YakTrax

I got my YakTrax the day after I ran 16 miles on a treadmill. I got the YakTrax Pro and they work great. No problem at all running on ice. Most of my runs with them are partly on ice, partly on sidewalks but I have had no problem on either. Glad I have an option for icy conditions.

I was inspired to look at traction options after watching a guy run full steam down a trail that I could barely walk on as I clung to trees to stay upright.

The reviews for the YakTrax run are somewhat poor. So, I figured the pro version is the way to go.

I also looked at Stabilicers and Kahtoola Nanospikes, but I don't know much about their performance/durability.

Screw shoes.
http://www.skyrunner.com/screwshoe.htm

Cost is about $3. Works great.

All the local runners here I have spoken with don't like yaktrax and instead recommend screw shoes as well.

I have a set, hardly ever need them. I usually wear a trail shoe on hard packed snow. Its all about being light on your feet.

I will second this solution as highly tested and HIGHLY effective, even on trails and streets full snow, ice, re-frozen snow, you-name-it, over many super cold and record-breaking Chicago winters.

However, you definitely want to use 1/4" or 3/8" screws, nothing longer than that.

No matter how light you are on your feet, ice is ice, and slick as heck. Fall, break a bone, and there goes your season. And the screw shoes are so good, you might think its summer!




Edited by DarkSpeedWorks 2015-02-22 11:05 AM

I have bought two pair and they both broke. If you were running exclusively on snow, I think they would be good. They do improve the grip. Where I live, they don't plow the roads down to asphalt but there are parts of the sidewalk that are bare so I go back and forth between snow and asphalt. I think that's what wrecked them. Now I just run with shoes. I slip around a bit but it's not a huge problem. Most of the winter is quite cold here (I'm in Northern Ontario) so the snow has lots of grip. For me, it's easier without.

Thank you all for the comments.

I'm sure I'm well over 500 miles of trail running & hiking with my Kahtoola microspikes, and I'm really happy with them (no winter treadmill miles for me since I bought them). They're super easy to slip on/off, comfortable (unless you plan a lot of time on pavement), and still look brand new after a few years of use. Packed snow, pure ice, steep hills...I haven't found a trail or condition in SE Michigan that they won't grip with ease.

The only issue is over the course of a winter's use, I do develop a wear spot where the rubber of the microspikes sits on the inside of my big toe (just with the thin upper of my trail shoes...my beefier hiking shoes are unaffected). That just means when I retire a pair during the summer, I save them to be worn with the spikes during the winter.

I do all my winter running on snow and ice.

I have used Yaktrax for a few years. The provide good traction but break really easily if you run on asphalt. I stopped using them

I have made screw shoes and use them if there is lots of ice, not too much snow. I don't like them on asphalt or slushy conditions.

I use these https://www.icetrekkers.com/product/diamond if it's more running on snow and ice. They do survive asphalt well. The don't like salt on the roads so you do have to rinse them off or they will corrode and break

I use these https://www.icetrekkers.com/product/spikesif a lot of asphalt, bit of ice. These feel best on ashphalt.

I'm going to second marcaq on the recommendations. I'm up north of Lake Placid, so am very used to running in the snow and ice. Yaktrax don't provide that great of traction and break easily, especially on semi-plowed roads. I use the second set of spikes posted and they help significantly and have so far held up very well for me.