What should I look for in a sole that will help prevent slipping, ankle twisting, etc?
On ice. Sadly, there really isn’t anything (short of mountaineering crampons) that 100% protect the wearer from slipping on ice; please take caution whenever icy conditions exist. With that said, a heavier Vibram-type sole with sticky, more porous rubber lugs is a pretty safe choice when selecting an outdoor shoe. In the snow. Think bear claws! Yes, like the furry animal known for pilfering picnic baskets. The thicker the lugs and wider the drainage reservoirs your shoes have, the better. Snow is continuously compacted into the sole of a shoe, turning it into ice. With a thicker lug, the sole tends not to immediately become a flat sheet of ice, unlike athletic shoes that are best used for avoiding lodged pebbles. When it’s raining. Most shoes that have a slip-resistance rating are also accounting for water, but if you’re not sure about the rating, just touch the sole or drag it across a table top. If the rubber is “sticky” to the touch and drags a bit, or has water siping channels (thi
