Even in the best winter boots money can buy, it’s only a matter of time before you hit a slick patch of ice and fall. Because unless you’re hiking in crampons, you’re relying on plain old ...

Bachmann invented KickSpikes, a boot designed to walk on ice. Kick a button on the heel and 7mm steel cleats pop out.

The better the boots do on this test, the grippier they are, even on flat ground. But of the boots they have tested, 90 percent couldn’t make it up a seven-degree wheelchair ramp.

Larry's Boot Fitting 2709 Spruce St. Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 402-6733 larrybootfitting.com Larry Houchon started fitting ski boots in 1980, and he's never stopped. Working from a small ...