Pimp your boots for winter?! Kold Kutter test

JP100

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Spring is well on its way down here in the south and as we prepare for the spring flush of freezer filler yearlings and blonde bull Tahr, but you guys up north I imagine things are getting a little chilly!!


This winter I did a bit of gear experimentation to try and combat ice and verglass on river rocks etc. This is a wee review on what I learned this winter.
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New and old 'kold kutters'




Crampons are a great tool but on very thin ice on rock they often are not a lot of use and can be just as dangerous as not having them. Also in mixed terrain the chore of taking them on and off can become frustrating.

While looking into hobnail boots I came across the thought of screwing some rubber soled boots to see how that goes(I am by no means the first to think of it).

While looking into this I came across “Kold Kutters”. ‘Kold Kutters’ are an ice screw made purely for rubber applications and used mainly in Ice racing (motor bikes,cars etc). I am sure there’s a few Canadians and Alaskans reading this saying ‘no shit sherlock’ haha but it was news to me that a product like this even existed (not much ice racing in NZ).
I immediately ordered myself a bag of the 3/8ths screws. The Screws themselves are a hex screw type with a tight fine thread with a very sharp-edged head. They do come in various lengths but for obvious reasons I went with the shortest ones I could find.
Fitting is pretty simple, just screw em in and away ya go. Adding glue, I think is a good idea and how many and where you place them is entirely your choice.
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Looks like fun! Ankle twisting knee breaking shite!




In the Field
The first things you will notice with Kold Kutters on your boots is you are a little bit taller, and that these things really grip! I mean they bite into the ground like nothing else. On pavement and the like, they are little funny to walk and not really the best for the nice carpet in your mums living room. But in the hills, they come into their own. My main worry of these was that on dry rock they would be very slick and not grip at all. I was very impressed to find quite the opposite and I found screwed boots to offer far better traction on ALL surfaces I wore them on.


My first ‘test hunt’ for these boots was 10 days of winter Tahr and Chamois hunting based out of a lower altitude camp due to a ‘varied’ weather forecast. This meant we left camp every day within the bush line and made our way through bush then scrub then up into the open tops, often in the dark.This means I got to test them over a wide variety of terrain types and varying conditions, from sunny days to heavy rain and snow. The Kold Kutters very quickly gave me a lot of confidence in all terrain. Those big black slippery logs and tree roots you try to avoid were no issue at all. Frozen creek beds were a breeze and even on solid dry rock I felt like a real Mt Goat, the Screws really bit into the terrain.
One day I took a bit of a fall and quickly found I was losing screws and traction fast! By the end of the hunt the Kold Kutters were all but gone, with only a couple left on each heel.
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All that was left after a few more hunts


This left me a little disappointed. The screws worked amazingly when I had them, but not lasting a week in the hills is not a lot of use. I did add some basic glue to the screws when I fitted them, but I will be trying some 2-pot epoxy or something stronger to see if that helps. I feel this will also depend on the boot you use and type of rubber in the sole. The boots I used have quite soft grippy sole (Vibram® Total Traction) and maybe a harder sole is better?
I think ‘Kold Kutters’(or other similar screws do have a place in the mountains, if you can get them to stay in your boots they can offer real advantages in most conditions. They are relativity cheap (I think) and come in packs starting of 250, so offer easy back up and replacement as they wear out. I think these a worth a look if you find yourself skating around on icy rocks regularly or even if you are a bush hunter and want some better traction on wet and slippery logs (most forestry boots have some form of spikes for good reason).
Please note these ARE NOT a replacement for crampons and not intended as such. Use common sense in the hills and YOU and ONLY YOU are responsible for your safety. If you are going to be in these conditions you should have crampons AND an axe with you always.






Extra Winter boot tips
Keeping your feet warm and dry is essential in the mountains and a lot of use do not have insulated boots (myself included) as we often use our boots all year long and for a variety of tasks. Here’s a few tips I have learnt over the years for slightly increased comfort levels.
Socks are very important and I wear two pairs over winter, I go for as close to 100% wool as I can find and make sure boots are roomy enough for two pairs.
Insoles get talked about a fair bit and I normally run just the standard ones the boots come with, or even none at all. This winter I went with full sheep skin in soles and did notice quite improved warmth.
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bit of old foam pad does wonders for snow build up


Snow build up in the tongue/lace area of the boot can result in heavy, cold and wet feet. A simple piece of foam pad can be cut to fit behind the laces and help prevent this.
Once your boots are wet and cold it can be a real challenge to dry them, rotating socks and then drying socks in your sleeping bag (or a fire if possible) dries them faster than trying to dry the boots themselves. Another trick is using Nalgene water bottles as heaters to dry and warm them from the inside. The CLEAR Nalgene’s will handle boiling water, the coloured ones tend to not handle it so well……
 
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JP100

JP100

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I have just recently re done my boots and fitted a few screws to only the heel and instep section of my boots.
I have only wore these on a couple of weekend hunts so far(Mainly rock) and have not lost a screw yet.
I slightly counter sunk them and use a 2 pot epoxy.
In the future I would probably try a 5/8ths or longer screw to get into the harder foot bed.
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blackdawg

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I wonder if a boot like this would be a good choice?
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JP100

JP100

WKR
Joined
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Messages
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Location
South Island New Zealand
Yea could be worth a look, id say those spikes would be good in the bush but no good on rocks. . I did see meindl a few years ago came pout with a boot with spikes hidden in the sole. It had a wee allen wrench that you could use to wind the spikes out for snow/ice and then wind them back in when not needed. pretty nifty
 
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