 Running Times Magazine
"This is what snowshoes wanted to be when they grew up," he says.
December 2006 - Wild Things: Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem
Until now there have been only two solutions to running on the snow: snowshoes or crampons. Kahtoola, which has made lightweight "running crampons" since 2001, has added a third option that combines the two existing ones, demonstrating a flare of ingenuity; a warm and dry one at that.
The Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem starts with a high-traction, crampon-infused overboot which encapsulates your running shoe in a 6mm waterproof neoprene boot, reinforced with Hypalon, long used in the snowshoe and rafting industries for its strength and durability. The FLIGHTboot weights approximately 20 ounces per pair, uses a ratcheting buckle and zipper to secure your foot, boasts forefoot, midfoot and heel steel traction cleats, and comes in seven sizes to fit anyone from a women's 5 to a men's 14.
If the snow is too deep for just the FLIGHTboot, Kahtoola makes it easy to add floatation with two different sized FLIGHTdecks, the Gemini and the Gypsy. These Hypalon and plastic decks feature traction cleats and adjustable heel blocks, and are simple both to click into, and, as you make it to firmer snow, to remove with a ripcord. Without the need for bindings, they weigh in at 43 ounces for the Gemini and 40 ounces for the Gypsy.
The FLIGHTsystem was created with the help of Bill "Snowshoe Willie" Perkins of Leadville, CO, a pioneer in the snowshoe industry. "This is what snowshoes wanted to be when they grew up," he says.
—Adam W. Chase
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