First winter in Boston? Readers share how to walk in snow.
"Just wear boots with good treads and spikes."
Boston seems to be finally recovering from Saturday’s blizzard, with weather forecasts for this week climbing up to the mid-forties before likely transitioning to sleet and snow on Friday.
While winter enthusiasts were spotted skiing, sledding, and tubing in unusual locations, and others putting out their best beach decor as space savers, how did they avoid slipping and sliding all the way to the Boston Common?
Boston.com asked readers to provide tips to those experiencing their first winter snowstorm and to share advice for how to best walk in the snow.
Ahead we share a sampling of readers’ best tips and tricks for enduring a New England winter snowstorm.
‘Go slow and steady.’
In our poll, outside of readers sharing their own “other” advice, the majority of readers voted “slow and steady” as the best way to make it through the snow and ice unscathed. And a smaller group of readers voted “walk like a duck (shorts steps and shuffle)” and “keep your center of gravity” were also important.
“Wear layers. Don’t get wet,” one reader who recommended going slow and steady wrote. “If your feet or mittens are wet, you’ll get cold.”
It’s an important reminder that while running around in the snow can be fun, it’s best not to forget the brave socks that line your boots.
Footwear is everything.
Other readers shared how getting around town in the right gear is what makes the difference.
“Just wear boots with good treads and spikes. That’s the only way to do it…duh!” said Rosa F. from Brookline.
“Heavy snow boots and walk carefully where there is ice,” said Cate S.
One reader suggested ski poles, and another recommended Yak tracks, the removable traction device for boots. Invest in good boots, traction cleats, and a pair skis poles, what could be more fun?
Maybe just avoid it.
“Grab your Dunks coffee the night before, throw it in the fridge, and binge watch TV all day,” said Jullieanne L. of West Roxbury. “Stay off the roads if at all possible, let our amazing public works folks do their jobs. And, don’t forget, you get bonus points for being a good neighbor.”
When the options are walking in the cold slush versus avoiding it altogether, one reader suggested a minimal commitment, “Do it [walk] from your front door to an Uber/Lyft vehicle!”
Some Boston transplants and local alike might appreciate Eldon L.’s advice. The former Brighton resident wrote, “Move South, the deep South.”
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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