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After the abnormal rain, the capital froze again. The puddles froze and once again turned into a real skating rink. The current situation, of course, is not as critical as it was at the end of January, when almost everything became icy due to a sharp temperature change. However, moving along the streets, especially in courtyards where the snow has not yet melted and exposed the asphalt, has still become unsafe - every now and then you have to balance to maintain balance.

Walking on steel spikes is not very comfortable, but it is safe.

So it’s time to remind citizens about possible means of protection against ice. The MK correspondent tested several of the most popular ones on herself and chose the most effective ones.

There are many ways to protect shoes from ice. For example, you can go to a store and buy so-called removable rubber soles which are worn on boots. In principle, they are relatively inexpensive - from 250 rubles and above, depending on the quality of the rubber, the number of studs and the country of origin. But you can, of course, save money by using some of the folk remedies: plaster, glue, sandpaper, and so on.

While it was getting colder outside again, we decided to test which shoe protection means is still better. Ice drifters chose Russian-made ones because they turned out to be the cheapest, with six metal spikes. Similar pads with different numbers of spikes, and also specifically for high-heeled shoes, made in China, were already more expensive: from 300 to 700 rubles. In addition, we bought a pack of adhesive tape and a tube of superglue.

So, let's start in order. Even the most ordinary ice drifts turned out to be, in my opinion, quite convenient for walking on ice. The steel spikes cut into the surface, and I felt quite confident as I moved. However, these universal pads also have several disadvantages. Firstly, if you need to go down or up a very icy hill, spikes will help little. The reason is that the tips of the spikes are blunt, so they cannot cut well into hard ice on an inclined surface. In order not to be a cow on the ice, I advise you to walk along the slide very carefully, in small steps, and it is better to hold on to someone - it will be safer. In addition, it is very inconvenient to move on asphalt in ice drifts (and such areas are still present on the street). It felt like I had hooves instead of legs. The metal spikes tap when you walk, and you can feel their uneven surface. It is also uncomfortable to enter any room from the street. It's better to take them off. Well, such “horseshoes” on your feet don’t look particularly elegant.

These rubber soles with spikes, or in other words - ice floes, are put on shoes so as not to fall into icy conditions.

By the way, in my case, the spikes on the removable soles were located only in the toe. But there are also ice drifts where the spikes are located both at the toe and on the heel. It seems to me that such pads will hold traction on ice better.

The second anti-ice remedy that we couldn’t help but try is the usual adhesive plaster. With it, the grip on the road is, of course, worse, even if you stick stripes all over the sole. On particularly smooth areas, the legs constantly move apart, and you can crash once or twice. The downside is that the adhesive plaster quickly peels off or wears off. For example, after two days almost all of my records simply came off due to puddles and slush under my feet. This means you need to go buy new ones.

Remedy number three - the most time-consuming - is to glue it to the soles with glue sand. Let me briefly remind you how to do this. After you have washed your shoes well and dried them, you need to carefully apply glue to the sole with a snake, sprinkle coarse sand on it and then let it dry for 24 hours. This design also holds up well on ice, the sole does not slide much, but on asphalt, if the sole of the shoe is quite thin, sand crumbs can be felt. And again, the procedure must be repeated regularly - at least once every few days. However, it is not yet known how frequent application of glue will affect the sole of the shoe. And finding sand in the city in winter, you know, can also become a problem.

By the way, another option is to stick pieces of sandpaper on the soles, the effect is about the same.

All these methods are temporary. Therefore, if you want something more permanent and reliable, you will still have to turn to specialists.

Many people come to us in winter with shoes that have smooth soles. Men's shoes are especially guilty of this,” says Andrei Tsypenkov, head of one of the capital’s shoe repair shops. - We can put preventative measures on such shoes: we make an overlay from thin rubber of a more textured, rough and at the same time soft material, so that a person can move comfortably and at the same time safely. You can put non-slip heels on your heels.

True, such pleasure is not cheap. From 300 rubles, installation of “winter” heels, sole prevention - about 1–1.5 thousand rubles.

So the choice of which deicing agent to use is now yours. In any case, the main thing is not to fall and end up in the emergency room.

How to choose shoes for the winter

Expert advice

* It is better to choose a country that produces winter shoes that is familiar with cold weather: Russia, Scandinavian countries, although this is currently quite difficult to do.

* Before buying boots, you should pay attention to the sole - it should be embossed, with a deep pattern, better directed in different directions.

* It’s also worth putting on shoes and trying to walk around the store in them. If the sole slips on smooth tiles, it is not recommended to wear such shoes.

* There is no need to buy shoes with smooth soles for the winter, even if they are very beautiful and fit like a glove.

* The softer the sole itself, the better the grip on frozen surfaces.

* By the way, you also need to walk on icy paths correctly. Experts advise moving in small steps and not raising your legs high.

Olga Nikitina

Reading time: 9 minutes

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You won’t envy the doctors from the emergency rooms now - they have begun a busy time of bruises and fractures. And the reason for this is icy conditions, housing offices that did not have time to prepare for winter, and ill-chosen shoes.

Proper shoes for icy conditions, special linings for shoes to protect against icy conditions

The rules for choosing anti-slip shoes are quite simple:

• We focus not on the trend and the height of stilettos, thanks to which our legs visually lengthen, but on protection from falls and reducing the risk of lying in a cast for a couple of months. It is better to choose the country of origin that is familiar with cold weather. – Russia, Scandinavian countries, Ukraine.
• Let's study the sole. Requirements: tread - with a uniform deep pattern directed in different directions (for better traction on icy roads).
• We put on shoes and try to feel the grip on the slippery floor of the store. Remember that the sole hardens in the cold, and low-quality shoes will be slippery and hard in the cold.
• We pay attention to everyone’s favorite ugg boots only if they adapted to Russian winter and have improved soles (comfort, tread).
• No smooth soles! Even if you don’t want to take off this “charm”, and the feeling in the boots is “like in slippers.” Of course, you will learn to balance in them (by the end of winter), but at first you will have a hard time.
• Checking the softness of the sole. The softer it is, the higher the grip on frozen surfaces.

Video: How to walk properly in icy conditions?

Can't afford expensive quality shoes? We buy removable soles made of high-quality rubber equipped with steel spikes. Not particularly elegant, but the risk of falling will be minimized.


Another option - anti-ice linings in different versions (hoops, chains, etc., put on the soles).

Slippery shoes - what to do: the best home remedies for ice on the street

A properly prepared sole means a successful winter experience.

What “grandmother’s recipes” are used today to protect shoes from untimely slipping?

• Felt. We cut off a couple of pieces from old felt boots, and then glue them (or nail them with small nails) to our sole. This protection against ice will last you for a week, maximum 10 days.
• Glue Moment. Apply with a neat snake onto the soles, dry, and spread with a smaller zigzag. After a day, rub with coarse sandpaper until it becomes rough. This “antilde” will last for a week.
• Glue several plates to the sole classic large patch . For a day or two you may feel more confident. As in this case, as in all others that involve gluing fabric “safeties” to the soles, you should remember: in rainy weather and snowfall, these devices turn your shoes practically into skates. Therefore, they are not suitable for “wet” weather.
• We buy special sanding strips (available in any household/store) on a sticky base, glue it to the soles, and for 2-3 days forget about the tightrope walker’s pose.

Folk craftsmen also rub their soles raw potatoes, sprinkle sand on top of freshly applied glue, glue sponges for washing dishes, etc. But such products are short-lived and are not aesthetically pleasing. Therefore, it is better to immediately choose high-quality shoes, taking into account all the nuances of “anti-slip.”

What can a shoe workshop offer to protect shoes in icy conditions outside?

• We install soft polyurethane heels in the shoe workshop and we move around cheerfully and without fear all season long. To be sure, you can also stud the soles there.
• We install metal heels(around the perimeter, with spikes, with nails, etc.). Clicking on them in the subway and other public places is not very decent, but on the street you can be calm.

How to properly walk in icy conditions outside?

As soon as ice appears on the roads, we begin to move through the streets, as if with crystal vases in our hands (from the sideboard with family treasures). And it is right! You shouldn’t count the remaining bullfinches and study yourself in shop windows - look at your feet(ice does not forgive roteness).

Therefore, we remember Rules for proper movement in icy conditions:

• We change our gait. We don’t run after the bus, we don’t rush, we walk slowly, in small steps, stepping on the entire sole.
• We don't keep our hands in our pockets. In the event of a sudden fall, this recklessness can cost not only a fracture, but also a traumatic brain injury. Busy hands? Distribute the weight evenly on your hands.
• Don't forget about the right shoes.
• We calculate dangerous sections of the route and change the route in advance (or go as carefully as possible).
• We move along the roads with caution – we reduce the risk of flying directly under the car.
• Learning to fall correctly. We do not fall on our hands to avoid fractures and sprains. If we lose balance, we try to group ourselves, bend our knees (in the direction of the fall) and press our hands to our body, and when we touch the ground, we roll to “dissipate” the force of the impact. We avoid falling on our back with any acrobatic tricks.
• Hold your body while walking slightly leaned forward .
• We don't kick back , if someone hurt your shoulder while being late for their business.
• Don't ignore a visit to the doctor , if the fall did occur, and the blow was strong.

If you are not particularly careful, recommendations fly out of your memory immediately after reading, and you will never take off your stilettos, then carry them with you in your purse. a pair of cotton tights or stockings - You will need them at the emergency room. A stocking stretched under a cast will protect you from itching, skin irritation and the feeling of tightness in your hair.

Winter is a rather traumatic period, especially during icy conditions. Although municipal services sprinkle sand or salt on sidewalks, pedestrians should be very careful during such periods. Slippery soil, combined with inappropriate shoes and irresponsibility when moving, can cause a fall and, as a result, injury in the form of a bruise, sprain, or fracture. To protect yourself in icy conditions, it is not enough to just be careful when walking. It is necessary to select boots with non-slip soles and additionally use anti-ice pads on shoes, purchased in a store or made by yourself.

Least slippery shoes

When choosing winter shoes, you need to pay attention not only to their appearance, comfort, price and brand, but also to the quality of the sole. You should take a good look, because if it is not intended for walking on ice, the consequences can be dangerous - from discomfort when worn to injury. When purchasing, you should try on several pairs of shoes, trying to feel their grip on the floor in the store.

You need to stop your gaze on boots with grooved soles. The best option is a tread with uniform deep relief directed in different directions. It will provide excellent grip on icy surfaces. The heel should be wide enough, stable, and not too high. It is better if the sole of the shoe is made of a soft material that will not harden in the cold: rubber, polypropylene, polyurethane. A great option is to buy boots made in countries that are familiar with cold winter weather.

If you still make a mistake in your choice, and the boots turn out to be unsuitable for walking on ice, you can use anti-slip shoe pads, purchased in a store or made with your own hands.

Professional overlays

There are several types of factory-made devices that are attached to the sole and protect against slips and falls. Anti-slip shoe pads are produced for both UGG boots and regular boots. They are easy to put on and take off. The most common devices that can be purchased at any hardware store are:

• ice drifts - anti-slip linings on shoes that envelop the lower part of the boots, providing a braking effect on an icy surface;
• ice access devices - devices similar to ice drifts, but additionally equipped with spikes (most often in the toe area) that guarantee stability;
• other devices for ice - anti-slip rubber pads, removable hoops, chains, felt elements.

Such devices have some advantages. This:

• low price;
• wear resistance;
• ease of use;
• good slip protection.

How to choose shoe linings

If you decide to purchase anti-icing shoe pads in the store, read the tips on choosing them. The main thing is to take with you the shoes for which the devices are purchased so that you can try them on. The pads should fit correctly and not be too tight or too loose. Take a few steps to determine if you feel comfortable wearing them. From an aesthetic point of view, it is worth choosing devices to match the shoes or with a natural metallic color.

Carefully inspect the pads you are going to buy. They should be light so as not to weigh down the already large winter boots too much. It is necessary that their shape matches the type of shoe. The material from which anti-slip shoe pads are made must be durable (steel or polyurethane is best) and free from various defects.

How to make your own overlay

It's not difficult at all. It doesn’t take much effort to make your own anti-ice shoe pads. First, “cheeks” made of a steel plate are attached to both sides of the heel. Connected to them with hinges is a bracket that covers the heel, on which replaceable metal spikes are inserted into the tubular holes. They provide traction on slippery surfaces. There is also a threaded bushing located on the bracket. The elements are attached to the bracket by welding.

A metal plate with holes located above and below is fixed on the back of the heel. Using a screw inserted (into one of them and into the sleeve), equipped with a knurled head, the bracket and plate are fixed. When the cleat bracket is in the down position, the cleats protrude beyond the heel support surface and perform their anti-slip function. In the upper placement they will be inoperative.

What can be done in the workshop

To make your shoes more suitable for icy conditions, you can contact a workshop. Several options will be offered here.

1. This material is soft, does not harden in the cold and clings well to ice.
2. Metal heels. They have excellent grip and do not allow the sole to slip.
3. Anti-slip rubber pads on shoes. A pad glued to the sole will allow you to walk more steadily on ice.

Traditional methods

There are also traditional methods that protect against falls during icy conditions. For example, if your shoes have a smooth sole, you can improve its grip on the surface by making it grooved yourself using a nail, soldering iron, sandpaper or grater. The main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to ruin the boots.

Stores sell adhesive strips. By attaching these anti-slip pads to your shoes, you will protect yourself from ice for several days. Then they should be updated. In addition to sandpaper, you can stick a medical plaster or felt on the sole. Another option is improvised spikes made from small screws or nails.

A great way to make shoes non-slip is to apply Moment glue to the sole in ornate patterns and sprinkle it with sand or, after drying, rub it with coarse sandpaper. You can use another effective method - rub the treads of your shoes with raw potatoes.

Remember that even with the right shoes and the use of different pads, when walking on ice, you should be extremely careful and careful. It is necessary to look well at your feet, not make sudden movements, and move in small steps.

In winter, slipping is a piece of cake! Ice-resistant shoes will at least somehow protect yourself from falling. To give regular shoes anti-slip properties, it is enough to strengthen special pads under the sole!

These linings are very diverse, and have varying degrees of reliability and service life, but they are definitely better than nothing! You can make them yourself or buy them. And since everything is quite clear with the first option, we just go to the store, select the desired model, select it by size so that nothing stings, and buy! The second option needs to be considered in more detail, because there are quite a lot of homemade devices:

1. The simplest and most effective way is to cover the sides with tape strips (snake, ladder, stripes). This method should last three to five days, but you need to be careful and make sure that nothing comes off (especially if it gets wet), and if this happens, stick on a new patch.

And better use patches with hydrophobic adhesive, for example domestic plasters with glue based on natural rubber. Such glue When wet it only holds on tighter!

2. You can also glue felt to the sole (7-10 is enough). You can also cut out the sole from an old unnecessary felt boot. But, you need to remember that if such a sole gets wet, then ice may form on the felt, and the shoes themselves will turn into some kind of skates, moreover, in this situation, they may even fall off.

3. Or buy sandpaper with an adhesive base, which must be secured to the sole. After some time (several days) it should be replaced with a newer one. In general, nothing prevents you from using ordinary sandpaper glued to glue.

4. Glue is often used (for example, “moment”), which is applied to the sole in random lines and patterns, which are either sprinkled with sand, or after drying, a little coarse sandpaper is passed over it, creating a rough surface. According to those who use this method, it lasts about a week.

5. This is a purely inventive method; all you need is your imagination and desire to do something good. That is, you can make a removable shoe pad, similar to a store-bought one, using available materials: fasten a plate with spikes from screws, put on a spiked strap under the toe, or use some other design.

But, even if you use shoes with anti-slip attachments, you still need to be careful and move as carefully as possible. Don't run, don't make sudden movements, watch your step.

We all know firsthand how housing and communal services work in our cities; work to take measures against ice is not always carried out on time. And it happens that they do nothing at all, hoping for spring and waiting for warmer weather. The reasons are different, there is not enough material to sprinkle the pedestrian paths, there are not enough workers. Whatever these reasons may be, and whose fault this is, you must admit that you will have to solve this problem yourself, take full responsibility for your health, and take measures to ensure safety. The simplest and only way to protect yourself from injury is to wear anti-slip pads on your shoes, they are also called winter boots.

Frequent fall injuries

Falls on ice often do not go away just like that, but lead to various injuries. Here are some of the most common injuries that can occur as a result of falling on ice:

Ice drifts (anti-ice) for older people

Everyone is at risk of injury from a fall on ice, but falls are most dangerous for older people. The resources for repairing damage in the body are becoming less and less every year. After 45 years, when it would seem that you feel young, bones grow together much more slowly than, for example, in a person 20 years old. And in people over 60 years of age, a fracture can cause disability and put a person in a wheelchair for several years or even for life. After all, with age, bone tissue loses its elasticity and strength, the bones of an elderly person become fragile, and when they fall, they literally crumble, they can break in several places, and crack the bones. By buying anti-icing ice access products, you will take care of yourself and your loved ones and prevent terrible consequences.

It’s very easy to fall in icy conditions in winter; everyone has probably experienced this themselves. In order to feel solid ground under your feet and feel confident on ice, you need to wear anti-slip pads on your shoes. They are made of high quality elastic rubber and studded with hardened steel studs. They will reliably protect you from falls and injuries in icy conditions.

• If you wear shoes with flat soles, we recommend purchasing ice slides with an anti-slip surface on both the toe and heel. This will ensure the best grip on the surface (ice).
• For women, it is better to buy ice shoes with an anti-slip surface only on the toe; such ice shoes will be discreetly attached to high-heeled shoes. Anti-ice pads are very easy to put on and securely attach to your shoes. When worn they are not noticeable at all.
• All anti-slip shoe pads are suitable for any size from 35 to 45.