My experiences agree well with Cecil's experiences in frozen ponds. Get yourself a good sharp ice spud or ice auger to rapidly check thickness - the auger is best and fastest. Once you have been on the ice for several winters you will learn how ice forms and what kind of temperatures for how long it will take to make good solid ice on your pond. Newly formed ice 2"-3" thick with snow on top is much less strong due to the weight of the snow on top of the ice. Thick 3"-6" of snow on the 3"-4" of ice will cause water to seep through ice cracks and make snow wet and soggy under the top dry snow layer. Thick snow drifts along the edges can keep ice thinner in these areas under the drifts.
