View Full Version : Slab walkin'
When recently NOBO on the AT 3+ miles south of the Vista Village blue blaze trail to Greenwood Lake NY I slipped on one of the NY rock slabs, spraining an ankle. Very slowly hobbled to and down the blue blaze and had to cut short a 2-week section hike after only 6 days. I was wearing Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX boots because my Altra Olympus trail runners did not give me adequate **ankle support** on a Harpers Ferry ==> Waynesboro section hike last October. Salomons are apparently the OPPOSITE of grippy, despite what the manufacturer claims. I was hiking with my brother, who was also in the same boots, and who also slipped a number of times.
The lesson I learned was to pay careful attention to *every* foot placement on that type of surface, take small steps, and try to keep at least 3-point contact with my 2 feet and 2 trekking poles.
My question: What footwear have you successfully used on the slippery surfaces of the AT?
Tuxhiker
06-10-2021, 14:40
If you like the grip of Altras, they make a Lone Peak that is higher with more ankle support. I have the women's version, but haven't been on slippery slabs yet. Works well on algae covered wet bridges.
I also have the women's Altra Lone Peak 5 and just hiked through some fairly rocky areas with a lot of creek crossings in the pouring rain, and they did great. I got them for trail running, and I will say that the first few times I wore them I did slip some (mainly on the tile in my kitchen). I don't know what that was all about..I guess they were still squeaky clean.
My husband likes his Salomon Speedcross 5 shoes, and he also had no problems with slipping.
Starchild
06-11-2021, 07:53
Occasionally I get a get a pair of 'slippers' (my term for them) instead of hiking shoes. I need to relegate them to around town service, not worth the risk out there. It's a unfortunate part of hiking.
Jonnycat
06-11-2021, 08:04
not oboz
I'm learning that now with a pair of the Obox Sawtooth II shoes I bought at REI. I was initially very happy with them until I went for a walk on a wet sidewalk and darned near fell like a sack of potatoes; even my Asics running shoes have more traction than these.
I reached out to the company with the issue, but after over two weeks they have yet to respond beyond the automated "ticket received" message.
I came across a few postings online of people with slippery issues with Oboz shoes; I'm guessing they have chosen sole longevity over wet traction which is just silly in a hiking shoe.
Seatbelt
06-11-2021, 08:16
I'm learning that now with a pair of the Obox Sawtooth II shoes I bought at REI. I was initially very happy with them until I went for a walk on a wet sidewalk and darned near fell like a sack of potatoes; even my Asics running shoes have more traction than these.
I reached out to the company with the issue, but after over two weeks they have yet to respond beyond the automated "ticket received" message.
I came across a few postings online of people with slippery issues with Oboz shoes; I'm guessing they have chosen sole longevity over wet traction which is just silly in a hiking shoe.
My experience with the Oboz Sawtooth shoes is the same. Rugged and durable in the rocks until they get wet, then they are quite slippery.
They fit well and felt fine. I’d be afraid of slipping on wet sloping rock slabs, I’m thinking north out of the Mohican Outdoor Center in NJ.
They maybe fine in the desert. Indiana Jones would be afraid of some of them.
hikermiker
06-12-2021, 07:48
I used Brooks Cascadias on that section. I slipped several times and finally fell and cracked a rib. I now use La Sportiva Ultraraptors.
Traction metrics are not all the same for different conditions. Your boot traction excels on dirt, mixed slop, and in snow with the deep lugs. They were not designed for slabs specifically although like you have learned to recognize and remind yourself "pay careful attention to *every* foot placement on that type of surface, take small steps, and try to keep at least 3-point contact with my 2 feet and 2 trekking poles." As a rare trekking pole user I do better on slabs being more mindful of foot placement and anticipating shifts, by not using trekking poles on sloped slabs.
Like I wrote to my engineer friends at the time “what are the coefficients of static and dynamic friction for wet and dry vibram and rock?”
Slo-go'en
06-12-2021, 12:23
It's getting darn near impossible to find a shoe which with stick to wet ledge, which is a serious problem hiking in the Whites, as we have a lot of wet ledge, and it's often steep.
Jonnycat
06-12-2021, 14:25
When I used to hike in boots they were Vasque Summit boots. Heavy boots but they would stick like velcro to steep, wet rocks, which was my reason for purchasing them. I wonder if any of the Vasque hiking shoes have a similar kind of grip.
Traveler
06-13-2021, 10:07
FWIW - I purchased a pair of Oboz Sawtooth trail shoes not long ago and have not noticed anymore or less traction than other boots and shoes I have used (outside of perhaps Merrills). I did notice on urban sidewalks, especially near eateries, they are a bit slick, but so have other shoes. Likely due to the rain or dew coating the grease that walks out of these places that is rarely cleaned off sidewalks.
There will always be areas I look at twice as I move through them, moss/lichen coated smooth rock for example, wet roots (especially those tracking down slope), and wet leaves covering pitched slab rock. Typically when I have a traction failure twice with the same shoe or boot it's because they are worn out and time for replacing.
cmoulder
06-13-2021, 11:05
There are many places where ANY kind of shoe/boot is going to slip.
It ain't the rubber... it's the junk — mud, water, moss, algae, lichen — between the sole and the rock, and the angle from which force is being applied, that determine whether or not you're going to bust your ass.
Roots - snake root, slider, tripper, hooker aka snake head
4eyedbuzzard
06-13-2021, 12:15
Traction vs durability. Choose either one. All soles have reduced traction on wet rocks, but some much more so than others. I too have had a bad experience with Oboz about 10 years ago. They quickly became weed whacking shoes. I've had better luck with Salomon Ultra 3. Some say they are very slippery on wet rock, but I'd rate them as moderate/average. Some of the stickiest trail shoes I've had were some LL Bean low hikers many years ago. I don't know if they've changed the sole compound though. I remember years ago having boots that stuck to wet rocks really well. There seems to have been a change for the worse regarding wet traction starting about when trail erosion due to lug soles became a talked about issue, and manufacturers started changing lug patterns and such. This coincides with hiking wear/gear starting to become fashionable around town in many circles. I don't know if there is a relationship between the two. Five.Ten and Hanwag seem to get good reviews lately regarding wet rock. Maybe my next pair . . .
Slo-go'en
06-13-2021, 14:08
My Limmers with the classic Vibram lug soles stuck to everything. Could walk straight up wet ledge. Sadly, my knees can't handle 5 pounds of boots on my feet anymore.
A few years back I tried a couple of different Adidas Terrex shoes. They had outsole made with Continental rubber (the tire company) and Traxion?? rubber. The lugs were aggressive and rubber was really grippy. Unfortunately, I had to move on from them because the shoe caused me horrible blisters. You might try those, they're affordable. YMMV
I loved the soles but couldn't tolerate the shoe, moved on to Altra...LP, Timp, Olympus.
I had a pair of Limmers as well. For traction, nothing since has come close. And for weight, nothing since has come close, lol.
Rock Lite Inov8 shoes. The sole is the best.
fastfoxengineering
06-13-2021, 20:08
I spend a lot of time here in the whites on steep, slippery, slabs. La Sportiva Bushido's have been good. I do better on slabs or any technical terrain for that matter without trekking poles. Bend the knees, walk straight down it, upright without poles, be cognizant of the amount of foot contact you have with the rock.
As much as I like altra or topo for comfort, and I hiked the AT in Lone Peaks, as well as, many trails around the Whites and Maine high peaks in Lone Peaks, switching to a more technical shoe has been a game changer.
Personally, I think Altra's get way too much credit for being a good Appalachian Trail shoe. They're not bad by any means. But there's definitely a bunch of sections on the AT a more precise shoe will shine. If you're a thru hiker wearing lone peaks since GA, you are super confident in them and the scrambly parts of the AT isn't much of a concern.
I've been doing much more technical stuff since the AT, and a more precise shoe has been not only essential, but made sketchy stuff when wearing Altra's a breeze.
I've hiked slick slabs in worn out and smooth bottom lone peaks, this taught me to prioritize foot placement, balance, and mindfullness.
I agree that Altra is bit over hyped. I will always use them for the giant toe box and zero drop. During my NOBO I cycled through several models...LP for the 1st half, then king MTs for rocks in PA. Kings were advertised as strong rock plate in the sole. They were HORRIBLE, like having 2x4 planks strapped to my feet. Too rigid and no feel for terrain underfoot.
In New York I went to Olympus and fell in love. Pillow cushion and good grip. Brought in a new pair in Monson, finished with them and wore day to day for a year after my hike. Used 7 pairs of Altra, some good some bad. I'm a believer but they sure are getting $$$$$$!
**I don't require ankle support.
fastfoxengineering
06-14-2021, 12:22
I will always use them for the giant toe box and zero drop.
I've burned through about 20 pairs of Altra shoes on and off trail. For backpacking well established trails, they do well. But keep an open mind, the giant toe box is great for backpacking comfort on non technical trails but the shoes lack precision and durability needed for climbing stuff. If you decide to hike off trail routes, tackle technical scrambling, traverse over loose scree, talus fields, you might start to experience the negatives of Altra footwear on particular terrain.
With that said, I'd probably grab 5-6 pairs of Altra Olympus if I were to hike the AT again.
LittleRock
06-14-2021, 13:24
Yeah, those slabs in southern NY really sucked. I distinctly remember it took me 4 hours to get from the NJ/NY state line to NY 17A. A light rain was just enough to keep the smooth rocks wet the whole time and they were very slick. My Merrills with Vibram soles did fine on dry rocks but they slipped on the wet slabs. I spent a lot of time going very slowly, a few times I had to take my pack off and slide down on my butt.