I've heard the kayak/sled combo is pretty much a given in "real" ice adventure crossings where you have no tracks to follow and frequent openings in the ice. The good part about wearing a drysuit for a week is, the rescue team will smell you miles away. The bad part is, they're not paid well enough to come anywhere closer to you.

Regarding ice daggers, I do carry a pair if I'm crossing over ice. Rivers, lakes and sea make for great skiing, but I'm only confident in skiing over areas where I have knowledge of local ice conditions and/or see recent tracks in snow. Another problem when falling in: even if you do get out, you'll spend some time scraping all the ice off the ski surfaces. Frozen skis = miserable skiing.

Keep the gliding side down!

--J