[pct-l] Microspikes vs. Hiking Crampons??

[Peter Necarsulmer]

One of Ned's very best pieces ever.  Informative, practical, evidence-based, crystal clear prose.  This is a keeper.  Thank you Ned. 

Peter Necarsulmer
necarsulmer at mac.


> On Nov 6, 2016, at 4:09 PM, ned at mountaineducation.org wrote:
> 
> Traction aides for the PCT and JMT "early season" Thru Hiker: 
> 
> 
> Kahtoola's Microspikes vs. Hiking Crampons
> 
> 
> 
> This comes up every year, so I thought I'd cover the subject from our point
> of view of teaching about the role and use of traction aides in thru hiking
> for the last 34 years. As with all gear, we approach the discussion from the
> priority of design and reliable function.
> 
> 
> 
> Kahtoola: "Our Microspikes weren't designed for traversing anything steep.
> They were meant for walking on flat, crusty snow and maybe going straight up
> or down moderate slopes."
> 
> 
> 
> Kahtoola sponsored Mountain Education with their Hiking Crampons and
> Microspikes back in 2010. Three of us with different sized feet, weight, and
> styles of hiking tested them on the Pacific Crest/John Muir Trails between
> Cottonwood Pass and Evolution Valley across April, May, and June and, for
> the most part, on 4 to 10-feet of snow. Over the last six years since then,
> we have beaten up those original pieces of equipment on granite, gravel,
> ice, snow, and short stretches of dry trail and here is what we'd say about
> them.
> 
> 
> 
> Despite all the different on-trail ways we could think of to prevent this
> catastrophe, Microspikes commonly rolled off our shoes when traversing
> steep, crusty snow out-of-track. We tied them into our shoe's laces and even
> added over-the-instep straps to hold them on, but to no avail. As soon as
> one, usually the downhill foot, which was the one taking the most lateral
> force, would roll off, that shoe would not hold to the surface snow and
> slip, causing a fall, tumble, and immediate self-arrest. This sometimes can
> be prevented, however, if you walk either gingerly or very aggressively.
> 
> 
> 
> Walking gingerly across steep, crusty, cold-morning snow out-of-track is not
> advised because you need to stomp even just a little bit to get their little
> spikes to "bite" into the surface snow. By not stomping, or at least kicking
> and scratching each step's foothold, you risk not getting enough of a grip
> on the snow and risking a slip-and-fall.
> 
> 
> 
> Walking aggressively on inclined, hard snow means landing hard on your
> heel's uphill edges and staying on those edges all the way forward to your
> toes. If you don't have shoes that can hold an edge, you've already got one
> strike against you, so you'd better stomp and scratch.a lot! There's no more
> efficient way to quickly end a dream snow-hike than to slip, fall, tumble,
> and crash into something hard on the way down the slope.
> 
> 
> 
> Stomp and scratch means that for every step you take, for example up the
> snow-incline to Forester Pass, if there aren't any footsteps before you in
> which to also step (I'll get into this in a minute), you'll have to make
> your own flat (side to side) platforms on which to stand before you take
> your next step. Typically, you step forward, while balanced on one leg and
> two poles out to your sides (three point stance), and stomp as hard an
> impression into the crusty snow as you can, then repetitively stomp and
> scratch out that platform to make it wide enough to hold your whole foot.
> Then stand on it and test it for "roll-out" (if it's only half as wide as
> your foot, you can totter off it, twisting your ankle and making an
> emergency move sideways to try and stop a subsequent fall) before you make
> your next step. This is best done with hiking crampons, but Microspikes may
> do, depending on snow conditions.
> 
> 
> 
> I keep referring to "out-of-track." What's this? A boot-track is made when a
> snow-hiker walks through the snow leaving a trail of footprints. When many
> do this, the track becomes flat, side to side, because that's what's made
> when you stand or walk vertically or plumb. When you go across a slope
> anywhere else out of this track, your ankles will roll over to conform to
> the angle of the slope, unless your shoes can hold an edge to it.
> 
> 
> 
> Snow-hiking affords you the freedom to go anywhere you want. You don't have
> a trail to follow nor signs telling you to stay on the trail. If you want to
> go straight up, make your own switchbacks, traverse a slope, or glissade
> down a snow-ramp, you can do that without damaging the alpine environment.
> So, if you need to pick a route away from camp across hard, steep, crusty,
> morning snow and do not have a path to follow (because you didn't want to go
> that way or you were the first to be there for the season), you'd better
> have great boots with firm edges and strong uppers or be wearing hiking
> crampons.
> 
> 
> 
> Now, as I said, Microspike "roll-outs" don't happen with everybody. You can
> be wise about their shortcomings, more careful with your foot placements,
> and do just fine, but we had a helluva time with them, primarily on the
> steep, snowy traverses down into the many creeks we had to cross going north
> up the Sierra. (Remember, snow will remain the longest on the northern
> aspects of things like ridges and peaks and in the shade while melting
> fastest off the southern aspects of the same).
> 
> 
> 
> Why do they "roll out"? Primarily because they don't have metal frames that
> wrap up the side of the shoe into which your foot slides as you load it on a
> steep slope. The "rubber band" method of holding the chain/teeth network to
> your shoe doesn't have "sides," thus allows your shoe to slide sideways and
> out of it. Rarely do they come off when going straight up or down a slope.
> 
> 
> 
> Microspikes do functionally well going straight up and down slopes, too. So,
> for your toe-in ascents and heel-plunge descents, they work fine. Their
> weakness is on steep traverses.
> 
> 
> 
> Let me summarize our thoughts on these rubber-band-mounted traction devices:
> 
> 
> . They are designed for flat surfaces, moderately sloped traverses, ups, and
> downs.
> . They can roll off your shoes when you traverse steep, hard snow slopes.
> . They kick and scratch moderately well compared to their bigger brother.
> . They are lighter and take up less room than their bigger brother.
> . You can walk on rock and dirt with them just fine.
> . They can fill with snow and not work easier than hiking crampons.
> . They don't get as good a bite as hiking crampons (shallower points).
> 
> 
> 
> Other product designs to be wary of:
> 
> 
> . Teeth/spikes only under the ball of the foot (unless you walk on your
> toes, I suppose).
> . Teeth/spikes only under the instep of your foot (unless you never walk off
> your toes).
> . Teeth/spikes never near the edges of your foot (no steep traverses for
> you).
> . Really lightweight materials that will bend easily.
> . Flimsy mounting methods.
> 
> 
> 
> Hiking crampons are designed for hiking (vs. climbing) and will give you the
> most reliability, durability, and confident performance in hair-raising
> situations while still providing forward flexibility for walking, a small
> package for storage, and only a few more ounces in carrying weight. Relative
> over-kill in design is a good thing when it affects your balance and safety!
> 
> 
> 
> It is very important to note that climbing crampons are not appropriate for
> walking. 
> 
> 
> . Their two forward fangs (designed for climbing ice walls, etc.) can
> lacerate your lower legs.
> . Their rigid frames do not flex for walking.
> 
> 
> 
> Why do hiking crampons work so well?
> 
> 
> . Their metal frames wrap up alongside the sole of your shoes (you can't
> roll out!).
> . They often have front and rear metal bails that hang onto your boot welts.
> . They have strong over-the-top-of-the-foot strapping to hold it to your
> shoe.
> . They have longer steel or thick aluminum teeth to dig into the snow
> deeper.
> . Their teeth/points are strong enough to let you walk on granite without
> bending.
> . They are hinged so you can walk normally, flexing off your toes to push
> forward.
> . Their points are far enough apart to minimize the "balling-up" of snow
> between the teeth and frame and if it does, you can easily kick the snow off
> without taking the device off.
> . Their teeth/points are close to the sides of your shoes enabling good bite
> on steep traverses.
> . The front points are bent down to provide excellent forward bite without
> fear of injury.
> . Their large heel points work great while heel-plunging straight down a
> snow slope.
> . They are easy to fit most any size, width, or type of shoe.
> 
> 
> 
> In reality, you can kick-and-scratch big platforms to stand on into most any
> frozen, crusty snow surface faster and more efficiently on steep traverses
> and you can toe-in and go straight up with confidence using their bent-down
> front points. Their big teeth hold onto anything, even granite and slippery
> rocks and logs on creek-crossings. What was a little scary to walk on (you
> feel a little slippery under foot) totally changes when you put teeth under
> your feet! Uncertainty goes away as your grip to the slope increases.
> 
> 
> 
> Side Note #1: Snowshoes, even those with lots of teeth underneath, are not
> safe on steep, out-of-track traverses because they can lose their grip and
> spin or slide sideways causing you to fall and tumble down the slope into
> something hard below. On steep descents, when you want to go straight down,
> they can actually allow you to ski or skate pretty well because they don't
> grip very deeply. The broader surface gives you more flotation, but less
> bite (depending on snow conditions). Going straight up is pretty good on
> their big teeth under foot, but because of the broad surface area, you can't
> toe-in very deeply and can sometimes slide backwards. Springtime
> consolidated snow does not require snowshoes. Shallow powder snow on dirt or
> trail, any month, in the mountains does not. New, deep, powder snow in the
> fall does. Snowshoes demand a different manner of walking and can be very
> fatiguing to use.
> 
> 
> 
> Side Note #2: Always have three points of contact between your body and the
> snow to maintain your balance and minimize falls. (Traction devices minimize
> slipping). Use two poles with powder-snow baskets (not the small diameter
> little discs for hard-packed snow or dirt) placed at a distance from your
> body, not close to your body like when summer hiking. One can be a normal
> hiking pole while the other should be a self-arrest pole (talked about in
> another article).
> 
> 
> 
> In case you couldn't tell, after six years and 36 months living on snow
> using Kahtoola Hiking crampons, we don't leave home without them, even if we
> only suspect encountering steep patches or drifts of snow across the trail!
> 
> 
> 
> As always, we hope this information helps you decide what to trust your life
> with when miles from help. However, no written or heard word or watched
> actions beat actual experience and practice. Consider attending some sort of
> snow skills training course where your instructors can demonstrate to you
> how to use your snow safety equipment, then watch you as you practice to
> perfect a skill.
> 
> C 2016 Mountain Education, Inc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ned Tibbits, Director
> 
> Mountain Education, Inc.
> 
> ned at mountaineducation.org <mailto:ned at mountaineducation.org>  
> 
> 
> 
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