instep crampons v. yaktrax

Hi--I just read the postings about the Yaktrax. Interesting.

I recently bought the half crampons (instep) and haven't used them yet.

I thought they would be good for this time of year and maybe the early spring. I also have full crampons which I can/would only use on my plastic boots for more "serious" winter conditions.

Looking for some commentary on insteps--do people like them for certain times and not others?

Carla, I just posted my opinion of traction aids in the Yaktrax thread, but I did want to share with you a thought about the Yaktrax. A friend of mine has a pair which he likes, but his only complaint is that he gets a 'rolling' sensation when he walks on them. I'm not sure exactly what he means.

I bought a pair of Surefoot Get-a-Grips, which do not work at all, and they tend to fall off. Instep crampons give great traction, but I find them uncomfortable after a long day of walking on a frozen lake tending tip-ups. The Stabilicers look like they might be a worthy investment, but there seems to be some sentiment that the teeth fall out with regularity.

Again, I tend to use traction aids for fishing on icy, flat surfaces. Whereas you are going to be walking at an angle, so that has to be taken into account.

I know somebody that bought a pair for a winter hike up to Lonesome lake, when they got back a couple of the springs were unraveled. I'll take my 6 point Charlot Moser crampons anyday over Yaktrax.

masshysteria said:

... The Stabilicers look like they might be a worthy investment, but there seems to be some sentiment that the teeth fall out with regularity. ...

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masshysteria

I may have missed it but I don't recall anyone mentioning teeth falling out. One poster (forget who) said he had a bunch of teeth out and was replacing them. I took that to mean that he unscrewed the old worn ones and was in the process of screwing in the replacements. Anyone remember who said that? I think there have been something like 6 recent threads on crampons, insteps, Yak-trax, Get-a-grips and Stabilicers in the last week or so, so it's hard to keep track of who said what.

Anyway, my teeth aren't falling out ...


... yet.
Pb

Provided the cost is not an issue, why not just use flexible full crampons (like the Climb High model for $79.99 currently offered by Campmor)?

(Disclaimer: This is not a Climb High or Campmor advertisement, just citing one example out of many available.)

My point is, I don't know why I would struggle with points that fall out, and things that slip off, and devices that force me to "walk funny," when I could just use full crampons, and have great traction and walk normally.

I understand about not wanting to scratch the rocks, and about being able to "toe" onto the occasional dry rock, but I just don't see those as good enough reasons, at least for me, to sacrifice safety.

TCD

TCD said:

My point is, I don't know why I would struggle with points that fall out, and things that slip off, and devices that force me to "walk funny," when I could just use full crampons, and have great traction and walk normally

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This time of the year, there's still a lot of rock mixed with ice, add some snow and I find myself very prone to tripping on the points of full crampons. A low profile traction device is something I've been looking for for a while. So far, stabilicers seem to be the best bet- even if a few points were to fall out that's not a catastrophic failure, but I'm still awaiting more opinions.

I find some of the most difficult conditions are bare rock with patches of ice. I have tried Yaktraks on mixed snow and bare ground and broken two pair after less than twenty miles of use each. (My feet are size 14 and stretch the rubber out too much). When it becomes a case of mostly ice with bare rock patches, I have used six point crampons with some success. I had a pair of Grivels that had worn down to about half of their original point length, and this actually made them better for this type of mix. After about ten years they gave out and now I have to start with new six points that are too long and make me slip and stumble. I could file them down, but I really want them dull, so they don't spear dead leaves on bare ground as much. Of course, at this time of year, poles become manditory, rather than optional, as they can really help if the points trip me or make me skitter on bare rock. Another problem I have at this time of year is crud balling up on the bottoms. Some times I have no choice but to walk through water, then when I step back into snow it balls up. Sometimes it can be a mixture of snow and old leaves that build up, at which point I might prefer to bare boot it with poles.

I've been carrying B.D. 10 points and Stabilicers with me lately. I hike 4000 footers in the Whites every weekend and I've had little trouble with the Stabilicers on slopes up to about 35-40 degees. I have lost a total of 4 cleats on them but they're replaceable and it's a small price to pay to keep from tearing up the Black Diamonds on the rocks. I'm sure when the snow and ice piles up a little deeper I'll get more use out of the 10 points.

And, based on personal observations, the YakTrax seem to be popular with the City Slickers (I'll probably get in trouble for that) and they seem to work ok on relatively level trails but on mountain trails the YakTrax either fall apart or fall off the boot completely. I could probably sell the ones I've found along the trail on Ebay. As for insteps, the lack of front points make them nearly useless on steep trails and I would think they'd be awkward to walk on as well.

well, I tried them and they're ok, but...

I did use my 6 pointers for the first time this past week, on a lower elevation hike, Mt. Sunapee, and they were actually very good for those specific conditions. There were just a couple of inches of crusty snow, similar to Carole's situation (see above), and the incline wasn't very steep, ever, so I didn't miss the front points. The 6 points were enough to keep me from sliding back down the crusty trail, which was very helpful...

This said, I thought they were pretty tricky to get on, and although mine didn't slip, it was hard to secure the strap really well. But they give me an option for hiking in that "between" type of condition. Don't want bare boots, but don't want to put on my plastics and my step-ins yet because I save those for real snow and real cold...