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Kahtoola Microspikes - the mutts nuts for winter

Somebody told me about these last winter but by the time I managed to get a pair the worst of the winter was over and they never got used. This year is an entirely different story. They have been used on practically every outing since December. Their real forte is on those absolutely lethal frozen paths where you might feel that full crampons is a bit overkill.





They are so easy to slip on and off, even with gloves on, weigh nothing and you don't need to learn to walk like John Wayne to stop yourself from tripping up and injuring yourself. Their short spikes have been enough to get me up and down some slopes that I previously would have been reaching for the big boys. They've even see action in the West End of Glasgow with this recent weather, much to Jimmy Public's amusement. Kept me upright on the pavement when they ended up on their rear :-)

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