A variety of products can help you stay upright when you're walking or running in icy or snowy conditions.
Even though I grew up on the fringes of Hollywood, I don't remember my high school companions yelling the iconic good-luck phrase among actors, "Break a leg!" Not even in acting class. How is breaking a leg a stroke of good fortune? I suppose we didn't say it to each other because we did not appreciate the finer points of black humor.
During World War I German fighter pilots wished their fellow pilots good luck by saying a phrase translated as, "May you break your neck and leg." I am sure there were gales of laughter. They didn't even have parachutes. Maybe the dark phrase commonly used by actors came from the even darker admonition used by German fighter pilots, but, in fact, there is no consensus among the linguistic cognoscenti.
If you are a casual walker or a serious outdoor year-round runner in Alaska, you really, really don't want to slip and break anything. Our saviors in this regard are the lowly ice walkers. Think cleats, grips, spikes, traction devices. I'll just collectively call them ice walkers.
For the last few decades, I have been one of those "serious," or at least "persistent" year-round Alaska walkers. I am slow. Maybe "stroller" would be more accurate. In any case winter ice has been my constant unwelcome companion. As an older guy a broken hip could radically affect my remaining years, which explains my bounteous collection of ice walkers. How about a little tour? Let me emphasize here that this is my personal experience mostly in Anchorage, so it is a limited review.
The least troublesome category is loose snow. Just about any deeply lugged boot sole will do. If you find yourself in loose snow wearing ice walkers that easily slip around your boots with stretchy rubber bands, make sure they also have a sturdy Velcro or similar fastener. Sometimes you are forced to step into berms that simply pull off the unfastened ice walker from your foot as you trudge along. You might walk a hundred feet before you even notice it. You can turn around and try to find it. You won't. The berm ate it.
There is one special case of loose snow that is particularly troublesome. That is the situation where loose snow has piled up over smooth-as-glass glare ice. Even if you wear boots with pull-on ice walkers, or boots with screwed-in cleats, the loose snow packs into the bottom of the boot preventing firm contact between the spikes and the ice. Expect head over heels.
One solution is heavy-duty crampons, spikes typically attached to a system of chains that criss-cross on the bottom of your boots. The spikes may be about ¼- or ⅓-inch long. The design of crampons with long spikes resists being plugged with snow so you get more reliable traction on the ice under the snow. Not especially comfortable in my experience but very effective.
How about compact snow, for example snow that has been trampled on a sidewalk or trail? While it may not be icy in the sense of an ice rink or black ice, it can still be pretty slippery. Deeply lugged boots alone may be a liability, particularly on a hill. So, what's the fix?
Some popular ice walkers have crisscrossing spring-shaped traction devices on the bottom. They work fine on compact snow, but you'll be sliding if you hit a bit of ice. In addition, over the years I found that this design was prone to rust and breakage. I don't use that style of ice walkers anymore. Otherwise, any ice walkers with spikes or cleats work well with compact snow and the occasional patch of ice.
Ok, glare ice. The bad boy. Glare ice is smooth and slippery like glass. Most ice walkers do not work very well or at all on glare ice. The crampons I noted before work well if they are good quality and stay sharp. In my experience the most reliable and effective ice walkers are the ones with smallish tungsten carbide spikes. These stay sharp for a very long time, you can walk on concrete with them if there are ice-free stretches, and they do not rust. I have purchased several different styles from a company called Due North, but I am sure other places sell this kind of spike.
Finally, you can buy spikes in a bag you just screw into your shoes. Make sure they are made of the no-rust alloy which is way stronger and sharper than regular sheet metal screws. And you can buy a wide variety of shoes and boots with spikes already attached. I noticed Skinny Raven in Anchorage, for example, offers a selection of these. Skinny Raven will also drill screws into a normal pair of shoes. Try to make sure they are waterproof. See reviews for which shoe spikes work well on glare ice.
Stay safe and upright. Buy your ice walkers with care. Don't break a leg.
Lawrence D. Weiss is a UAA Professor of Public health, Emeritus, creator of the UAA Master of Public health program, and author of several books and numerous articles.
Resources
Spring-like ice cleats:
Yaktrax
Rubber-type ice cleats:
Due Noarth Products
https://www.duenorthproducts.com/product-page/all-purpose-industrial-traction-aids
Crampon-like ice cleats:
Skinny Raven:
Carries a variety of shoes and boots for running and walking that have micro studs from brands such as Solomon and Icebug. Skinny Raven will also drill in studs on a regular pair of shoes that have a substantial sole (like trail running shoes) for $10. This service is free for seniors and pregnant women.
