Have you ever wanted to walk on water? Well, on some lakes, you can get the same sensation with ice. You’ve heard of walking on thin ice. While this is not recommended, skating on clear ice is something you can try. How does this phenomenon occur? It’s all about the speed in which the water freezes.
Most ice appears cloudy due to mineral impurities and tiny air bubbles being trapped in the water as it freezes, scattering the light and making the ice look solid. Under the right conditions, when water freezes very slowly, the impurities and air pockets come to surface and dissipate. This causes bigger ice crystals that allow the light to travel in a straight line, making the ice clear.
Check out this video from Lake Blanktjarn in Sweden where the ice is so clear you can see straight to the bottom of the lake. Don’t be fooled — the 2-inch thick ice is safe for skating, as the people in this video can attest to. Skating on clear ice looks just like walking on water.
Related: Best Ice Skates Buying Guide
Featured Image from Maks Styazhkin/Unsplash
