Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Keeping Crampons On?

Hey Everyone,

Going up the hill May 21st. I have the Stubai Ultralite crampons and have used them before, but I have the worst time keeping them on my feet. The strap always comes loose. Seems like I have to stop and tighten them every 15 steps or so. Any advice? All this snow I get to look forward to next week, I'd hate to be distracted by something I can easily fix.

Thanks!
Stumbles

Stubbles, pretty basic routing and a dependable clamp... check the routing of the strap through the "keeper". Slap 'em on, mark the strap position and walk around your yard - you should be able to see if the strap is slipping... used the same Ultralights last year - no problem getting loose after many miles across Forester and up Whitney...

What kind of boots are these crampons going on? I see people who try to strap crampons on boots that are not designed to take crampons and they fall off. Are your boots made to take crampons or are they some kind of light hiking shoe you're trying to jury-rig crampons on to?

And if you don't want to snip off the excess, tuck it into your gaiters.

One thing I see a lot of is loose straps dangling off of crampons. And, probabaly the number one cause of accidents while using them is tripping over your own feet because of loose straps, gaiters, pants, etc.

Considering the opening poster's user name, this statement is especially poignant!

Seriously now, the straps on my old steel crampons tend to loosen, so I wind the tails around until there is enough friction to stop slippage. The downside is that it makes them harder to remove.

Here is another thought. I bought a pair of lightweight, aluminum crampons in December and found that they are adequate until the angle reaches about 45 degrees on hard, icy snow. Under those conditions, the points lose their purchase. Under the same conditions, my old steel crampons work perfectly.

Have the Stubais ultra lights, love em. Had them on for 4 hours on 4/3/10 M.R. up Whitney and back and last year 4/19/09 on the M.R for 7 hours no problem. The crampons come with instructions how to tie them. Made a copy and carry them in my backpack on winter trips, cause it really helps!!! Am only 54!!

Berne Mettenleiter aka "The Mountaingoat"

Hi Stumbles,

I have a pair of Stubai Ultralight Universal crampons. On Whitney I have used them in the late spring (May and June) and fall (October and November) when I felt I could safely negotiate most of the terrain to the summit in trail runners, but anticipated a few short exposed sections where additional traction would be prudent. By experience, I eventually came to ignore the instructions given by Stubai and used the generous length of the straps to develop a way keep the crampons on my particular trail runners. Attention must not only be given to keeping the Stubai crampons on the trail runners, but also to keeping the trail runners on the feet!

Like you, I will be in the Whitney area later this month. Given the current conditions on the Mountain, I am not even thinking of taking my Stubai Ultralights or trail runners. I will take Grivel G 12s which fit very securely on a solid (crampon-compatible) mountaineering boot I will be using.

Have a geat climb. Give a report if you can. I will be a few days behind you and really benefit and learn from reports/insights of others.

Jim F

Stumbles
The buckle on the Stubai ultra looks like one of those` spring loaded types.

All I can suggest is to take a small metal file to any teeth
inside the buckle and make them sharper so they bite into the strap
better and keep it from slipping.

Thank you everyone. I've been using them on what I consider to be 3-season Keens. That could be part of my problem. Real crampon compatible mountaineering boots are on order and will be here prior to departure. I look forward to breaking them in on Mt. Whitney.

The Stubais do have a lot of extra strapping which I always tie up, but will pay more attention to the way the strap is routed and use the filing suggestion made above for extra grippage.

Re: my trail name - trust me, the description fits and is well earned. My dad told me I would grow out of the clumsy stage, but turns out he was just lying to make me feel better. Always tripping, never falling...even without the crampons on. Don't worry, I've been up Whitney before and know what I'm up against. I'll be the REALLY slow one plodding a long and planting my ice axe securely and testing it between each step.

Promise to post my pictures as soon as I make it out alive.

Very cool Stumbles - you've been up Whitney before - you've got it whipped... have you considered exiting on the backside (past Guitar) and hiking the JMT out to Onion Valley - a great slice of scenery!