[TheForge] Ice cleats (Was: So, what are you working on?)

[Jerry Frost]

An old piece of carpet and a couple bungies make the best ice traction aids 
I know of. cut the carpet so it'll wrap part way round your shoes, boots, 
whatever and make simple slip on bindings with the bungies. Carpet side out 
of course and they'll provide first class traction on ice, snow or mossy 
stream rocks. NOT recomended for ice climbing!

Jer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Spencer" <mspencer at tallships.ca>
To: <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 10:02 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Ice cleats (Was: So, what are you working on?)


>
>
>> I don't find anything under "icewalkers" and I can't search for it
>> because I can't figure out how to spell "ice" with more than three
>> letters.
>
> Measure the width of your boot sole.  Cut two pieces of flat bar a
> couple of inches longer than that and mark off the boot width,
> centered on the bar.
>
> Split the ends in three up to around the marks. Draw the outer splits
> to a point. Punch hole near the ends of each of the center the splits.
>
> Bend the spikes down and the punched elements up.  Use the punched
> holes to attach laces or straps to hold them on.
>
> Choice of stock size, details of measurement and stylish finish are
> left as an exercise. :-)
>
> The first pair I made had excessively long spikes which drove so
> deeply into the ice that I had to yank my trailing foot loose on each
> step and moving off the ice onto stone or wood was like using short but
> badly designed stilts.
>
> Every year or two we have either a big ice storm or cold rain on
> packed snow where the parade has been plowed or paths shoveled.  The
> result is unwalkable without spikes or hobnails.
>
> One year, I drove home in heavy rain on wet but clear pavement to our
> gravel road.  The gravel road was a skating rink with a pebble
> projecting up here and there.  I managed to drive half a mile from
> pebble to pebble at 0.021 MPH but attempting the turn into our lane
> put me in the ditch.  Got out of the car.  Fell down.  Had to crawl
> across the road on all-fours to get home.  Made ice cleats shortly
> after.
>
>
> FWIW,
> - Mike
>
> -- 
> Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~.
>                                                           /V\
> mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
> http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^
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