How do you walk on ice?

See winter barefoot shoes.

When the pavement glistens

The morning is still dark. You step out of the front door, and the pavement is glistening. On the very first step your heel slips, and your heart jumps into your throat. Your arms flail in the air, and your feet dance steps you never knew you could.

It has happened to me too, and probably to anyone who walks outside in early or late winter. Rain and frost take turns, and overnight the streets freeze into mirrors.

Many people think staying on your feet on ice depends on the sole of your shoe alone. But grip is also affected by how you step.

Why do people slip on ice?

Often because the step is too long and the heel hits the ground first.

A conventional shoe with a raised heel guides us into a long stride, which exaggerates the heel strike and spreads the weight unevenly. On dry asphalt that works. On ice the heel hits the ground at an angle, and the foot easily slides out in front of you.

Barefoot or in barefoot shoes, the step doesn't reach as far. The foot naturally lands closer to the body, the support phase on one leg is clearer, and from there you push forward.

What is the penguin walk?

The penguin walk is a way of walking on slippery ground: short, slow steps, the whole sole down at once, knees slightly bent and your weight over your front foot.

When I teach walking, this is the very first thing: how do you get on top of your standing foot?

Your weight moves over the foot before the next foot leaves the ground. That is much more than just moving forward. A solid support phase, where the body is on top of gravity, calls for side bends and rotations in the feet, ankles, hips, pelvis and spine.

In conventional shoes these movements get smaller, because a supportive, stiff shoe does part of the foot's work. When movement isn't used, joint mobility and the springiness of the tissues decline.

Slippery weather simply reveals whether your step has this skill.

What do your toes do on ice?

They grip the ground, if they have room.

In one study, people walked in thin-soled cloth shoes on dry and slippery floors while researchers measured how pressure spread under the sole. On the slippery floor, pressure under the big toe rose by about 30 percent, and the heel strike became about a fifth lighter (Fong et al. 2008). The toes gripped, and the foot landed more evenly.

So your body knows how to adapt on its own. To grip, though, toes need room. In the narrow toe box of a conventional shoe they're squeezed together, and a thick sole muffles the information from the ground. Then moving is like walking blindfolded.

In a barefoot shoe your toes can spread and grip, and the thin sole tells you what kind of surface you're standing on.

Do barefoot shoes grip on ice?

Grip pads make moving more secure, but they don't work the same way as studs.

Vaistoa's adult winter boots have the Vaistoa Pitoa™ winter sole, with grip pads under the ball of the foot and the heel. Staying on your feet on ice actually starts with anticipation. The rule is the same as driving on slippery roads: with studless winter tyres you drive differently than with studded ones. The same applies when you walk in shoes with grip pads.

Keep your eyes alert, read the ground and where you're stepping, and adjust your pace to the situation. No shoe can fully protect you from slipping.

You can read more about winter boots, warmth and socks in the article Can you wear barefoot shoes in winter?

Can you practise falling?

Yes. And the people who should practise it most are those who fear it most.

In Finland, municipal sports services run strength and balance groups, and the national Strength in Old Age programme brings them to older people living at home.

Around the world there are also courses where you practise falling itself. In Sweden and the UK, for example, judo federations and clubs run falling courses where people learn balance, how to fall safely and how to get back up from the ground.

The simplest thing you can start right away is to spend more time on the floor.

Sit there for a while every day and get back up. When being on the ground feels familiar, it doesn't feel as foreign even when you end up there by accident.

Finally

Walking on ice is a skill you can practise. Next time the pavement glistens, try this: shorten your step, bring your weight over your foot, let your toes feel the ground and only then push off.

Grip starts with your step. Vaistoa's adult winter boots have the Vaistoa Pitoa™ winter sole and room for your toes.

See winter barefoot shoes

Let's keep moving!

Frequently asked questions

How should you walk on ice?
With short, slow steps, the whole sole down at once and your weight over your standing foot before the next step.

What is the penguin walk?
Short steps, knees slightly bent and your weight over your front foot.

Do barefoot shoes grip on ice?
The grip pads on Vaistoa's adult winter models make moving more secure, but they aren't studs. That's why your step and anticipation matter.

Why do your toes need room?
On slippery ground your toes grip the surface. In a narrow toe box they can't do that.

How can you practise falling?
Most simply by spending time on the floor and getting back up every day.

Sources

• Fong DT, Mao DW, Li JX, Hong Y (2008). Greater toe grip and gentler heel strike are the strategies to adapt to slippery surface. Journal of Biomechanics 41(4):838–844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2007.11.001