White ice, crap ice, etc etc etc

[jasong31]

Say you got 4-5 inches of solid clear ice and a few inches of white crap on top.... How strong is the white crap compared to the clear good ice? Like if the clear stuff is the standard, what % of strength is the white stuff?

[scavengerj]

Can a spud go through the white crap? Can you walk on it and your foot breaks through it? As long as I know there is a good 4" to 5" of clear, solid black ice underneath, I don't worry about the crap on top. The strength of the white stuff can vary greatly so I don't think you are going to get an accurate strength rating percentage wise from anywhere. Ice formation is pretty complex.

[hardwaterfan]

i agree. it depends on how many air bubbles you can see in the white layer. if you look close theres usually a transitional area. personally id say the really white, crumbly stuff has no strength at all. white stuff is usually just snow thats gone though a few thaw-freeze cycles. the good clear ice forms from the bottom of the ice layer, the crap ice forms on top from snow and rain. its the air bubbles that make it look white, so the whiter it is, the more voids it has, and its less structurally sound. if i had to put a number to answer your question id say 5-20%.

[Mr.Vexilar]

If there is 4-5 inches of good stuff, id trample right out there and not think twice!! It is a little humbling tho whenever you take a step your foot breaks through a top layer of ice!! Kinda gets ya on your tippy toes a little!!  GO GET EM!

[IrishIce99]

If there is 4-5 inches of good stuff, id trample right out there and not think twice!! It is a little humbling tho whenever you take a step your foot breaks through a top layer of ice!! Kinda gets ya on your tippy toes a little!!  GO GET EM!

Yeah, last year i stepped out onto a lake that i hadn's fished yet that winter, and my foot went through about 3 inches of white crap, then onto the solid stuff. Then I saw a 4-wheeler drive out and I felt safe. 

[deadsmelthead]

As said, If there is 4-5 " of solid ice then crusty junk on top its good, it maybe a little nerve racking every so often but it comes with the territory and the way winters can go sometimes begars can't be choosers.   8)

[snowman3406]

as a rough quesstimate, i usually consider junk ice to be half the strength of good ice, but that can vary.  I won't go out unless there is a good solid 2-3 of good ice as a base.

[Pasquatch]

White ice has 75% the strength of hard black ice. Thats true, white ice, not hard packed snow. If it is actual ice, but is opaque, it has 75% the strength. If its semi refrozen snow, don't walk on it.