crampons for non technical people – choices

[Michael Cheifetz]

Starting with a short tale:
Just came back from te Spanish Sierra Nevada. Basically 3 season stuff. Climbed the highest peak in Iberian peninsula (Mulhacen – circa 3500m) its a non technical grade which in summer is just a winding walk and with soft snow would have been posthole affair – but snow was packed/icy and we could not move w/o crampons. Luckily the local Refugio rented them out…so we ended up using a semi rigid 10/12 point Grivel crampons. That got me thinking about all the times i got lucky with climbing snowy tops where the snow was soft enough or the icy bit was short enough that i managed to wrangle through.

Long story short I am thinking of getting myself a light pair of traction devices.
Assuming my usage is non technical – but as described could be in quite icy and/or mixed conditions and sometimes could be steep (but non technical) what is your view and experience on
LW crampons (Kahtoola KTS, Hillsound trail pro)
micro spikes (Kahtoola micro, hillsound trail)
small traction devices (hillsound cypress, Suluk Ti, Grivel spider)

Since i have little experience with ice I'm not sure what the demarcation lines are between the LW and Micro stuff and how to decide on the suitability to my needs.

HELP
Mike

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[Michael Cheifetz]

@roger – thanks for that….

so im still not sure what a good strategy would be. Reason has it that i dont need to buy full on steel 12 point crampons cause i dont have the skillset to go to places that require them…
Lets assume $$ is not the issue here.i am trying to figure out if a reasonable LW strategy would be -do most people carry micro's or AL 10 spikes as their "backup" for routes that are not winter routes?

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[Art …]

Roger just gave a pretty good review of your options.

I would add … first determine the footware you will be using, then pick a crampon specifically for them.

full step ins require a pretty stiff boot with a specific type of toe and heal.

for serious (non vertical) winter stuff I prefer full step ins to strap ons (and the boots to go with them).

I am not familiar with the strap on toe – step in heal type Roger mentioned, but would feel a bit nervous about them staying on.

for casual summer stuff I use the Katoola KTS steel (10 point) with my trail runners.
the aluminum version is lighter weight but points are shorter and they are not as durable.

[Michael Cheifetz]

so what you guys are saying is that the micro spikes are pretty useless for anything that is mixed, not flat and longish and my real choice is steel/AL 10 point stuff….

RE boots – I have keen mids for warmer stuff and my heavier boot just died on me…was contemplating if i need to get a B2 or B3 boot (ie just normal mountain/backpack or the ones that have crampon slits) i dont really do that much super cold stuff so was leaning towards keeping the keen and a slightly heavier sturdier pair but not full on winter boots

are the AL crampons that much less durable? (assuming if i PLAN to go on a full winter trip i'll get/rent new kit)

[Art …]

I have never used micro spikes,
but it is my impression they are mainly for on trail, on sidewalk stuff, like winter trail running.
I would not use them for anything resembling mountains.

Regarding the Aluminum v.s Steel Kahtoola KTS …
I went with the steel mainly because the spikes are a 1/4 inch longer, closer to real crampons.
in mountain travel you may sometimes travel over a mix of ice, snow, and rock.
the travel over rock will destroy the aluminum much quicker then the steel, so you are faced with removing the crampons each time you come to some short rock travel.
but if you are only going to use them a few times, the weight saving of aluminum may be a factor.

[Brendan Swihart]

For what you describe Microspikes would be fine. There's a pretty massive difference between Microspikes and something like Yaktrax.

[Ross Bleakney]

I've used YakTrax and have been happy with them. My friends carry Microspikes, which obviously have better traction, but I've never felt like I needed them. I'm pretty snow savvy, though, so you may feel otherwise. Yaktrax are lighter and easier to throw in a pack (less likely to cut something). I think Yaktrax are easier to put on and take off. I've walked on bare ground with them, and they are comfortable, but obviously get worn down quicker. Either one will work and be much better than plain boots. It is just a matter of trade-offs. Yaktrax are lighter, easier to stow, easier to take on or off (I think). Microspikes provide better traction and will last a lot longer.

[David Chenault]

The advice to first pick your footwear is good. Only a fairly narrow range of spikes will work well with each shoe type, and this will also tell you how non-technical you intend to get.

Yaktrax are good for getting the mail. I've seen lots of them break on simple hikes. Not appropriate backcountry gear.

Microspikes are comfy with even the most flexible trail runners. Durability is excellent. On hard ice they provide great traction. The short spikes limit their grip in neve and the like. Skilled climbers use them for some pretty serious alpine stuff in summer conditions.

Only the most flexible of strap on crampons will work with trail runners, and even then it's less than ideal. If you need full spikes, you probably want a boot stiff enough for step kicking. The crampon must fit the boot very well, if it does this the method of strapment doesn't matter that much. Folks climb very hard ice and mixed with the strap front, click back models because they fit their boots.

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[Justin Baker]

I tried using microspikes with my vivobarefoot aquas. The traction worked fine, but the front strap just rolled the excess material in the toe box and jammed into my front toes. Very uncomfortable for extened wearing. I have seen people use micropsikes more effectively with 5 fingers because they can put the tiny metal bar in between their toes. I used them for hiking up very steep, dry and hard slopes where my shoe would just slip off. I will be getting some vivobarefoot neo trails for better traction, but it would be nice if I could find some way for the microspikes to work.

[James holden]

if you dont need an axe then microspikes or their copies should work fine …

[Sam Farrington]

You might want to take a look at the Hillsound line, previously posted about at:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=61336

They have several models, one of which is reported to be a little more effective than MicroSpikes, but not as heavy as a crampon. It should not be confused with the heavier ones they make for technical climbing.

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