On the SMB ballot for 2013, "Winter trail maintenance" was highly ranked. We had lots of ideas but none of them really sounded like they would be all that effective when we thought about all the slips, falls, and injuries that happened last year. It took us a while, but we did eventually realize that being safe starts with hiking gear and knowing how to use it. Lots of people use YakTrax for winter traction. They work well in most circumstances but they have at least one major drawback--they break easily, especially when there are sharp rocks around. So we started looking for a better alternative and we eventually found the Diamond Grips by IceTrekkers. They seemed to be everything that people need while hiking the Butte when there is snow and ice. You can see it in the customer ratings. Diamond Grips get close to 5 stars while YakTrax are closer to three stars.
The problem was that Diamond Grips are somewhat expensive. We needed a way to bring down the price and Cascadia Vehicle Tents (CVT) saved the day. Everyone will be able to buy them at a price comparable to entry level YakTrax. Another key difference between the two is the warranty. YakTrax are warranted for just 90 days while Diamond Grips are warranted for a full year. Hopefully yours don't break but, if they do, the company stands behind them. I talked with a woman the other day who has been using hers for over three years and they still look like they have a lot of life in them. I guess we'll find out just how durable they are as many people who use the trails on Pilot Butte start using them.
No comments:
Post a Comment