[pct-l] NO on Yak Trax in '04

[Steven.Setzer at Colorado.EDU (Steve Setzer)]

Well the jury is in on Yak Trax (at least as far as I'm concerned).  They
work well, meaning they provide decent traction on snow, but they're not
durable.  Mine broke half way through my third use of them.  I took them
back to REI and won't be getting another pair.  Even if they didn't break,
they tended to slide around on the bottom of my boots and get tangled up.
This probably led to their quick demise.  I was using the proper size so I
don't think "user error" was a factor.  I just don't think they were
intended for rugged terrain (I did beat the crap out of them). They'll
work fine if you want to avoid slipping when walking out to start your car
in the morning.

So back to the drawing board.  It would be ridiculous to use crampons on a
snow covered trail - at least the ones around here - because they'd be
poking through to the rock below.  But some traction is needed.  I
think I'll try the screw shoe that was mentioned a while back. I've
actually done this to a pair of my trail runners and it was quick and
easy.  Now I just have to test them out.  I'm not sure how many times the
tread on my trail runners will allow them to be taken in and out so I'm
not sure if it would be appropriate for a through hike.  Probably not
necessary anyway on an average snow year.

Steve