5 walking tips for slippery streets

If you have ventured out onto a sidewalk or across a parking lot, you know how treacherous it is out there.

• Slippery sidewalks send dozens to Regina emergency wards

Here are some tips, from some professional guides who have led tour groups across glaciers in the Rockies:

• Wear sturdy footwear with good quality cleats or crampons. Slip-ons that fit over your boots can work, but you get what you pay for. "I wouldn't buy the cheapest ones out there," Gord Stermann, from White Mountain Adventure in Banff, told CBC Monday. "I've seen lots of different ones that work once or twice then they fall off or don't fit right." He recommends looking for durable rubber cleats that fit to whatever boot you're wearing.
• "Walk like a penguin," is the advice from Chuck Cantlie of Sun Dog Tours. His tours include the Columbia Ice Field and Maligne Canyon Ice Walk. He says taking small steps will keep your weight over your feet and help keep you stable.
• Take your hands out of your pockets, Cantlie adds. Keeping your hands in your pocket can throw off your balance.
• Find spots with better traction. Stermann adds that even when you're crossing what seems to be sheer ice, look for spots with better traction. "You want to watch for patches of snow as opposed to ice," he said. "Any patch of bare ground opposed to glare ice."
• Falling? Don't reach out. Stermann says extending your arms is a sure way to break an arm or a wrist. When he falls, he keeps his hands down and tucks in his shoulders in an attempt to roll on his side.