boot adaptation for step-in crampons?

[Jason Berard]

So.....I got sick of my feet getting cold the last few winters when I put my strap-on crampons on, because I had to tighten them down so hard so they would stay on that they impeded circulation in my feet that I bought new stiffer boots ( Vasque Super Alpinista's on Ebay) and some new crampons ( Grivel g-10 new-matic). Now, I have crampons that are WAY more comfortable to walk in than my old ones, and want to wear them with my old soft boots when it's not cold enough to wear the stiff boots....but the back of new-matic binding needs a "shelf" to rest on, which these boots don't have.....so I made one.

I used a piece of hard rubber i had around the house, some barge cement( ok, LOTS of Barge cement!), and a couple 1" pan head machine screws. This was kind of a spur of the moment thing, and I'm wondering if anyone has experience trying something like this before, and if it held up for any length of time.... It seems really secure to the boot, and I did try it out on my dirt road, not that that is a good approximation to typical hiking conditions. What do you all think....will this work??

 

[Chip]

They look pretty frickin solid ! I don't think I'd go vertical in them, but I bet they hold up for quite a while. Nice to see some Yankee ingenuity going on out there !

 

[DougPaul]

Probably depends on how flexible the old boots are.

Doug

 

[Rick]

cold or wet, constant pounding..... off kilter steps. I'd bring a backup, but I also like the idea. Are the screws into the board last or into the rubber-like midsole?

 

[Jason Berard]

I'm not sure,Rick. It felt as if they were going into solid material til they were buried, if that helps.

Doug, what is your concern with regards to the flexibility of the boot?

thanks for all the input so far!

 

[Chip]

I think as long as the heal is locked down solid, the boot can flex.
I suppose a great deal of boot flex would allow the heal clamp to slip off.

 

[DougPaul]

Doug, what is your concern with regards to the flexibility of the boot?

Crampons coming off boots has long been a problem, probably since crampons were invented. The crampon is a rigid structure (or two hinged together) attached to a boot and used in a way that puts high forces from a variety of directions on the system. Crampons have been known to fall off even rigid technical boots, sometimes on technical terrain. The more a boot flexes, the more likely the crampon is to fall off.

Clip systems, such as the one in your picture, require a clip to stay on a small ledge. If the boot is flexible, it can squirm around and the clip can come off the ledge. The traditional strap system, while less convenient to put on and take off, grips the body of the boot and is much more tolerant of the movement between the boot and crampon.

So try it if you want, but in general clip systems don't have a very good track record on flexible boots. If it fails, you risk a fall, possibly in a bad spot.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I'm with Doug - I have some reservations also. Crampons put a big strain on their attachment systems. If your boot was rigid, then I'd suggest cutting a grove in the heel area with a rotary tool, like a Dremel. But, I don't think Barge cement (or Gorilla, for that matter) will hold over the long haul.

Also - this may be stating the obvious, but ... the advantage of staying with one brand of crampon, like the Grivel, is that the various toe and heal pieces are somewhat interchangeable, including between the G10 and G12 series. So, depending upon your boot style, it's possible to 'create' a 3rd set of crampons based upon moving heel/toe pieces. Make any sense?

 

[Jason Berard]

thanks for that, Kevin and Doug. It hadn't occurred to me to do that( get a strap for the G 10). I'll look into it. I definitely don't want to have this be a SAR accident waiting to happen.....I guess it comes down to this....I'm trying to fix a boot problem ( too soft boots + constriction from straps= cold feet) with my crampons.....the real solution is probably new boots that aren't too soft.

I will continue to test this out on easy/ moderate terrain, with a traction back-up, until I need new boots/ get a strap for the g-10's....I think.
thanks again.

 

[DougPaul]

I guess it comes down to this....I'm trying to fix a boot problem ( too soft boots + constriction from straps= cold feet) with my crampons.....the real solution is probably new boots that aren't too soft.

I will continue to test this out on easy/ moderate terrain, with a traction back-up, until I need new boots/ get a strap for the g-10's....I think.

It can be done--we were able to get a few selected models of crampon to work reliably on rubber Korean boots (also known as K-boots or Mickey Mouse boots) using traditional strap bindings.

Doug

 

[--M.]

The obvious answer is to go try it out and test your engineering mettle, either tweaking your tweak into workability or deciding it's fatally flawed and reporting back that you were mainstreamed back to standard equipment.

Can't wait to hear about it!

 

[Jason Berard]

The obvious answer is to go try it out and test your engineering mettle, either tweaking your tweak into workability or deciding it's fatally flawed and reporting back that you were mainstreamed back to standard equipment.

Can't wait to hear about it!

exactly my plan! I just wanted to get some of the collective experience of the board first to see where my prototype was at from a rough draft standpoint.....seems like there is a possibility that I may have made some false assumptions about the boot " only" needing a shelf to hold the crampons on, but I'll test them, carefully, before I decide that for sure. There's no question this is not the best solution, its just that I want to use these boots, and these crampons, and so I need to see if there is a way to make that work. As I've said, the strap binding makes my feet cold because the top of the boot is on the softer side, so I do want to give this a try. I'll update the thread when I geta chance to try them out " in the field".

 

[DougPaul]

Can't wait to hear about it!

Hopefully not from the hospital...

Doug

 

[Jason Berard]

Hopefully not from the hospital...

Doug

Hopefully Not! There are plenty ways to end up there as it is without adding engineering failure to the list!