Let's Discuss Traction Aids

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As I stood in the snow for a brief break after walking through a wet area with my MicroSpikes on, my feet froze into place. Fortunately, as a hiker, I have strong legs and freed myself without needing to chip away with the tip of my pole. :p
 
erugs said:
As I stood in the snow for a brief break after walking through a wet area with my MicroSpikes on, my feet froze into place. Fortunately, as a hiker, I have strong legs and freed myself without needing to chip away with the tip of my pole. :p
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Yeah, but I'll bet your traction was excellent until you broke loose... :)

You can do the same thing with wool socks or gloves--let some fibers freeze in place, move, and then pull them loose. (A slow pull may release fibers without ripping them loose.)

Doug
 
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Tom Rankin said:
Ok, before we get a whole lot further into the 'snow' season, (I did not say Winter), let's discuss traction aids...
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Ishmael and I hiked up Carr Mtn and Stinson Mtn, both near Warren NH this past weekend. Microspikes were on the edge of their usefulness. The rock on top was coated with 1/2" glare ice and much of it a steep 4' incline. I would have hated to lug a pair of crampons up there, and there was no snow of any depth for snowshoes.
 
DougPaul said:
Yeah, but I'll bet your traction was excellent until you broke loose... :)
Doug
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We all wore traction but some would have gone along without their traction if I hadn't set the precident. There were the usual sneakers/jeans/limited gear folk on the trail that day and we might have been the only group with traction.
 
Paradox said:
You sure know the drill, I bow to your pun prowess. You are indeed a Tighten.
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Every time I start with Paradox, I lose my grip and slip into an abyss.

Anyway, I note that 'we' had a huge amount of rain followed immediately by temps in the teens here in the Catskills yesterday. How many people do you think will not feel the need for crampons next time they go out? :rolleyes:
 
bikehikeskifish said:
I should know better than to torque you like that. I laughed so hard I wrenched my neck. Maybe I should have my head hexamined.

Tim
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You guys are twisted and have hit the nail right on the head so I'm bolting before this thread gets stripped and deadlocked. I'm hinging on losing my grip and getting bored.
 
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Little Rickie said:
You guys are twisted and have hit the nail right on the head so I'm bolting before this thread gets stripped and deadlocked. I'm hinging on losing my grip and getting bored.
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I thought you were lagging behind, until I saw this pitch. Of coarse this is fine with me, ISO enjoy it very much.

Little Rickie said:
My head hurt like it was being hammered.
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If your head feels screwed up then try some milk of magnesia (Only the Phillups will work.)
 
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Paradox said:
I thought you were lagging behind, until I saw this pitch. Of coarse this is fine with me, ISO enjoy it very much.

If your head feels screwed up then try some milk of magnesia (Only the Phillups will work.)
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NASA is about to announce alien life forms living here on earth...but I think we may have already found them. :rolleyes:

HEY !!! How about those Traction Aids ???
 
Chip said:
I just picked up a 2 pack of these "Snow Trax" at Costco for $20. I'm not planning on replacing my crampons or MicroSpikes with them any time soon, but at 2 pair for $20, thought they might be worth trying and carrying as back-up, road runners or loaners. As soon as we get some ice and snow, I'll provide a review.
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Not that anybody is waiting breathlessly more my review on these (VERY) inexpensive traction aids...BUT: I spent the better part of the day yesterday snow-blowing and shoveling while wearing these. I tried them on 2 different hiking boots, one has the heel lip for crampons/bindings. They worked well while on but one or the other fell off both sets of boots after a while. I think they'd be great as back-up/give aways if you rigged a secondary strap from the toe to the heel back to the toe with some cord or straps. I'm going to try that next on trail runners for road and trail and see what happens. They're definately not MicroSpikes.
 
Traction update

Got to use the Mil-Spec spikes to climb Mt. Washington last week and they worked quite well. The traction on the glare ice at the top of Lion's head (with 50mph winds) and on the steep rock just below the summit was excellent. The snow was drifty and deep in places and the combination of light foot weight with sharp spikes for the ice made for a relatively easy climb. I had full crampons in my pack, but never felt the need to pull them out. Makes me rethink how often I carry full crampons for future hikes.
 
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