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

[peter fels]

Er....Cool!
Great solution!  Amusing too.
Pleased not to need them just now.


On Feb 15, 2011, at 12:08 PM, Jerry Frost wrote:

> 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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> 
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