Whatever the calendar says, autumn has ended early here in the northern Adirondack foothills. As General Winter marched over the land this past week, he brought a dusting of snow, slicing winds, and frigid temperatures. Hiking requires more caution now, especially because that thin layer of snow masks icy patches. I’m very glad I bought a pair of Yaktrax®.

 
I’ve used various traction devices over the years. In my youth, ice climbing was my sport. Whenever I could swing it, I’d seek out frozen waterfalls and spend my days clinging like an addled bat to a vertical sheet of ice with the points of my ice axe, a Pterodactyl, and the paired front points of my Chouinard crampons. For walking on icy surfaces—vertical, horizontal, and everything in between—you can’t do much better than a pair of 12-point crampons.

Crampons are overkill for me now. Long ago I hung up my ice tools, and swapped the 12-point crampons for four-pointed crampons. They were cheap and portable, and seemed the best choice for hiking. Slip them into a protective pouch for carrying in a jacket or pack pocket, and they’re ready whenever they’re needed.

 

 
These four-pointers are intended to be worn in the instep, and are held in place with a looped rubber strap which wraps over the top of the foot. The plate is made of soft steel, and the points are formed by turning down the corners of that plate. A file hones the points to the desired sharpness, but making them as sharp as climbing crampons isn’t advised—the points will break off if they’re too thin. These instep crampons have several drawbacks. Wet snow and mud will ball up between the points, rendering them useless. The points turn over if used on frozen ground (as opposed to ice) or rock, and the rubber strap can be bruising over the top of the foot. And they’re just not good enough for hiking when placed in the instep, so I place them under the ball of the foot, as shown in the photo above.

All in all, though, I don’t much like instep crampons. They don’t offer enough security for hiking, they can’t be worn when crossing bare hard ground or sidewalks, and have to be removed when getting into a car or going inside a building (not the greatest handicap, I know, but an inconvenience when shopping). Enter the Yaktrax.

 

 
You’ve seen them advertised or in catalogs, I’m sure. Yaktrax are made of stout rubber bands wrapped with stainless steel wire. The crisscross design offers coverage along the length of the boot or shoe sole, and the rubber banding extends up around the welt to keep the grippers in place. The photo above shows them in their relaxed position. Fold them together and stick them into your pocket without concern for puncturing the fabric. The photo below shows how the wire is wrapped around the rubber network.

 

 
Yaktrax are sized to fit over just about any kind of shoe or boot. The picture below shows how one pair of Yaktrax will fit two very different kinds of boots—in this case, a pair of quite wide Neos® Explorer Overshoes and a narrower lightweight hiking boot.

 

 
And here’s a shot of them from the side:

 

 
Seems like a great idea, don’t they, but do they work? In a word, yes. Mine are the Yaktrax Walkers. The rubber grips the shoe or boot very snugly but flexes so that they stay in place while walking—most of the time. It IS possible to throw a Yaktrax and lose it without realizing it. The solution? Loop a length of cord over the top of your foot with the cord running around the top rubber band on either side. Another possibility is to spend a bit more money and get the Yaktrax Pro model, which is equipped with a strap that does the same thing.

They’re not climbing crampons, so they won’t grip as securely, but Yaktrax permit walking with confidence when conditions are slick. I’ve not had snow ball up on them, and it doesn’t matter if you walk through an icy stream—they haven’t “jammed” from ice formation on the wire loops. You can walk on carpet and get into a car without risking tears or scratches. Paradoxically, though, on smooth flooring you’ll find yourself slip-sliding away. Happily, it’s easy to remove the Yaktrax (though it’s a bit harder to put them on). And as a bonus, I suspect Yaktrax can be worn for extra grip in warmer months when crossing slopes with slippery vegetation.

 
I’ve slipped and fallen often enough on icy trails—and on glazed sidewalks, come to that—and don’t want to risk a broken bone or concussion. Or worse. All in all I am satisfied with the Yaktrax Walkers, and now hike with confidence on icy surfaces when the thermometer struggles to rise out of the bulb.

 
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