Slippery streets have tormented the residents of the capital region throughout the winter. Ilkka Korpelainen from Helsinki came up with a perfect solution to the problem.
Twelve screws to the bottoms of studded shoes. It was from a person living in Oulunkylä, Helsinki Ilkka Korpelainen solution for slipping on the streets.
“For some reason it occurred to me that I should try it. After all, even screws are thorns,” says Korpelainen.
Korpelaiin, who is retired, has a habit of going for a fitness walk every day. This winter, however, he hasn't dared to go out every day. The streets of Helsinki have been busy from time to time dangerously slippery.
“The streets and footpaths in the nearby forests have been in poor condition for walking, and I missed my daily walk on many days because of the slipperiness.”
Even studded shoes have not been enough help. According to him, at first the shoes fit well, but the studs seem to get boring quickly.
“The ground has frozen, melted and frozen, and then more snow has come on top. It seems that the short spikes of the studded shoes don't go through the snow and you catch the ice.”
Of use Korpelainen selected wood screws from the tool box and screwed them into the soles of his old studded shoes.
Neighbors were also able to participate in the project. First, Korpelainen borrowed a hacksaw from another neighbor, with which the ends of the screws could be cut off after screwing.
“I found that the hacksaw wasn't even capable of those screws.”
Fortunately, Korpelainen knew that another neighbor had bolt scissors, which he used to cut off the ends of the screws.
“Then I went for a test walk and realized that this is wonderful, not slippery at all.”
In the project special attention should also be paid to safety, so that the screws do not come through the bottom and stick into the leg.
The screws, about four centimeters long, were the right size for Korpelainen's shoes.
“The screws sunk into the thick-soled shoes, probably a centimeter—a couple of centimeters—a centimeter and a half remained visible. Based on the experiment, it has been a long enough spike.”
In addition to homemade studded shoes, Korpelainen also has walking sticks with him on his runs. He is overall satisfied with his experiment.
“Everywhere the grip has been very good.”
You cannot go inside with screw shoes. However, Korpelainen has other shoes for that.
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