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 the new snow masks icy patches. Which is why 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.

But these are overkill for me now. I hung up my ice tools long ago, and I swapped my 12-point crampons for diminutive four-pointers. They were cheap and light, and they seemed the best choice for hiking. I’d just slip them into a protective pouch and slip the pouch into jacket or pack pocket. Then they were ready whenever I needed to get a grip.

I still have them. They’re intended to be worn at the instep, and they’re held in place with a looped rubber strap—really a large, heavy-duty rubber band—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 will hone the points to the desired sharpness, but don’t overdo it: The points will break off if they’re filed too thin.

Do they work? Yes, but they’re not without fault. Wet snow and mud will ball up between the points, quickly rendering them useless. And the soft steel is easily deformed if you do much walking on frozen ground (as opposed to ice) or rock. Even the rubber strap is a sore point—literally. It can bruise the top of your foot.

The greatest drawback of all, however, is inherent in the design. Instep crampons simply don’t work well for me, so I’ve had to move them forward, under the ball of my foot, and it’s not easy keeping them in place. Bottom line? I wanted something better. And I found it: Yaktrax.

You’ve seen them in outfitters’ catalogs, I’m sure. The don’t look much like traditional crampons, do they? But these crisscrossed coils of steel wire deliver the goods. And the absence of sharp points makes them easy to store in pack or pocket.

Sizing is wonderfully elastic, too. (The rubber rope that supports the wire coils sees to that.) A single pair slips easily over both my light hiking boots and my wide Neos® Explorer Overshoes.

Here’s how they look from the side:

OK. They’re clever and convenient. But do they do the job? In a word, yes. Mine are the Yaktrax Walkers. They lack the fail-safe over-the-instep strap that the Pro model boasts, but they haven’t slipped off my feet very often. If I’m worried about the possibility, however, I just run a length of cord over my foot instead, tying off the ends on either side. That does the trick.

Of course, Yaktrax aren’t climbing crampons. They won’t help you front-point your way up a frozen waterfall. But they make walking on iced-over beaver ponds and other slippery surfaces wonderfully easy. And I’ve had no trouble with snow or ice balling up on the steel traction coils. They’re kind to carpets and car floor mats, too, though—somewhat to my surprise—they’ve proven a little treacherous on smooth flooring. But that’s not much of a problem. They’re easy to remove.

Are you tired of slip-sliding away on icy trails and glazed sidewalks? Then give Yaktrax a try. I’ve been very happy with mine.

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Tags: traction devices, yaktrax

 
Welcome sign, North Country style. If you can’t tell, the “Canoe Rest” sign has been hit twice by shot pellets fired from close range. If this thought gives you a dry throat, you can have a drink from the bottle of who-knows-what left behind on the rack.

Tags: north country welcome

 
I wear protective eyewear whenever I get on my bike. This wasn’t always the case. But after too many close calls, I saw the light—eyes are exquisitely vulnerable on the road and or trail.

Bicyclists’ eyes are exposed to a range of hazards, from blowing sand to debris kicked up by passing vehicles. Mountain bikers have the additional hazard of branches and twigs to worry about. Then there’s the risk of damage to the eye from the sun itself. Ultraviolet rays cause cataracts, and a pair of UV-blocking glasses will help protect your vital orbs. Glasses should be worn in all weathers, day and night, and clear lenses make this possible. And a good pair of glasses can help reduce or eliminate the tearing which comes with the rush of cold air you get over your eyes when riding in temperatures near and below the freezing mark. Reducing tearing isn’t just aesthetic. Seeing isn’t easy when your eyes are flooded with tears.

For more about the benefits of eyewear, choosing the right pair, and taking care of them, read “Protective Eyewear for Paddlers.” Here, though, I’ll show off my eyewear collection, with the assistance of a pair of willing models, Morgan and Sir Joseph.

In the photo below, Sir Joseph wears Bausch & Lomb amber shooting glasses, made of photochromic safety glass. These were the first glasses I wore when cycling, a relic of my skeet shooting days, and while they’re excellent for their intended purpose, they’re not very good for bicycling. They sit high on the face, interfering with the helmet. And they’re very heavy, with curved metal bows that dig into the ears when you’re leaning forward.

Cool dudes

Just the facts

After a season suffering with the shooting glasses, I bought two pairs of polycarbonate wrap-around safety glasses made by the HL Bouton Company. One pair has clear lenses, the other has smokey lenses, and the lenses snap out of the plastic frame should replacement be necessary. Despite my less than delicate treatment of the Boutons, they’ve remained scratch-free for five years. I keep both pairs in my bar bag all the time so that I always have the ones I need.

Morgan (who’s vain and likes his cycling cap) shows off a pair of clear plastic Uvex safety glasses which wrap around to protect the sides of the face. Next to him, leaning on the box, is a second pair of Uvex safety glasses but with mirrored gray lenses. Like the Boutons, the Uvex glasses have polycarbonate lenses. The gray Uvex lenses are not as dark as the Bouton smokey lenses, and cut glare in all but the brightest environments.

The features I find most important when choosing eyewear for cycling are:

• • ANSI and 100% UV-blocking standards
• • Straight bows
• • Wrap-around lenses for full coverage
• • Anti-glare capability

Safety lenses are less likely to shatter if hit by flying debris, or should you be unfortunate enough to take a dive off your bike and hit something hard with your face. Straight bows easily slide under the straps of a helmet. Wrap-around eyewear offers terrific protection from glare and debris, and they shed water in the rain and when it’s snowing. As mentioned earlier, they help prevent tearing in cold winds, too. But the wrap-around feature can also lead to fogging under certain conditions. LIfting the glasses away from the face normally clears the fog in short order.

Curved lenses are great, but they’re not easy to carry when they’re not on your face. They don’t fold flat, and slipping them into a pocket is almost impossible without snagging something or scratching the lenses. A protective pouch like the one to the right will protect the lenses, and belt loops on the side let you slide the pouch onto the strap of your messenger bag or a belt.

Eyewear is synonymous with fashion nowadays, and fashion costs big bucks. But while you can spend a lot of money on a pair of glasses, it’s possible to get good lenses for less than the cost of a fast food meal. Shop around, try them on when wearing your helmet, and then make your decision. Your eyes will thank you.

Tags: eyewear