Basic Crampons

hi - I wanna expand my ability to hike locally near Boston this winter - Blue Hills, Mt. Wachusett, Wapack Trail, etc - my hiking friend is suggesting the following might be right for me - I'd appreciate your feedback - I've searched all the crampon threads past year, fwiw.

Stubai Twin Peaks
http://store.everestgear.com/421114.html

my local EMS has 6-point AustriAlpin
http://www.austrialpin.com SG-01P
so the 1st are full shoe coverage - the latter are shorter. I've seen the Black Diamonds & they just look too technical - aggressive.

Peter

There was a lengthy thread RE: a similar question on the General Backcountry forum recently i believe - though i could be wrong - it's happened b4, it'll happen again....

Both crampons you linked to should work nicely - depending entirely on conditions - presence/depth of snow, quality/type of ice, etc. The price on them is great too! Based only on the pics (i have NO experience with either of these models), i would choose the Stubai version due to the lack of rivets on the toe bail which are present on the austrialpin model. The Stubai's "look" like a better design.

Just for fun, have you looked at the Black Diamond Contact crampons? Though a bit spendier than your selections, they are better priced than the adventure-racing types by around $20-30. I choose these for my training walks/runs on snowy/icy trails for use with my training shoes. They are only 10-pointers so not too aggressive and not meant really for front-pointing, but the points are long-enough to accomodate snow and ice.

Link:

http://www.backcountry.com/store/BLD0978/c5/s54/Black-Diamond-Contact-Strap-Crampon.html

These folks have quite a few brands/models to choose from too....

Have fun!

fm

my local EMS has 6-point AustriAlpin
http://www.austrialpin.com SG-01P
so the 1st are full shoe coverage - the latter are shorter. I've seen the Black Diamonds & they just look too technical - aggressive.

Peter[/QUOTE]

I have these, if i remember correctly they were only $100. and seem to work well, they only complaint I have with them is when they are strapped to my boot they flex enough to have the length adjuster pop open causing the tension on the foot to loosen, most annoying on the face of a steep section of trail. I fixed that by wiring them to my size so this does not happen again. I am hiking the High Peaks in NY and these are all I need when doing these trails, they are nice and light and easily strap to my pack if i do not need them.

I owned a pair of AustriAlpins for a couple of years. I liked the price but was not impressed with the quality. I now own a pair of the previously mentioned Black Diamonds, with which I am very satisfied.

Beware of six-point crampons

For hiking on packed snow, any kind of crampon works pretty good. even the Yaktrax and Stabilicers give pretty good traction on shallow grades and on snow. As the snow gets' wind driven and refreezes and become icier and/or the grade gets steeper, you will want more aggressive crampons.

I've seen at least one horrendous fall involving six-point crampons on a steep icy trail. Full foot crampons (10 or 12 point usually) are very desirable and more or less the accepted standard for winter White Mountains hiking. Mine are Austro-Alpinas, and Grivelle G-10 or G-12 are considered very good. There are plenty of other models to consider with a wide range of strap systems. As a general rule, a flexible boot (anything but a plastic or leather ice climbing boot) requires a flexible crampon. Eventually coupling a rigid crampon with a flexible boot breaks the crampon and this NEVER HAPPENS IN A CONVENIENT PLACE.

Aggressive and vigorous are good words for crampon use. Long, sharp spikes are quite desirable when you get on steep icy trails. Have fun.

good advice

well appear I'm getting good advice - keep in mind I'm not looking to be in the Whites in winter; but conditions I guess on Wachusett could get ugly.

I didn't mention that my boots are Merill Reactors which certainly have some flex to the soles.

I have won an ebay bid last night on a set of Campmor 12 point crampons at $32 - they look ok in the pictures; I'm concerned that they have leather straps - but they appear to be of the flexible sort. So this will let me get a sense of fit & utility; I'll sharpen them up and give them a go.

I've read considerable about the way crampons tend to fail; and I'm concerned that the 4 and 6 pointers don't cover the whole shoe. Going up a tricky ascent or decline I think you'd want all the security you can get.

I'll likely report in after I get to test these in appropriate conditions

Peter

PeterM said:

I have won an ebay bid last night on a set of Campmor 12 point crampons at $32 - they look ok in the pictures; I'm concerned that they have leather straps - but they appear to be of the flexible sort. So this will let me get a sense of fit & utility; I'll sharpen them up and give them a go.

Click to expand...

Dump the leather. Replace it with neopreme and nylon straps. (Neopreme and nylon is a composite--nylon fibers sandwiched between 2 layers of neopreme.)

Leather straps get soaked and freeze. As they age, they crack too. Neopreme and nylon is tough, lasts a long time, is unaffected by water, and remains flexible at low temps.

Doug

PeterM said:

well appear I'm getting good advice - keep in mind I'm not looking to be in the Whites in winter; but conditions I guess on Wachusett could get ugly.

Click to expand...

Ah, you think that once you start climbing those hills in winter you'll be able to stop there? Bwa-ha-ha-haaaaaaah!

Might as well get good ones.

No matter what crampons you get, be sure to get anti balling plates for em. These plates keep the snow from forming a large ball under your foot causing loss of traction and dangerous slips.

Peter,

I deeply favored a pair of 4pt Stubai instep creepers for years and held out on buying Stabilicers while observing hundreds of peolple extolling their virtues. I liked the Stubaii's cause they have low profile spikes that are spread out a bit underfoot, unlike types that are centered under the ball of the foot (less fatigue). The Stubaii's have 2 spikes centered more under the heel, and the 2 front ones extended out ahead of the instep more towards the outside of the sole. I've seen a similar type super cheap at Army Navy stores.
A friend showed me his favorite rigging which I now carry when hiking similar terrain to what you are describing. A pair of Stabilicers for general terrain while carrying an additional pair of Climb High (Shelburne, VT) 4 pt instep crampons, which can be placed over the stabilicers for a better bite when more challenging ice is encountered. This also helps to solidify the Stabilicers to your boot on steeper terrain to minimize the slop which can be a characteristic of them. This is of course no substitute for real crampons on true steep ice.

4 or 6 point crampons have many blind spots underfoot where you miss getting a bite into ice and tend to be forced to walk flat footed.

Stabilicers fatigue your feet less and have ice screws distributed more evenly underfoot, so less blind spots. Less obtrusive when hiking on rock or bare patches. Not so good on really hard or steep ice (4 pt backup).

Many people beef up Stabilicers by installing more agressive ice screws from an ATV or Motorcycle shop.

I own the 6 pt model you refer to but carry them only in Fall and late Spring as back up to stabilicers. The rest of the year I carry stabilicers and 10 point crampons.....my feeling is that if I really need crampons I want full crampons. My stabilicers get the most use and they would work well on the trails you have suggested 95% of the time. I would second the idea of using crampons with a flex bar when using boots that flex (I snapped a crampon just below the summit of Laffeytte...I now also carry a length of wire for emergency repairs). I now use Grivel G 10's and really like them.

Rols said:

...I now also carry a length of wire for emergency repairs.

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You don't say? You carry wire??

FWIW, I used Black Diamond Contact (w/o antibots) all last fall/winter/spring and loved them. At times, I also used STABILicers and would recommend this combo very strongly. No complaints from me!

These crampons came highly recommended to me.
I really enjoy them. I would not go above treeline in the Whites with them but I have a friend who does.
The aluminum ones are very lightweight, easy to carry in a regular bag, and I think would be perfect for the type of hiking you want to do, and then some.
You can wear them on any kind of shoe, lightweight hikers, cross-trainers, etc. They are even recommended for running.
http://www.argear.com/gear/grkahtoolacrampons.html
On this site they are listed as $139 but you can get them for less.
Just do a search on the web for Kahtoola.
There are so many places offering discounts now for XMas.
And with REI you get the 10% back if you are a member and pay cash.
I noticed lots of places are offering free shipping for anything over $50.