Hi all,
I'm sure you're all probably fed up with the same topics coming up again and again but I was kinda hoping for some advice on crampons.
Got in a sticky situation at the top of Carn Gorm last weekend due to the amount and variation of snow i.e. deep and/or icy!
Was looking to purchase some sort of crampon but my limited knowledge tells me specific footwear might also be required which I was hoping not to have to buy as well.
I'm currently wearing Adidas Terrex mids and Salomon Mission GTX's. Is there something out there that would be suitable for either with quite a defined spike?
Many thanks as always!
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 Kahtoola do crampons for that sort of boot (I'm not meaning the microspikes) but personally I'd want a stiffer boot for full on winter conditions up there. That may just be me being old fashioned which I'll be able to gauge from any further responses. Glad you survived your sticky situation - you mention limited knowledge. I can recommnd having a read of Eric Langmuirs Mountaincraft & Leadership as a starter. Be safe.
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| Edited: 05/02/12 09:17 |
I am not well versed with the ins and outs of modern crampon technology, but the principle remains the same. There are two distinct types: * Crampons with step in bindings. * Crampons attached by straps. If you don't have bots specifically designed to take the step in bindings, you will have to use the strap on type. I don't have any knowledge of your boots. But here are the general guidelines. If your boots are too bendy, the crampons will fall off. Also, you will find them *very* uncomfortable to walk in. When I first started out I had a pair of Salewa step in crampons with neoprene straps. These worked well on a variety of boots and got me up several of the classic Scottish V's. There are a number of "mini" spike type crampons now available. However, I wouldn't want to use these myself in somewhere like the Cairngorms. I don't have the chance to do much winter climbing now. Last year I was still using my 1980's Koflach and Choiunard rigid crampons. Unfortunately, the mice have now eaten the inners so kit's new boot and crampon time  However, none of the above is any use unless you have had chance to practice using your crampons somewhere safe, before you need to use them in earnest. It's also worth spending time learning to cut steps, which is not too easy when going downhill. Being able to do this efficiently will save you a lot of faff on short sections where you might otherwise have needed crampons.
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Thanks for the responses!
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First thing Robert. When buying yourself crampons for the first time, also buy a cheap pair of gaiters. You can use them as a crampon "bag" and you will almost certainly catch yourself with the spikes the first time out before you master the duck walk. Much better to catch/tear the gaiters (gaffer tape repair) than catch your waterproofs or trews...not that I did anything as daft as that with a day old pair of Paramo Cascadas... Second thing - first purchase should be an ice axe (IMHO) not crampons because you can cut steps/arrest with an ice axe. Third thing - crampons. Can of worms. Many swear by Kahtoolas given they arent very effective on steep ground. That I think is the key - where Kahtoolas seem to be good, they seem to be excellent. Outside of this, they seem to be not very effective at all. On this basis, I bought (secondhand) a pair of 12 pointers so I can do everything including front pointing if I want. I am also more along the big warm boot line too....but I am being tempted into the lightweight Kahtoola camp (if only becuase they are so light they really can be thrown into a pack just in case)
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If you google for crampon guides there are a fair few about.
Try here:
http://www.needlesports.com/catalogue/content.aspx?con_id=a1100c8c-1376-4f56-9ea7-9ca100e6eaec
Having said that, strapon C1 crampons are somewhat more flexible than they're given credit for. Something like a Grivel Monte Rosa or Katoola KTS will actually work fairly happily with something like Salomon Mission GTX.
I've used the KTS with trainers!
http://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Winter-Climbing-Equipment/Crampons/Walking-Crampons
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The gaiters idea is a good tip, no that I have every spiked myself on crampons of course Again stating the obvious, but make sure that you fit your crampons and straps to your boots before you set off. At home you may end up adjusting them so that they fit the soles really tightly. However, when you try to step into them on the hill you may not be able to get them on. Leave a *small* amount of play, so they are easy to put on.
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Yes...play...I forgot about that. If the crampons are tight tight at home they will be tight tight tight outdoors as the metal contracts a little in the cold. Not much, granted, but combined with cold hands/fingers, boots with a bit of ice on (so a touch bigger maybe) and a natural interest in getting the crampons on and getting moving again can make them really fiddly.
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 1st thing get the kit you need 2nd then go on a winter skills course or read or learn of Youtube and learn how to use them properly.No good if you cant/dont know how to use them when shit hits the fan. Thats me behind the camera btw  
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 Well I guess it had to be Coldplay for the backing tracks, didn't it DIDS?
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Thanks again folks.
We do have experience of winter walking and do know the dangers, it's just I've never used crampons before so knew I'd find some good tips here.
Carn Gorm (not Cairngorm)was a challenge as it's over the 3000ft and was snow-capped. We managed in normal footwear but I guess I just want to be more prepared for anything more extreme.
Dids, digging the videos! ;o)
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The Kahtoola steel crampons would be compatible with your boots -- and footwear a lot less substantial -- and I've found them good on most terrain apart from steep snow slopes. A winter skills course might be useful, but crampons will still be of use even without -- you put them on and the result is you don't slip or fall over. Just adopt a sort of wide legged stance to walk, like John Wayne after he'd just got off his horse.
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 Just to give you an idea on the Kahtoola KTS Steel, in Diddy's second video link, towards the end of it when folk climb out of the back of Coire an t-Sneachda, somewhere near the route of the summer Goat Track path, I was there and tackled that in Kahtoolas on B1 boots. But it was quite hard work, largely on account of the relatively short and downward pointing front points. I'd say that was pretty much the limit for Kahtoolas. Kahtoolas work really well on easier ground, even with flexible footwear, and you can strap them to nearly anything, and they're pretty compact and light to put in your pack on those marginal days. If I only expected to encounter occasional and short stretches of that steepness then I'd stick with Kahtoolas - but if I expected to be on ground like that more often then tbh I'd take my more full-on crampons with more aggressive points and better front points (Mine are Grivel G12s but G10s would do and be lighter. G10s come with a flexi bar that means they'll fit on some pretty fexible boots using the New Classic bindings. I retro-fitted the flexi-bars to my G12s anyway - bars available from Needlesports).
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