Seriously... don't do this. Image Credit: YouTube / The Siberian Times / Alexey Kolganov
One daring photographer recorded himself skating over thin ice - quite literally - on the surface of Lake Baikal.
The unnerving video, which was filmed by Alexey Kolganov, shows just what it would be like to skate across the thin ice crust of a frozen Siberian lake with the dark, cavernous depths visible far below.
To make things even more unsettling, the sounds that can be heard as the ice cracks and shifts are nothing if not disconcerting - strange pinging, zooming sounds that seem decidedly alien in nature.
Unsurprisingly, authorities have warned people not to venture onto the lake - which covers an area the size of Belgium - due to the risk of falling through the treacherously thin ice.
"[I wanted to] convey what the sounds are like to a human ear when a person skates, or walks on ice," said Kolganov. "Otherwise it is impossible to catch it with a microphone of an ordinary camera."
"Honestly this is not something extraordinary... you hear these sounds everywhere on the lake, you just need to move away from tourist paths, and listen to this endlessly."
Watching the cracks form under his feet was tense. It was bold and daring, I hope he had a safety line. More than that, I hope nobody without safety backup is goaded into daring a repeat.
That ice looks to be about a foot thick (which can support a car), there's little danger of falling through- but I sure as hell wouldn't go out there when I can see the cracks forming like that. When you think about how thick it is, even if it was completely cracked into chunks it would be relatively safe, the irregular chunks are floating interlocked and wouldn't be able to twist to allow you to fall through. I bet you could wail on that with a sledgehammer and have a tough time getting through.
Please Login or Register to post a comment.