English summary Given the right circumstances ice can wreak havoc on riverine infrastructure. Ice runs pushing ice floes against bridge piers is frequently the governing design condition for bridges in cold regions. The physics of these interactions are complex and forces are hard to predict. Current standards and calculation methods for calculating these quasi-static ice forces disagree both on order of magnitude and underlying mechanics. While there reigns general agreement that ice thickness and ice strength are critical parameters, great difficulties remain for the accurate and reliable estimation of these parameters (Paper I). In small-steep rivers in particular these estimates are difficult. Anchor ice dams complicate things by encouraging the growth of highly complex and variable ice structures. Paper III provides a novel approach for quickly and accurately estimating ice thicknesses in generally inaccessible steep rivers using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), structure for motion and automated GIS processing. Paper II provides new insights into how ice strength varies in steep rivers. Through statistical analysis it shows a novel and effective way of predicting anchor ice dam locations, proportion of river impacted by anchor ice dams as well as providing new data on how anchor ice dam strengths are distributed. As a whole, this thesis provides the river ice engineer with new and balanced guidance on how to go about predicting ice forces in small steep river.