Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board instep crampons

I've seen a number of posts about instep crampons that have concerned me. I've have a couple pairs which I've used on several occasions.

My experience is that they are useful in one particular situation: When you are hiking on a trail that is fairly level, that has patches of ice, which, if you were simply walking in boots, might subject you to a slip and fall.....but you'd fall only to the ground, in place.

I think that would be fairly useless when you got significant angulation to the trail, and I'd not trust them, on a slope with serious runout below.

In mountaineering circles, the ice axe comes before the crampons. In the Sierra Club, for example, if you need an ice axe on snow, it is defined as a minimum of class 3, if you need to ADD crampons, it is minimum class 4.

My biggest concern is that crampons will allow a person to get themselves into a position where they are in a lot more danger, than if they were not wearing them. An axe would be the tool to deal with that danger, but you'd have to have it, and know how to use it, to mitigate that danger to a reasonable level.

So, to the specifics: On the main trail, now, you might find instep crampons useful to follow the trail, assuming the trail is broken, and you are not on frozen snow, up to trail camp. You might find them useful on the switchbacks, once a trail has been established on the snow on the switchbacks. However, I'd generally be pressed for a real use for them on this mountain.

Your milage may vary.

When you are referring to "fairly flat", are you referring to the angle from toe to heel or a side to side angle? I'm thinking the trail is anything but "fairly flat" toe to heel in several sections among which some you described.

Ken has a valid concern here. I hardly ever take my 4 point instep crampons since I don't really think they are of much use up on the mountain. When it is steep and the trail is covered up with snow you end up walking straight up the hill. So the point of contact is the spikes coming out of the front or side of your crampons. Instep points are in the middle of the shoe, pointing down. Even walking the duck walk, there is not enough contact on the outer 2 points

<a href="http://www.basegear.com/cmiinstep.html">instep crampons</a>

Walking down a mostly flat well worn trail through a snow drift, with some ice and snow might be the place for instep crampons (or other options like Yaktrak).

In my mind crampons and ice axe go together. If I take one I always have the other. If there is enough snow to cover up the trail and make the experience kind of cross country, I take the full size crampons for the steep sections.

Instep crampons are a waste of money, IMHO. I've hiked with folks who have used them and I feel a heck of a lot more secure with my 10 points.

There are a lot of instances where I will use my axe without crampons.

No matter what way you go up to Trail Crest from Trail Camp it is going to be steep, too steep for instep crampons.

ML, I meant either way. But they are absolutely of no value from front to back, with an incline, as you are stepping on the front of the boot, and it will simply slide on ice.

I personally would not use them on this trail, but trying to be open-minded about how they could be used.

Insteps? Is'nt that the pair of crampons that you change into when glissading? Twelve pointers seem to work for me. You never know when you will need them all.

Any recommendations for crampons that would work with Lowa Renegade II GTX boots. They are all purpose, without a shank in the sole.

I would stick to a good strap on crampon, such as this one.

<a href="http://www.acmeclimbing.com/browseproducts/Givel-G-10-w-Antibott.HTML">Grivel</a>

There are also others, such as the Austri Alpin CH-10 crampon @ www.campmor.com item # 33060

John G,

Grivel G10s or ***** Diamond Contacts would be a good place to start your search.

I own G10s.