True or False: When standing or walking upright on ice, it is important for rescuers to keep all body weight concentrated in one central spot.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not Sure
• D. Depends

Answer: (B)

On ice, how you distribute your weight matters because ice can be surprisingly weak, and it fails at high local stress. If you keep all your weight on a single central point, that small area bears a large load, increasing the chance that the ice will crack or break under you. A safer approach is to spread weight over a larger surface area and keep your center of gravity low. Use a wide stance with knees bent, stay close to the ice, or crawl to move rather than standing upright on one point. Move slowly, test the ice as you go, and use equipment that helps distribute load. This is why the statement is false.