Hey everyone!
I’m in Southern Ontario (Canada) and as I look out the window at the first snowfall I don’t have any suitable shoes for running in snow / icy sidewalks.
Just wondering what everyone is using? I usually run in Nike and Hoka and I’m looking for high cushion shoes for training outdoors all winter. What are you lacing up for snowing outdoor runs this winter?
Also in Southern Ontario (KW). I generally just run around my neighborhood in regular road shoes or maybe trail shoes (and my neighbours are awful at shoveling their walkways). If it’s really sketchy and icy then I add traction.
As for what traction to use, just buy a pair of Kahtoola Exospikes and go - they’re the best all-around spikes made at the moment and built absolutely bombproof. I’ll use Microspikes for very technical trails where I know I won’t encounter any pavement, but most folks will not need any more than Exospikes can handle.
First of all — @mistressk !!! Whoo-hoo!!!
On to the business at hand
~ I post this pretty much annually, so forgive me if you’ve read it before ~
I’m halfway between Philly & AC, and I think that it had only snowed enough to use a shovel just once in three or four Winters - we once went nearly 2 years without any snowfall above 1/2"
What precip we do get is usually a semi-frozen/semi-corrosive slurry, covering rocks and sand and gravel and shoes and needles and underwear and little bottles of Fireball and hubcaps and roadkill and all sorts of other shit laying in the roadside. When that all dries out, the slush is gone, but all that other crap is still out there, usually migrating onto the part of the street that I’m using , and collecting in any number of brand new potholes
Still, I’ll bundle up & run outside when I can, just because I’m a little weird that way (I’ve been that guy on the TV news, running or biking in a blizzard, when I lived in Philly; I’ve also “Run The Temperature,” doing 4 miles when it was 4*F)
I’ll start saving up bread bags soon, that I’ll wear between my socks and my shoes; although there’s no appreciable accumulation of snow, it’s still a cold, wet, sloppy mess, and dry feet are happy feet
If icy I use an old pair of running shoe I have studded myself with one of these kits (3000-series, I used 3020 last time) https://www.best-grip.com/en/prodotti/tutti-i-prodotti/ When I’m about to throw a good pair of “non-winter shoes” out I stud them and use them a winter or two.
If just snow I use trail shoes, the rubber lugs gives traction. Metal won’t make a difference in just snow, metal studs needs ice to grip in.
You can make a set of screw shoes for like $2 with just a pack of sheet metal screws - they’ll provide enough grip on ice for road routes. Make sure to get 3/8” (or shorter if you can find them) and screw them into the thickest part of the tread so you don’t get poked. A pair will usually last a full winter, maybe 2. It does, however, limit you to that particular pair of footwear; the ExoSpikes can go on any pair of shoes you’re feeling that day (including the ones that are a half size up to accommodate extra thick socks if it’s cold af, or neoprene toe covers if it’s slushy)
ETA: when people ask “why don’t you just go to the gym and run on the treadmill?” I’ll answer “if the streets are clear enough to drive, they’re clear enough to run”
I used such “harnesses with studs” (is there an English language name for them?) for many years, and yes there is the advantage that one can then use what ever shoe one likes for the day. But I have come to like fixed studded shoes better, how ever well the “harness” fits and can be tightened and secured the studs still slip minimally. And with the pace of running shoes one discards a year there is no lack of shoes I can stud…
I have not bought/tried purpose made wintershoes like Icebugs yet though, maybe that is the next step.
But yes, horses for courses, there are definitely pros and cons with different solutions and you should pick the one you like. 
Yes, but not in a Running frame of mind 
Look for decent studded (rubber/vibram) orienteering shoes if it’s packed snow (eg N Norway). Your choice whether to get pigged metal studs versions - example below.
Allow me to point out that cushioning means you are further away from the ground and when there’s a slip risk, closer is better and recovery (with other foot) quicker.
VJ Bold X
Here’s the lead UK orienteering shop. You can find such in Canada,
I have run 1000s of miles over many years in minnesota winters. I found that the foam in most shoes would turn into bricks after about 20 minutes of running in anything colder than -10f degrees. I found Nike shoes with airpods would stay supple longer for up to 60 minutes. Keeping the foam supple is almost more important than whats on the bottom for traction because you maintain a feel for the ground you are running on. The new foams in shoes may be much less temperature sensitive so you would have to experiment with them if you are venturing out in those cold of conditions.
I also experimented with all sorts of spikes and add on wires. None of them work on ice and most just add weight from attracting snow.
More important than shoes is reflective clothing and headlamps. Not much daylight for running in the winter so being seen and seeing the path you’re on should keep you safe and slip less.
I also found winter running to greatly reduce my stride length. So once a week I tried to find a treadmill to run on so to not stiffen up too much.
Because I’m that guy you see on the TV News running around town during a blizzard, I figured out that if you’re out during the daytime, when the snow is falling and the ground/streets are white, you actually want to dress a little darker, to provide contrast and be seen - not like anyone should be driving around in those conditions
Do they not plow the roads, shovel sidewalks, etc. in Southern Ontario?
If the roads and sidewalks are well maintained, between storms, they will be free of snow and ice.
The road tends to be better maintained because they are are usually plowed by the city. Lots of cities in the USA also plow running paths that are built by the city. Those are the two places I run in the winter.
Sidewalks tend to be a problem because they are usually the responsibility of the property owner that they go in front of and lots of sections get neglected which results in ice and snow every 5th property. Running in straight lines on the ice and snow is not bad but corners is more dangerous and you will slide and will fall so bruised hips and sprained ankles are a big risk. Find low traffic roads or cleared running paths. Sidewalks are terrible for running any time of the year but worst in the winter.
As for shoes, in college I tried putting on my cross country spikes to run in the snow and ice, but that was NOT effective. Standard road shoes were better than cross country spikes. I am not a trail runner but have owned two trail running shoes for off-road days. One pair was the Asics GT-2000 Trail shoes. I don’t really know what made them a trail shoe. They preformed just like a road shoe on the roads and trails. I wouldn’t recommend them for snow and ice. I also have a pair of La Supportive trail shoes that have aggressive traction and are really good for technical running. I have put them on in the snow before and they do much better than a standard road shoes. If there is packed snow, before the roads are plowed, I might run in the La Suportiva trail shoes, or even my road shoes. It is best to stay indoors and use a treadmill when there is new snow or if paths have snow or ice on them but a trail shoe with tread for technical running is the next best thing.
I’ve been doing this for years as well. I use a pair of old running shoes and 3/8” hex screws all the way around the perimeter approximately 1/2” apart. Takes about 20min with my drill. 17-20 screws per. IMO this works better than any slip-on system.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DRH47oOlq15/?img_index=5&igsh=b211MWs3a3oyOWw1
I have done oven mitts
Also fashionable animal prints
On very cold, hard ice I have had screw shoes slip. Very disconcerting.
I am not sponsored by Kahtoola, but I heavily promote their ExoSpikes because the grip is provided by tungsten carbide spikes - basically a dozen trekking pole tips per shoe. They bite into ice better than anything else I’ve tried (and will even provide some grip on rock, which their steel Microspikes do not), and their construction turns each of the spike pods into an extra lug that can even provide assistance in mud. The pattern of them makes them comfortable to run on bare pavement, though. My usual Saturday morning winter run is about 4km on a maintained, paved, multi-use trail to get to 5km of un-maintained rail trail, with another km of sidewalks at the far end to reach our farmers market. Microspikes would be too much for the paved, plowed sections, but trail shoes are often not enough for the rail trail as we get a lot of ice from freeze and thaw and there are some steep bits. The ExoSpikes handle all of it, and slip off easily so I don’t damage the more-than-century-old wood floors inside the market building at the other end.
This is the trend we’ve seen for a while now; unless there’s a dramatic push of cold air, the Rain/Snow line sits right about along I-95
I run in my usual shoes. Just a lot slower when conditions are iffy. Winter is a great time to run sloowww.
