Buyer’s Guide
The right purchase for better purchase
(Enterprise File photos —Justin A. Levine)
Nanospikes
Yaktrax Run
Hillsound Trail Crampons Black Diamond Contact
Microspikes
Stabil Walk
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE Former Staff Writer
(Editor’s note: This story was first published in the February/March 2017 issue of Embark.) Whether you want to walk on a slippery sidewalk, tread out to your ice shanty, go for a run in February or climb a High Peak, there are no shortage of options when it comes to gaining traction on slick surfaces. There are a few brand names that most of you are probably aware of—like Yaktrax and Microspikes—but the diversity of traction devices for your feet has widened considerably in the past decade or so. Although there is a wide range of devices, it pays to choose ones that will suit your needs. If you’re just going to the mailbox or walking in parking lots, you probably don’t need 12-point crampons, and if you’re climbing Mount Marcy, basic Yaktrax aren’t going to cut it. So, where to start? You will likely be best served by visiting a store like EMS in Lake Placid or The Mountaineer in Keene Valley, both of which stock a selection of traction devices for almost any use, from running to ice climbing. There are local gear stores around the Adirondacks that will likely have a selection to choose from since, you know, it’s a long winter in these parts. One of the most basic and earliest mass-marketed devices was Yaktrax, with a rubber booty that slips over the outside of 4
pretty much any shoe and has metal coiled along the sole to help you gain purchase on the ice. Yaktrax are great for not-so-demanding excursions, but are unsuitable for extended hikes of more than a mile or two. Kahtoola, the company behind the famous microspikes, has become synonymous with traction among hikers. Microspikes, whether EMBARK ~ Get Up, Get Out
they’re brand name or not, are practically required equipment for spring, fall and winter hiking. Much like the Yaktrax, microspikes have a rubber part that slips over your boots. The difference is that microspikes are like a crampon-lite, with small chains holding a series of Continued on page 5 Winter 2022
