Vibram Arctic Grip at a glance
- Made by
- Vibram
- Best on
- Wet ice and freeze thaw surfaces
- Limit
- Not a replacement for microspikes
- Trade
- Costs more than conventional winter rubber
The problem it solves
Ordinary hiking rubber is formulated for the temperatures people mostly hike in, and it stiffens as it gets colder. A hard sole cannot deform into the surface underneath it, so it loses grip on exactly the cold, polished ground you bought the boot for. That is why a deep lugged three season boot can feel treacherous on a frozen trail.
What Arctic Grip does differently
Arctic Grip keeps the contact rubber pliable well below freezing, and pairs it with a surface designed to bite wet ice specifically, which is the most slippery common winter surface and the one ordinary compounds handle worst. The same lug pattern in this rubber grips where a warm weather version of it would not.
It usually appears as a distinct pale section of the outsole rather than across the whole sole, since the material is expensive and is placed where the foot loads hardest.
Where it stops working
It is not a substitute for traction devices. Rubber on hard ice is a losing proposition for every boot ever made, and Arctic Grip's advantage is on wet ice rather than on a frozen waterfall or a polished blue ice trail center. Below roughly minus 7C the wet film that it exploits is largely gone. If you are choosing between a better outsole and a set of microspikes, buy the microspikes.
What this means when you're choosing
- A visibly different pale rubber section under the forefoot and heel, which is where the technology is placed
- Lug depth and spacing as well as compound, since compound does nothing for you in deep snow
- Whether you actually meet wet ice, because on dry cold snow a conventional winter rubber performs nearly as well for less money
Vibram Arctic Grip vs Vibram Megagrip
| Vibram Arctic Grip | Vibram Megagrip | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Wet ice and cold hard surfaces | Wet and dry rock |
| Behavior in cold | Stays pliable below freezing | Stiffens as temperature drops |
| Where it appears | Winter boots, usually as a partial sole section | Hiking boots and trail shoes, usually the whole sole |
| Weakness | Does little for you in deep soft snow | Loses confidence on ice |
Which to pick: Buy Arctic Grip if your winter involves frozen and thawing trails, and Megagrip if your problem is wet rock in the other three seasons.
The common mistake
Treating it as permission to leave the microspikes at home
It is the best rubber available for wet ice and it is still rubber. On the polished center of a popular winter trail nothing short of metal points bites properly, and the boot that grips slightly better is the one that lets you walk further onto ground where a slip has consequences.
Common questions
Is Vibram Arctic Grip worth paying for?
If your winter trails freeze and thaw, yes, because wet ice is where falls happen and it is the surface conventional rubber handles worst. If your winter is dry powder, a normal winter compound with deep lugs does nearly as well.
Can Arctic Grip replace microspikes?
No. It is the best rubber available for ice and it is still rubber. On hard polished ice you need metal points, and the sole should be treated as a margin of safety rather than as a license to leave the spikes behind.