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The Vikings also used crampons to avoid slipping on ice

Crampons have been used in Norway for over 1,000 years. Espen Kutschera has tested Viking-era crampons.

"Many of the horse crampons appear to slightly predate the Viking Age, originating from the 700s," says Ragnar Orten Lie, archaeologist in Vestfold County Municipality. 'Steintor struggled to stand as the ice floes were both slippery and slanted, while Frøystein stood firm on shoe crampons and struck hard and often.' A quick search of the databases at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo yields over 150 entries for ice grips from across Eastern Norway, according to archaeology professor Marianne Vedeler.

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