How to Walk on Ice Cleats

Ice cleats make traversing a frozen lake much easier.

Ice cleats are footwear that features metal studs which can be used to grant the wearer better purchase on a slippery ice surface. While normal soles of boots may slip and slide along the surface of a frozen lake, the cleats have sharp metal edges that dig into the ice, creating a face where the metal meets the ice, providing the wearer with traction. Ice cleats are commonly worn by sportsmen who will be traversing icy terrain, such as ice fishermen.

Instructions

1. Select an appropriate style of ice-walking cleats. Ice cleats can range from shoes with built in studs, for those who will be walking exclusively along sheets of ice to detachable cleats which can be removed, for those who will be walking across mixed terrain.

2. Test out your ice cleats when you are attempting to cross a new surface, particularly a sloped surface. Do not charge headlong into a new area at full speed, instead move cautiously at first until you are sure of how the ice will react to your cleats.

3. Take short steps when moving across an icy surface. The longer your strides are, the more likely your feet are to slip, leading to falls.

4. Travel at a slow pace. Moving too fast, particularly running where you could potentially have both feet off the ground at the same time, can lead to attempting to place weight on a foot which has not found proper purchase, which can lead to a slip and fall.

5. Drive your foot down when stepping to provide for extra traction. By using extra force when stepping down, you increase the depth the cleats penetrate into the ice, allowing them to provide more grip.

References

• Ice Cleats: Ice Cleat Information