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How to maintain a GRIP on ice safely- YakTrax

How to maintain a GRIP on ice safely- YakTrax

Get a Grip – YakTrax

I love technology, and I love that there are so many wonderful advancements in mobility technology.   Well I “stumbled” on a new technology that I had to share with my blogging public.

Earlier this winter, I was on a mission to buy a snow sled for my kids on an awful/perfect winter day.   A reasonably warm Saturday morning, with Seven inches of snow, and a layer of ice under the snow! My kids wanted to go sledding, and I was trying to be SuperDad.   The perfect winter day requires the perfect new sled! Of course shopping for a sled on the “perfect winter day” is like shopping for water and plywood before a hurricane.   When you need it, it vanishes. We hit five stores all in search for a sled that could be ridden down the hill at warp speed. No Luck. I am exhausted, tired, and frustrated at this point, and I am carefully shuffling back to my truck to go to the LAST STORE no matter what!  All of a sudden I was sitting in slush looking up at my kids and truck. Uh oh! Yep, I fell really hard. But unlike my normal falls I actually was trying to be careful and WAS using my cane. (Other than a bruised ego, no damage was done to me!)

I have done some reflecting after this event.   Most people would reflect and say…I should not have been out that day.  (Frankly I should have those feelings too!) The problem is for me…I get frustrated.   I don’t want my life to be reclusive. I want to be SuperDad.

I began analyzing why I fell.   My conclusion was I didn’t have traction sufficient for the circumstances.   I blamed my highly worn shoes. I need new Shoes! (A project for a different day.)   But wait, my Problem with blaming the shoes are that I have issues of weakness, and heavy shoes can be a walking hazard too!  Shoes with good traction are usually heavy. All week I was thinking this through in my head. Then I remembered a product my Mother in Law told me about over a year earlier.   Why didn’t I think of it sooner? YakTrax! Yaktrax were originally developed for hikers and industrial workers that need extreme levels of traction in severe conditions. They have later developed a walking model and they are perfect for people with mobility issues in the snow and ice.   Yaktrax are a LIGHTWEIGHT rubber and metal contraption that fits over your shoe’s sole. They act much like chains for your shoes. I have tried them in many different conditions, and I have been extremely excited about the results. While no product is perfect, this device immediately gave me more confidence, security, and freedom even in awful winter conditions.    As many of you know, when I find an amazing product I not only want to tell you about it, but I also want AutoFarm Mobility to start to carry it in our showrooms and online. As of today, we are YakTrax’s newest dealer! Come check them out at the AutoFarm near you!

Jim Kissling, the author of this blog post, is the President of AutoFarm Mobility and a person living with Kennedy’s Disease (a rare neuromuscular disease).   Jim is a 40 something husband, father, son, business person, car lover, and he loves to talk about his struggles and achievements in life…. living with challenges and overcoming them!  

 

 

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