Gear

Aye, my mate's got a pair of these. Interesting.
I've tried them but not in anger, the fit is long and narrow, a bit like Inov8s or Montrail Highlanders. They have soft toeboxes, and they are either the cleverest thing ever or the worst thing ever.

they look a bit like those magic spiker things or the grivel ones that you can attach to your shoes with out the benefit of being able to remove them.

suppose its a good idea if you do a lot of running in muddy or icy conditions.

I think the window of ideal conditions for use is a small one, but I'd like to be proved wrong like I was with Kahtoola crampons.
Mountain Spirit in Aviemore has them in stock btw.

I got my first pair of these four maybe five years ago in Up & Running in Long Eaton so I don't know why anyone would say they've 'Reached the UK' unless it is some form of re-launching.

The window of opportunity is as wide as you want as you don't only have to use them in the snow/ice but I'm not sure I've noticed any improvement over walshes in wet conditions (in terms of grip).

Metal on rock feels a bit in secure to me though.

By far the worst feature is tarmac though. I was walking to the start of an event in Shap, that was a few hundred yards along the road and the noise was unbearable. Cue lots of ribbing about hobnail boots, ripping yarns and nazi stormtroopers.

Mountain Spirit in Aviemore have been selling them for ages - saw them in their (excellent) shop last summer.

Inov-8 have the similar Mudclaw O-340.

I stand corrected, winhill and ALoveSupreme. I spoke to a representative of Icebugs last night who said they'd just made an agreement with an agency to represent them in the UK for the first time and that they were seeking regular stockists. It sounded like their first deliberate drive to expand into the UK market and organise distribution over here, but from what you say, it's clearly already possible to buy Icebug products in some places. I haven't come across them before myself but I mustn't have been looking hard enough. Glad someone knows where to find them, anyway.

Given that Mountain Spirit is one of a handful (4?) of shops in the UK trading in nordic/telemark skiing equipment it may well be that they had a direct link to some Scandinavian distributor already...?

http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/Cat/131688?referrer=HSNE01

Just saw these as a possibly cheaper and more versatile option.

I agree with Winhill, I saw these at least four years ago in specialist shop Northern Runner in Newcastle (northernrunner.com). Although looking at their website they seem to have stopped selling them and have gone completely over to Inov8.
Northern Runner is owned by Charlie Stead, who is also one of the North East's top fell runners, so I'm sure he'd give you very useful and qualified feedback on the Icebugs.

The new versions for this Autumn are a much improved beast - better fit, studs retract more effectively and lighter/less water absorbing uppers. The aim is to push the allterrain aspect of the new models - they work anywhere where grip is an issue, not just on snow/ice.

Give me a shout if you have any questions/comments,

Cheers,
Gus

Aye, my mate has spent any recent wet weather trips wearing his Bugrip Extremes, the ones with the gaiter. And much to my annoyance did not slip, trip, bruise a toe or suffer in any way.
So, like the Kahtoolas I was proved wrong in my doubting ways. Great kit.

I use shoes like these to run orienteering. They're great in muddy and especially icy conditions.

In fact, I just checked - Icebugs are marketed as orienteering shoes in Scandinavia (from where they originate).