I fell through ice before.
its was a frozen lake (if you could've guessed!) about four feet deep from the shore, because there was like a concrete wall going into it cause there was a small ramp nearby.

anyways there was a decent layer of ice and i wanted to walk on it, (I did stand on it next to the floating dock for a second) I was only about 9 and thought I should be safe first and make sure the ice could hold me, so I found this old broomstick and pushed on the ice with it, I wanted to push harder, so I backed my feet up so if it broke I wouldn't fall in. (I remember this specifically)
The rest is kind of a blur...I pushed as hard as I could and saw the ice break, the next thing I rememeber I was calling for help from some nearby people to hlep me over the little wall, but they didn't hear me...
after a minute or two I just climbed over the wall myself and ran inside to tell my parents what happened.
I got some dry clothes (and surisingly i wasn't that cold) and was fine.

idk why i shared that story, I just felt like it. =]
I think having a knife or two on you would help if you didn't have ice picks. =]

I was at the deleware river when it froze last year and where I was there was a shallow slant toward the river covered in ice, like the ice thats so slipperey its like glass. well I fell and couldn't get up and started sliding toward the water and HUGE chunks of unstable ice, so I took out my little kershaw scallion and sabbed into the ice and pulled my self up until I could stand back up...

I would def. want to have a knife on me if I was on some ice.