Back in December we got some wet sloppy snow which mostly got walked on before people got around to trying to shovel. As a result, there was lots of icy, treacherous, packed snow on sidewalks. Now, I'm not a little old lady (yet) but I don't want to fall on ice on my way to the bus stop, either--especially not while carrying my laptop back and forth to work! These things, which fit over shoes or boots, really work well! I can walk almost normally over packed snow, as long as the surface has a bit of texture--and the added confidence has been great! (Smooth ice is still pretty challenging...)