Are you looking for more grip on your winter runs on snow and ice? Well, we’ve logged lots of winter miles in challenging conditions over many years to come up with the following guide to the best traction devices for winter running. Final evaluations were made in the copious snow of Silverton, Colorado and the freeze-thaw cycles of Colorado’s Front Range.
What are traction devices? They’re a removable item that goes over your running shoes to provide additional traction during winter running whether you’re running on snow or running on ice. The active portion of traction devices are a set of metal teeth, spikes, tips, or, in one case, coiled wire. Any of a number of materials connect those bits to a harness, usually at least partially made of an elastomer, that wraps the toe, heel, and, to some extent, the sides of your running shoe to keep the business end in place. Whether you call such devices traction devices, ice cleats, running grips, or crampons, this guide should he