Of the tested boots this year, one women's casual style and three men's casual ones received high scores for traction on ice.
Is it time for winter to come with a warning? Every year, more than 9,000 Canadians are hospitalized after falling on ice, with injuries like sprains, fractures and head trauma. Tens of thousands more fall on ice and are treated in emergency departments without being admitted.
UHN’s KITE Research Institute is working to prevent winter falls through its Rate My Treads program, which provides scientific ratings of boots based on their traction on its icy floor.
To create the rankings, KITE researchers use WinterLab to test boots sent by footwear manufacturers such as Mark’s, Columbia and Kodiak. The lab mimics real-world conditions, with an ice floor that tilts up to 15 degrees. Researchers measure slip resistance by gradually raising the floor and recording the angle at which participants begin to slip on both regular and wet ice.
“Falls can lead to serious injuries, including fractures and traumatic brain injuries, especially in older adults,” says Dr. Sophia Yue Li, a scientist at KITE who specializes in fall prevention and leads the Rate My Treads program. “Wearing the right winter footwear outdoors is an important way people can reduce the risk of slips and falls on ice.”
The full list of rankings for casual, safety, and spiked boots is available on RateMyTreads.com, covering boots from 2025 to 2017.
Here are the top performers for 2025:
- Women’s Casual Boots: Only one style scored “high” for traction—the Peak Canvas ICEFX HD3 Winter Boots from WindRiver, with a Maximum Achievable Angle (MAA) of 11.
- Men’s Casual Boots: Three styles scored 11s: the Backwoods II ICEFX HDP Wide Boots, Golden ICEFX Winter Boots, and Ascender ICEFX HD3 Winter Boots, all from WindRiver.
- Men’s Safety Boots: The Dakota 8527 STSP Leather Winter Boots, Dakota Men’s 8901 Composite Toe Composite Plate Winter Work Boots, and Helly Hansen Workwear Composite Toe Composite Plate Safety Winter Boots each scored 12.
- Women’s Safety Boots: The Dakota Composite Toe Composite Plate ICEFX Felt Pack Winter Boots and the Dakota 8905 Composite Toe Composite Plate ICEFX T-MAX Insulated Waterproof Hyper Dri 3 Winter Safety Boots both scored 11.