: The formation of good ice is hindered by heavy snow (or worse, rain).

- Vegetation: Shoreline plants result in thinner ice. Reeds and tree roots near the water’s edge can weaken ice and slow formation. Avoid these areas wherever possible.

- Moving water: If there are springs or feeder streams that put water into a lake for example, make sure you know where those areas are to avoid weak ice. The more moving water in a location, the less solid the ice will be.