by gwen florio     
photos by linda thompson and michael gallacher

You’ve seen these deranged people.

When you’re inching along on the ice, bracing yourself against nearby buildings or vehicles, they cruise past, surefooted in sneakers on the same frozen surface that you know for a fact will land you in traction.

Or maybe you’re driving, fishtailing through an intersection, when somebody zips effortlessly through. On a bicycle.

It seems impossible. At the very least, unfair.

And yet, despite our climate’s official designation on the Missoula County website as a downside – “several months of frigid temperatures or icy roads” – a fair number of runners and cyclists here continue their summery-seeming pasttimes year-round.

You can, too, thanks to some of those folks, who shared tips for surviving winter with both bones and dignity intact.

“It’s really not as difficult as you would imagine,” said John Wood, co-owner of Open Road Bicycles on South Orange Street. “I often feel like I have better traction when I’m on my bike than when I’m on my feet.”

That’s because he switches to studded tires when the snow falls.

“I went to them eight years ago. Without them, I’d go down two to three times a winter,” Wood said.

With them, he said, his tires grab the surface just fine. His feet are another matter. He’ll be coasting along on his bike, approaching a stop sign. “I’ll put a foot down and almost fall.”

So, how do the runners do it?

Again, studs – this time, for shoes.

“Gripwise, you can get some little microspikes for underneath your feet,” said Tyson Warner, a sales associate at Runner’s Edge on North Higgins Avenue. “They’re pretty similar to YakTrax, but less noticeable with smaller spikes.”

Like YakTrax, the spiked grippers fasten to shoes with rubber fittings.

“You can run in them, stay on your feet. When you’re in a good amount of snow, you really don’t notice them at all,” Warner said.

Ken Barnedt is the Missoulian’s graphics editor. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .