snow preparation

jeltz

Odelay wrote: »

Don't agree, no need for them and they do cause damage to the road surface. you might no care about damaging the road surface but I do, I have to drive on it. If you're driving with them on bare tarmac then you should not be using them. Snow socks on snow or winter tires. Best advice take it easy, avoid travelling and plan to stop at junctions before you arrive there. Easier said than done but can be done.

Actually snow chains don't damage the road. You can't drive fast in them on bare road, there are warnings on the instructions that come with them. That video is only showing the impressive amount of traction you get. If you let them drive up and down for a while then inspected the road you would see no mark. And you wouldn't see a mark with the latest type of studded winter tyres.

If you need chains, you need them. Snow socks are too limited. Better than nothing but really to limited. Often there are gaps in snow coverage on roads. With chains you can drive slowly to the next snow covered bit, if you did that with socks they will rip, in a rural area you could be pucked, a dangerous situation in winter.

This video is the relevant one, you can see why they are needed as the Fiat 500 on normal tyres gets stuck then drives around easily with chains on, and see how easy self tensioning ones are to fit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeezmxfrfTY

I don't need to use chains I have all season tyres on all year round.

HemlockOption

wexie wrote: »

Depends on what kind of dog it is, don't forget some dogs would find freezing cold a lot more comfortable than a balmy 15 degrees.

My dog (Newfoundland) used to refuse to come inside with any kind of snow on the ground and we'd have to drag her indoors nearly when we wanted to go to bed. Give a nice sunny day and 20 degrees though she'd be miserable outside and would find the coldest tiles in the house to lie down on.

Maybe he has a Malamute or a Husky (or St. Bernard, Bernese Mountain dog, Pyrenean mountain dog etc.etc.) , they'd probably much prefer to be out in the cold then in front of what we think is a nice cosy fire.

The poster wrote that s/he 'shuddered' to think that the dog might be snowed in while outside. This suggests that s/he believes that the dog might not like that situation.

My guess is that if any dog was invited into the house on a cold snowy night - they would prefer it to being outside - even if it's one of the breeds that you refer to. They don't have to be put beside the fire! just brought in out of the cold and into the company of the people who care for them.

Lucreto

Talking about pets reminds me of this picture.

http://i.imgur.com/1zx4c.jpg

Anyway, which do you think is better for snow and ice. A good pair of hiker boots or snow boots. I seen a reasonable pair of snow boots in Heatons but I have hiker boots already. I am not sure what to do.

Tactical

Depends...

Are you planning to do serious walking in the snow boots or are they just to wear while cold and chilly outside?

If serious walking, then a pair of decent boots are required as you'be probably already figured out.

Lucreto

Tactical wrote: »

Depends...

Are you planning to do serious walking in the snow boots or are they just to wear while cold and chilly outside?

If serious walking, then a pair of decent boots are required as you'be probably already figured out.

It is more for walking to work which is about 10 minutes from me and walking to the shops if we get something like 2010 again. My runners kept slipping on the ice back then and got soaked as well.

Tactical

A pair of snow grips or the type of "crampons" sold by a lot of retailers may be a better option then. Down to personal preference really.

Do the boots in Heatons have studs or anything resembling spikes? If not the chances are that they won't provide any better traction than your hiking boots on their own.

Having that said, I have a really cheap pair of foil lined boots that are toasty. Fine in the snow when fresh and not compacted. Useless in the ice or compacted snow.

If your hiking boots are waterproof or can be treated to make them water resistant, then my vote would be to buy a semi-decent pair of crampons or snow grips ( or what ever retailers are selling them as these days ), something that will grip the ice. Be aware though that on other surfaces they can lethal! E.g. A tiled floor, stone floor etc...

Victor Meldrew

Tactical wrote: »

A pair of snow grips or the type of "crampons" sold by a lot of retailers may be a better option then. Down to personal preference really.

Do the boots in Heatons have studs or anything resembling spikes? If not the chances are that they won't provide any better traction than your hiking boots on their own.

Having that said, I have a really cheap pair of foil lined boots that are toasty. Fine in the snow when fresh and not compacted. Useless in the ice or compacted snow.

If your hiking boots are waterproof or can be treated to make them water resistant, then my vote would be to buy a semi-decent pair of crampons or snow grips ( or what ever retailers are selling them as these days ), something that will grip the ice. Be aware though that on other surfaces they can lethal! E.g. A tiled floor, stone floor etc...

And people, clear the path outside your house of ice , or snow if you are lucky. Throw down some salt if you can too.

Makes a big difference. My walk from the luas to home was very hairy in snow.

Remember a big snow shovel is not necessary and your back may not be able to shovel that much. Work slowly and don't get out of breath..

Lucreto

Victor Meldrew wrote: »

And people, clear the path outside your house of ice , or snow if you are lucky. Throw down some salt if you can too.

Makes a big difference. My walk from the luas to home was very hairy in snow.

Remember a big snow shovel is not necessary and your back may not be able to shovel that much. Work slowly and don't get out of breath..

I do that. I didn't have a snow shovel back in 2010. I clear my drive way down to the road and the footpath outside the house all the way to the dividing wall next door.

Victor Meldrew

Lucreto wrote: »

I do that. I didn't have a snow shovel back in 2010. I clear my drive way down to the road and the footpath outside the house all the way to the dividing wall next door.

I had to clear mine 3 times in 2010. the humor went off pretty quick...

Thing is, if you are unfit/elderly and not used to shoveling, it can put a strain on the heart or back, literally not worth killing yourself over.

with respect to cold snaps generally, a full larder and fridge and more than one way of heating the house are key. And something to amuse yourself to ward off cabin fever..

Nabber

Wrap up in your house is something a lot of people overlook. They wanna walk around the house in T-Shirts when it's -5 outside.

There are some simple rules to keeping your house warm, closing doors, wearing extra layers, keep your the tea cosy on your head. It will save you in the long run

The most important thing to do is to check on elderly neighbours, I take my 4 year old with me, he loves going for a walk. Everyone ends up a winner, the have a nice cup of tea or soup, my neighbour across the road tries to save on her heating bill, when money isn't an issue for her. It's the mind set of some people/generations!

snowstreams

Odelay wrote: »

... If you're driving with them on bare tarmac then you should not be using them. ...

I have to agree, be careful using them on tarmac or on steep hills too. I had a pair of chains on my car two years ago while driving on a steep hill. The chains ended up digging into the snow and exposed the tarmac, and then the chains snapped. The car went sliding back down the hill!
Thankfully the car didnt crash, I then used a pair of spare snowsocks that I had in the car to get away up the hill. They gripped the snow perfectly and didnt tear.
They did tear eventually after the snow melted in a few weeks but they worked perfectly until then.
And even if they do tear they wont damage your paint work on your car. When the chains snapped they gave my car a good few scrapes.
Anyway I bought more snowsocks last year instead of chains and I'll be using them again this year.

wexie

Nabber wrote: »

Wrap up in your house is something a lot of people overlook. They wanna walk around the house in T-Shirts when it's -5 outside.

That seriously annoys me!!! My mother does that when she's over :'I'm cold, can you put on the heating?'

NO PUT ON A BLEEDIN' JUMPER!!!!

wexie

Tactical wrote: »

Its always nice to help people out.

I generally find people to be really friendly and much more approachable during severe weather.

Very true, it does seem to create some kind of 'we're all in this together atmosphere'

ednwireland

Nabber wrote: »

Wrap up in your house is something a lot of people overlook. They wanna walk around the house in T-Shirts when it's -5 outside.

fire up the stove (my front room is 25C 5 bits of tree and a similar amount of turf )

Conmaicne Mara

Jez I remember when we got the first decent fall of snow. Talk about chicken little syndrome. Most people panicked and didn't dare venture out on the roads. First thing I did was grab my camera and jump into the car, brought my friend 14 miles to a shop to do his groceries and on the way back we rescued a damsel in distress (automatic BMW spun out near the top of a hill).

Twas great craic but it wore off fairly fast.

The only thing I'd like from this thread are the snow chains, but they're a bit on the pricey side.

gbee

[QUOTE=Conmaicne Mara;

The only thing I'd like from this thread are the snow chains, but they're a bit on the pricey side.[/QUOTE]

I see self adjusting for 4x4 at !£100 plus shiping

gurramok

Snow is not far away, 3 inches fell in South-west England today!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20197064

Conmaicne Mara

gbee wrote: »

I see self adjusting for 4x4 at !£100 plus shiping

Thanks, I'll have to revisit Specsavers :cool: I saw some type for £259 I think. I'll look again.

snowstreams

gurramok wrote: »

Snow is not far away, 3 inches fell in South-west England today!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20197064

How did that happen? That very same airmass passed over ireland and only dropped a few cm in parts of limerick and cork.
Has anyone any ideas?

babybrian

The only way to get around when all other vehicles are spinning on compact snow is a tractor, put on the bucket in the front loader and fertilizer spreader on the back and u have one hell of a snow plough! Then everyone loves the farmers

jeltz

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Thanks, I'll have to revisit Specsavers I saw some type for £259 I think. I'll look again.

You could probably get cheap M+S or all season tyres from eiretyres or oponeo for £259!

Conmaicne Mara

jeltz wrote: »

You could probably get cheap M+S or all season tyres from eiretyres or oponeo for £259!

I didn't want to spend the £259 in the first place