Friday, January 8, 2016

Boot chains

A few years ago I was walking in St. Paul when woman in her early twenties passed me in a rush.  "She's gonna wipe out," I thought.  Sure enough before she made it to the crosswalk she was lying on her back.  Helping her up we realized her shoe was missing.  Her feet went out from underneath her with enough force to throw her Croc fifteen feet ahead of her.

I've landed on my back once or twice as well, both times without serious injury.  Still, I think I'd like reduce my chances of repeating the experience.

Like the rest of the country this year, it has been unseasonably warm but I finally had need to break out the boot chains Thursday morning.  A rubber ring holds chains of teeth to the underside of my boots, gripping concrete through the snow or cutting into ice.

They're a little heavy and the boots feel a bit different when they're on, but they do the job well and, unlike similar products, they stay securely in place.  They're definitely better than landing on your back.

With them we went from inching along to being able to return to our normal pace.

They pinch just enough that you don't want to wear them unless their necessary.


The Doc Martens are notoriously slick on snow or ice, but not anymore.
Turkeys near the University of Minnesota.

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