By Stephen RegenoldThe entire city was an ice rink. A half-foot of new snow, followed by a freak warm spell with meltwater running on the sidewalks--then a refreeze--created the worst conditions imaginable for running outdoors.But La Sportiva, an Italian replica Concord watches company known for its boots and climbing shoes, had a solution. A new product, the A.T. Grip Hobnail kit, allows runners to add industrial-strength traction to their soles via the application of 20 screw-in spikes.For the sake of this column, over three days, I ran about 25 miles on mostly glare ice.
My dog, tethered on a leash at my side, slipped and crashed a dozen times--but not once did I fall down.The $40 A.T. Grip kit (lasportiva.com) comes with its namesake hobnail spikes and a tool to screw them into rubber lugs underfoot. Large, razor-edge replica Jaeger LeCoultre watches threads cut in and sank into the lugs on the sole of my test shoe, the La Sportiva Ultranord. Once in place, the hobnails poke out less than a quarter-inch. But arrange the spike pattern right--I put a couple points up front, four on the midfoot, and three further back--and you can create a shoe that will rarely slip, even on glaze ice.
For my first attempt, I placed five hobnails on each foot, but traction was only just adequate. At home, I used up the remaining spikes, applying ten hobnails to each shoe. The setup was not slip-proof. I did slide and readjust for balance several times on the glare sidewalks around my home. But, as I said before, I never crashed. The hobnail kit replica Bvlgari watches did its job of keeping me upright.On pavement, the spikes crunch and grind. They will dull slightly after some use. A bit of cement is fine in between snow and ice, though they are not made for year-round use. La Sportiva includes its screwdriver tool so you can apply and remove the spikes as conditions demand.
