I have read all the articles about John Fleetwoods winter epics and was wondering what spikes / crampons others use for the slippery stuff ? Read the article in the last fellrunner and liked the look of the Kathoola micro spikes.
Any recommendations please.
Yeah Kathoola appear to be the ones to get. Krupricka uses them for all of his winter training, and thats a lot of running. Problem is they can be hard to come by in some sizes.
"That was the night everything changed"
My partner got some Kahtoola micro-spikes to wear with her walking boots and luckily they are just the right size for my running shoes - excellent grip on ice but jolly hard on the feet if you are on tarmac for any length of time. They might be better with more cushioned shoes - I was wearing 212s with them.
Yak Trak Pro's - nicely grippy and no spikes to rip yer bumbag!
I wore my Microspikes for a run round the Borrowdale circuit in the snow and ice on 2 Jan last year and thought they were superb - lots of people were tottering about in full winter gear and we could trot past the with ease and feeling smug. Beware though: lots of people kept asking what they were as I ran past, so I kept stopping for a natter before scurrying off to catch up with Frank! Regarding choice of footwear, I have mostly worn them with Roclite 295-ish and they were pretty comfy - the soles are sufficiently stiff.
Very impressed with my Kahtoolas last winter, secure fit, excellent grip and easy to put on/take off. There is an alternative - Pegu Microspikes, slightly cheaper, slightly bigger spikes and a strap to make them even more secure and come with their own heavy duty pouch but otherwise appear very similar. My conclusion after seeing both (but not until after I had bought some Kahtoolas) was that the Kahtoolas are probably best for running - you dont want the spikes too long because we are moving more quickly and with less care than you would in traditional crampons so the likelihood of spiking yourself would be quite high with the others, plus the kahtoolas folded up and stored in a slightly smaller space. Also the extra strap appears unnecessary.
are the Kahtoolas microspikes any/much better than yaktraks? we already have yaktraks but my gear obsessed other half is no doubt seeking out n+1 on crampon type objects for running ;-)
Much better for steeper stuff, but beware, they can tempt you into taking excessive risk.Originally Posted by cyclops
I've got some Pogu Spikes, and a friend has some Kahtoola ones.
We found last year, that both can roll round your feet.
Worth keeping an eye on them.
Microspikes are awesome... just make sure you get the smallest size you can fit so that you eliminate any looseness in the chains. They come in XS to XL, so that's basically UK sizes 1 to 13, so anyone should be able to get a decent fitting pair!
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