The Gear Junkie reviews Yaktrax Summit traction soles

Traction on ice and snow via add-on products is not new. But this Yaktrax bolsters the category of slip-on spikes with its new Summit model.

Wear them on shoes or boots and you get 12 triangular, carbon-steel spikes sticking from each foot. They cut into ice, letting you run uninhibited on a hockey rink or frozen lake.

But flat ice is not the exclusive venue. The company made the Summits, $90, for their namesake destination – the top of mountain peaks.

Unlike most Yaktrax models, which are designed for winter trails, the Summits can kick steps up steep snow. They have enough traction for glaciers and alpine ridges.

The spikes are 3/8 inch long, and the Summit has non-stick sole plates to shed snow underfoot.

Thin, stainless-steel cable lacing and rubber yokes attaches them to your shoes. A first this year, Yaktrax uses the twist-to-tighten Boa Technology closure to cinch them secure.

Off the foot, they are low-profile and light. They weigh about 10 ounces each and fold up small, fitting easily in a pocket once you hit pavement or trail.

Years ago, I climbed Mount Rainier in a similar pair of spikes. The low-profile, flexible design allowed me to trade bulky boots for a pair of waterproof trail shoes.

I was faster and less fatigued over the two-day climb than my partner, who wore traditional mountaineering crampons on his plastic boots.

A caveat: products like the Yaktrax Summit (and the similar Kahtoola MICROspikes) will not work well on technical climbs. They have no front-facing points, which are needed on steep snow and ice.

They also don’t secure on like mountaineering crampons, which attach with wire bails and buckles.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Summits are overkill for a lot of uses. The spikes are too aggressive for running.

Places with mixed terrain, including rocks or pavement as well as ice, would be bad for the Summits. Look to Yaktrax’s lower-profile models in those situations.

But for peak-bagging, hiking on steep winter trails, or for use on glare ice, the Yaktrax Summits are a solution to staying upright, no matter what’s underfoot.

On the net: gearjunkie.com.