Awkward Surfaces

[Lvemadomina]

So this topic idea was sparked because today I was in Atlantic City and on the boardwalk I saw a woman overtaking my walking pace in a very beautiful pair of red peep toe platform pumps that I wish I could say in detail what kind they were; and I noticed that she was able to walk really well despite the heel bending a bit in between the crevices of each board. She also seemed like a fashionista that tackles heels all the time. It raised my curiousity and I'm wondering what the most challenging surface is that you've ever walked on in heels. I've never done stilettos outdoors but it is something that I would tend to fear. Like cobblestones, boardwalks, metal umm girder? (is that right?) Or any others. And...also if there's any tips to walking on a crazy surface please share them here.

[Heel-Lover]

Hi. Once you've done enough time in stilettos you don't worry about surfaces too much, you find that you scan your path ahead and determine if its ok for your footwear type well before you get there. You don't look directly down unless you're on stairs or have just literally stumbled on something. In the case of boardwalks with gaps between the boards she would have decided that the surface was ok so she was just cruising along as though it was a solid floor. If a heel did slip into a crack (enough to get stuck) then she would stumble a little, but with experience its usually just a little thing, not a noticeable half-fall etc... and then she'd be conscious of a bad floor surface and deal with it. Heels are about confidence, they require confidence, they give confidence back, and when you wear them all the time you just go at it. A stiletto will sink into any outdoor surface that isn't ceramic, concrete or the like. This damages beautiful shoes and you can be walking and then the heels sink and you walk right out of your shoes. Additionally gravel (or even stones on top of pavement) hurt a lot if you stand on them by accident. One small gravel stone on the pavement if walked on can hurt a lot in traditional stiletto pumps. Ceramic tiles and metal are very slippery when wearing stilettos, even more so when its been raining and your shoe soles are wet. High heels have such small soles its easy to skid on smooth hard surfaces when water is involved. Walking tips would simply be to scan ahead and avoid what you can. If you can't avoid or are caught out then its up on your toes....keep your weight of those heels. Deliberately shorten your stride to keep your feet under your hips, or use your hips a little more with each step. Walking on tip toes in very high heels (and keeping your heels up) is really hard work ...(just try it) so sometimes those heels have to come off....but this would be pretty desperate or you've really not thought about where you were going that day. That's also why you need to pick your shoes to suit what you need to do each day, or always carry flats as I do. Heel-Lover

[Curt]

Cobbllestones downhill is murder in heels. When walking, keep most of your weight on the ball of your feet. Btw, I wear 4.5" heels everyday, so I learned how to walk very comfortable. Another tricky thing is getting on an escalator going down in the mall. I went too far forward once, and allmost fell over from the top step.

[meganiwish]

A shingle beach is quite challenging. Tip - don't. We've also got a couple of places where there are pebbles half set in concrete a few inches apart, I think to deter pedestrians. Real ankle breakers.

[Bubba136]

Another aspect quickly learned when wearing higher heels is to feel and become aware of the condition of the surface you are about to step on through the sole of your shoes. By that I mean that you feel through the bottom of your feet what is underneath, that you are about to step on, a split second before you put your weight down, alerting you to possible problems and allowing you to change the way you place your step to compensate for anything that might cause difficulty, like stepping on a stone or pebble, for instance. This becomes second nature and you do it subconsciously without thinking.

[Lime15]

Extremely weathered exposed aggregate concrete in the wet. When I used to heel to work there was an apartment complex that had 35 year old exposed aggregate walkways that would take over the sidewalk in front of the building. It had become so polished and slick over the years that rain, sprinkler runoff, morning condensation or any other kind of water would make that area as slick as ice. Hell, in sneakers I still slip every now and then when walking there, as now my non-heeling job still carries me along the same route for a little bit.