Weekly Walks

Winter is here for real. It bears repeating that appropriate clothing and especially footwear is key to enjoyable and safe walks. If it feels safe enough, let’s meet at the usual for the usual.

Here is updated reprise of an older post relating to safe winter walks.

Winter is here and with it slippery conditions. As we know from our walking friends, there is a real risk of injury as we are outside for a longer than usual time compared to many other people. Here are things to keep in mind to minimize the risk.

-Watch the weather forecast carefully, particularly for days where a freeze follows a warmer day

-Sidewalks at the end of driveways are especially prone to icy patches from the runoff

-Walk with a buddy

-Have your phone with you at all times (and health card!)

-Consider indoor walks (PATH, treadmill, Variety Village) when conditions outside are treacherous

-Anti-slip footwear is also a big help. There are a few choices and approaches:

• Add-on chains/cleats, such as Yak-Traks. Pros are cheap, easy to find (Shoppers) and fairly effective. Cons is they can slip off and get lost, and not as accommodating when conditions go from snow and ice to bare asphalt.

• Embedded anti-slip treads, such as Vibram’s Arctic Grip and Mark’s IceFX. These are more versatile for various surfaces, including wearable indoors, and provide some enhanced grippage, depending on the surface. However, this type of shoe can be more expensive and harder to find. For running shoes, Saucony seems the one to get (Peregrine Ice+ and model Razor models). Amazon seems to have a good selection.

• Studded soles, such as IceBUGs. The most positive grip of any shoe I’ve tried. Downside is they are the hardest to find, can be pricey, the studs will wear off in time (so far so good though for me) if you walk on mixed conditions and not recommended to wear indoors on hard surface like tiles and terrazzo.

No perfect solution but with a mix of caution and the right gear, it can be safe to be out there.