Buy now or wait? (Snowshoes & crampons)

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rafe_b

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Hi gang. My winter hikes so far have relied on borrowed snowshoes and crampons. This must end; I need to acquire my own. But local retailers (west Boston burbs) are all out of stock, and even the Internet outlets seem picked-over. What to do? Wait till next fall to buy? Any place you know still have stock of decent mid-grade gear? How many more weeks will this stuff actually be useful?

I'm hoping to spend not much more than $250 for the two ($150 snowshoes, $100 crampons.) Any suggestions on what might fill the bill, that's actually in stock?

I'm male, 175 lbs., 5' 5" (kinda short legs.) Would like to do the occasional 4000 footer with this gear. No Shackleton expeditions.
 
I bought a ton of gear last summer during sales and found that many of those sales restarted again in the Fall when the official seasons started, particularly for snowshoes, so I wouldn't panic and jump in unless the sale is particularly good (like on close outs, etc). There were numerous 20% off sales on snowshoes last year by a variety of manufacturer's and resellers. You'll probably find similar sales later on.

I found a lot of stuff on http://www.backcountry.com/. They weren't always the cheapest for stuff I had but their in-stock situation seemed to be very good. I've yet to order something they had on their site that they were out of stock on. I found other sites with the items I wanted cheaper but they didn't have size, color or whatever that I needed. They ship fast and usually free too which is worth a little extra for me. Online chat service is pretty good too when you have questions.

As far as specifics on your snowshoe and crampon budget, I was referred to the Grivel G10 crampons And Tubbs Flex Alps by many on VFTT and found both to be great pieces of gear. The G10's right now are running about $129 on backcountry but I'm pretty sure I got them last year for 10-20% off during someone's sale. Price-wise the G10 is probably the low end of a true crampon. The Flex Alps are running about $239 right now but I got mine last summer during a pretty good sale for about $169 or so on backcountry. So your budget is definitely in the ball park if you watch sales.

Some links:
http://www.backcountry.com/grivel-g...FJlc3VsdHM6ZzEwIGdyaXZlbDoxOjE6ZzEwIGdyaXZlbA
http://www.backcountry.com/tubbs-fl...HM6ZmxleCBhbHAgc25vdzoxOjE6ZmxleCBhbHAgc25vdw
 
A quick clarification question, do you really want crampons or microspikes or something in between?. For winter 4ks many folks use strictly microspikes, Some, like me, go with the Hillsound either the trail crampon or trail crampon pro (something in between). On 90% of the winter 4k trails, crampons are not needed (but i carry them on occasion anyhow).

If you dont mind a few scratches place that rent gear will usually sell off the rentals at the end of the winter.

Keep an eye on the Campmor website, they usually sell off theri winter gear and I find they have more gear on the website than the paper catalog.
 
These aren't true crampons, but would get you up most New England mountain trails. They go on sale occasionally for $60-$65. I really like mine for conditions when microspikes just aren't enough.

Edit: Peakbagger beat me to the punch. I have both Hillsounds, the trail crampon, and the trail crampon pro that I referenced above. The biggest advantage of the pros is that the binding never slides around at all, which sometimes happens with the trail crampons and microspikes.
 
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rafe_b said:
I'm hoping to spend not much more than $250 for the two ($150 snowshoes, $100 crampons.) Any suggestions on what might fill the bill, that's actually in stock?
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MSR Evo Ascents ($200) and Kahtoola Microspikes ($65). This is the standard kit in these parts and will get you up 95% of the trails in the Northeast. Crampons are way overkill if your plan is "an occassional 4000 footer." And they weigh a lot more than microspikes. And they are more likely to lead to injury than microspikes if used improperly. The prices above are non-sale.

Buy now or wait, either way. EMS and REI regularly have 20% off sales, so that would save you $40. On the other hand, there is GOOD snow to be had right now. And I've never seen either one of these items at "giveaway" sale levels.
 
The sales are definitely underway. Whittaker Mountaineering just announced their "20% off all winter gear" sale -- so that puts a pair of EVO ascents at $160, and G10's at $102. you should be able to find similar deals on lots of places. But I agree that G10s might be overkill. vtarmynavy.com has microspikes for $39.
 
On the other hand...

If you're planning to spend much time on steeper routes, especially in low snow-high ice periods, full crampons are the way to go.

This winter I've used crampons (over Microspikes) at least a half dozen times and was glad to be wearing them. Descending Boott Spur last March in flimsy Microspikes was not wise and was downright scary. Micros are great much of the time, however. Hillsound Pros are probably a happy medium although I have no personal experience with them.
 
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I have microspikes. They're great. Funny thing is I've almost never actually had to use these borrowed snowshoes and crampons; almost every time, microspikes were enough.
 
You might consider used gear for the amount you intend to use it. I routinely buy boots at Goodwill for $10 that retail for over $100, if after a couple trips I don't like them I donate them back for somebody else to try. I bought some g10s for $40 at the consignment shop at IME in North Conway, used crampons may be iffy for ice climbing but I only use them on trails. Atlas snowshoes for $25 at local ski&skate sale.
 
And the winners are: MSR Evo Ascent snowshoes from Whittaker Mountaineering, $160 w/discount, and the Hillsound "Trail Pro" from EMS (of all places?). I am officially off the fence. Ready to rock and roll. Thank you all.
 
rafe_b said:
And the winners are: MSR Evo Ascent snowshoes from Whittaker Mountaineering, $160 w/discount, and the Hillsound "Trail Pro" from EMS (of all places?). I am officially off the fence. Ready to rock and roll. Thank you all.
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Those with your microspikes should be able to cover the majority of the range of conditions that you are likely to encounter in NE hiking.

The Trail Pros are pretty light weight which might make them a bit delicate with regard to bashing rocks so you might have to be a bit more careful than you would with heavier crampons.

Doug
 
To add another wrinkle to this, what kind of boots are you using with the Hillsounds? From what I see in the picture, looks like you'd want a stiff boot so the spacer bar does not bend much.
 
Mike P. said:
To add another wrinkle to this, what kind of boots are you using with the Hillsounds? From what I see in the picture, looks like you'd want a stiff boot so the spacer bar does not bend much.
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I've worn the pros with trail runners once, won't do it again, the spacer does not bend much, but it won't break. Very interesting to do a trail run with running shoes that don't flex. :) These should be used with a hiking boot, not trail runners.
 
Mike P. said:
To add another wrinkle to this, what kind of boots are you using with the Hillsounds? From what I see in the picture, looks like you'd want a stiff boot so the spacer bar does not bend much.
Click to expand...

I would second the previous two comments about the Hillsound Pros and add this tip as well. Once you have found the proper fit add a drop of blue Loctite to the nut so that they do not come loose while on the trail. I had this issue on the Tripyramids this winter and they were sliding back and forth, which was really uncomfortable as the front binding contracted around my toes.

They are a good product and will serve you well, but you will probably end up snapping off the orange, plastic locking piece that many models come with. They aren't completely necessary but do provide a small amount of insurance from the actual buckle being triggered and releasing the bindings.

I hope you get a chance to use your new purchases. The Evos are great on steep ascents.

Z :D
 
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For snow, I'd be wearing my big ole Sorrels, not trail runners. I'm not sure how trail runners entered the picture. That's summer footwear.
 
rafe_b said:
For snow, I'd be wearing my big ole Sorrels, not trail runners. I'm not sure how trail runners entered the picture. That's summer footwear.
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On local trails, I tried pros with trail runner on hard pack. They will flex, but not enough for a true running gate.
 
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REI has the MSR Denali snowshoes on sale right now for $98. You can't go wrong. I own two pairs and have logged hundreds of miles on them. Highly recommended.

Dave
 
The Sorels will be nice and warm. A bit flexible still, a better snowshoe option but the spikes should be fine providing you don't make it a habit of 10 mile crampon walks.

(For example in mid-winter the C-Path is usually well packed and allow for either snowshoes or crampons all the way to Eisenhower, a few drifts will have you wanting snowshoes, a few spots icy enough you'll wonder if the snowshoe traction is enough. With your boots, I'd probably do snowshoes. In my case, I have plastic boots and would probably use crampons but I also have a spike bias providing there isn't much post-holing.)
 
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