Strangely enough, on the same blog where the story was originally from, there's an entry about Schwalbe Marathon Winters[1] a few days later. Aptly titled "A more professional solution"…
What make these better is a higher stud count, studs on the side knobbles, studs are embedded and won't fall out easily, and they have a lower rolling resistance than full gnarly off-road winter tyres.
Oh, and when Peter White refers to aggressive riding... he means skidding. If you skid a studded tyre on a clear surface you can rip the studs out and damage the tyre such that you lose the benefit. When you're on clear roads, avoid skidding.
[1]: http://www.dutchbikeco.com/_blog/Dutch_Bike_Co_Weblog/post/A...
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