I WILL walk the dog today! Study shoes.

Great job on making a canine happy, David!

We didn't get much ice last night in Florida.

Wow, I like it.

Those shoes look particularly well suited to this project.

Poor man's calked (or is it caulked) boots, golf shoes, track shoes, lawn aerator, etc. .

2015 Hobnails..

.

have been around for a while now.

Screwshoes

Justin:

They seem really secure in those GoLite shoes. And I'm not sure how the epoxy would be applied – I didn't find any need to drill pilot holes. If I put a dab of epoxy on the sole and then drilled through that dab, I think the rubber would wipe the epoxy off the screw as it penetrated the sole. Maybe it would help secure the head of the screw to the sole. My son is wearing them right now on a steep, 2300-foot-vertical trail with his Nordic ski team as they cross train due to our lack of snow.

If I was to use epoxy, it would be to paint the high points of the soles (low points in use – the places that touch the ground) and then sprinkle fine sand onto the epoxy-wetted areas. Basically create sandpaper on the bottom surface of the sole. I have no idea how long it would last – 1 mile, 10 miles, 50 miles? – but a visual inspection could easily confirm the continued presence of sand.

Time to look around for another beater set of shoes. . . .

David,

I used to coach and run for UAA when living in Alaska. I did this every single winter. Some thoughts from my personal experience:

1) You have too may screws – drop to 12 to 14 depending on yoru shoe size. Too many screws will increase your likelihood of slipping on tiled or finished concrete surfaces.

2) Just screw the perimeter of the shoe. Leave the middle to contact the ground and that will aid you in areas such as tiled floors (thing grocery stores) or polished concrete (think Costco). I am sure that you plan on not wearing these in those areas but you will be surprised how many spots like that come up as you run (or walk).

3) Keep extra screws available because they will wear down. I typically replaced mine 4 to 5 times per winter. I was running around 80 to 100 miles per week though.

Good luck and enjoy

john the xcar

I used Ice Spikes last year while a buddy used just screws. We screwed them in (with a hand tool) but used crazy glue as a secondary hold. Mine were outrageously expensive compared to his screws however (and this is a big however), the Ice Spikes are angle cut and much sharper such that I had no issues at all on ice whereas he was sliding around much more than I was. After one winter season and about 500 miles they are still sharp.

Agree on the perimeter only. I used 6 upfront and 4 on the heel.

http://www.icespike.com/

Good to know. 30 screws in each worked great on the trail, but I'll remove the inner ones for better grip on bare concrete. Yeah, even on a hike in/to the woods, there are different surfaces to contend. And I'll drop 0.6 ounces per shoe!

We got 6 inches of snow ("Finally!" say the kids) last night so I'll have them on today to run the snowblower. With fresh powder over wind-polished ice, that big red Honda is part snow blower, part walker as I guide it around.

David,

Another way to screw your shoes is to get 1/2" sheet metal shoes and screw them in a 1/4" and then clip the heads off. I used to do this with my racing flats for winter races or interval work. I did not weight things in those days but they bit into the ice better and so I typically used less screws.

They did not last as long but I generally only needed them for a single race or workout and they always lasted longer than that.

It was more work to put them in though.

john the xcar