Enjoying the fresh snow this weekend? Be cautious around ice and water sources, the Lifesaving Society recommends. 

Every winter, three or four Albertans die in ice-related accidents and many more have a brush with mortality after they break through ice into frigid water.

The Society therefore has made public a ten-point safety list for those thinking to travel close to water sources soon.

Aside from the obvious, like using designated areas for skating, the recommendations include always travelling in a group, never going on ice at night-time and never stepping onto river ice, which is highly unpredictable.

If ice is three inches thick or less, it is not safe to walk, ski or snowshoe on, according to the Society’s information.

Christopher Read, manager of the Jasper Aquatic Centre, said that the unseasonably warm temperatures around Jasper have made ice surfaces very unstable.

“The ice is so unpredictable that I wouldn’t want to give anyone the impression that the ice is absolutely safe anywhere,” he said. Ice safety and ice rescue skills are taught through the Aquatic Centre’s youth classes, he added.