Crampon Type?

[mattbrill9]

I am planning a June snow climb of Snowmass - and ideally would like to just use step-in crampons with my La Sportiva hiking shoes.

Any strong opinions on crampon type for Snowmass?

[Eli Watson]

Universal attachment general mountaineering crampons are fine for the standard route.

[markf]

Do your La Sportiva boots have welts for crampons? Some do, some don't. Black Diamond makes a strap-on crampon called the Contact that fits a wide range of footwear, with or without a crampon welt ( https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/e ... t-crampon/ ). Other companies have similar "universal attachment" crampons, but the BD Contact seems to fit the widest range of footwear (I've used mine on trail running shoes). Consider bringing your boots to the store and trying the crampons on your bots before you spend the money. If this is a one time thing for you, REI will rent you a pair of crampons.

[mattbrill9]

Good stuff - thanks, Eli and Mark - really appreciate the quick response!

I have a pair with heal welts (La Sportiva Trango) and without (La Sportiva Ultra Raptor). I would really prefer to wear the Ultra Raptors - way more comfortable, especially the long approach.

[justiner]

For the Ultra Raptor you want a crampon with a flexible center bar since the shoe's midsole is also very flexible. Since the Ultra Raptor is a low top you also want to make sure the straps don't cut above too much, or they're just very uncomfortable and may not fit right.

That sort of limits you to hiking crampons, like the Kahtoola - https://kahtoola.com/hiking-crampons/k1 ... g-crampon/

No front points, so don't get into any extreme ice

[ekalina]

How do you make the Ultra Raptors work for something like this? I wouldn't think to do it (unless I wore trail runners and switched to boots later) because of all of the water up there and then potential soft, wet snow on the return. No judgment, just curious about your strategy if you've done an objective like this before with the Ultra Raptors.

[justiner]

Just gunna get your feet wet.

[Hiking_TheRockies]

I personally have owned both boots and would much rather deal with snow in Trangos that Ultra Raptors. Unless you are going to be running it I don't think wearing trail runners on that climb would give more of an advantage than trangos. Those boots eat up 20 mile days all the time for me, plus way better at kicking steps, etc. Just my 2 cents

[pvnisher]

The other problem with wearing soft shoes with strap attachment is that the attachment is sometimes not that secure and the crampons can move or twist, especially with a flexible sole.
So then you crank down the straps and it can be pretty uncomfortable (so I've heard). I've never used strap crampons with a running type trail shoe and I don't think I ever will. Ymmv.

[mattbrill9]

Thanks for the feedback, all!

Not sure it if changes the opinions - but my La Sportiva Ultra Raptor are the mid GTX hiking boots (which I would also wear some gaiters).

RE: boot preference - one variable I should have mentioned - I have struggled to find mountaineering boots that fit well (narrow feet, and wear size 49). My Trangos are 48s - and are OK for a quick climb - but reek havok on my feet for a longer approach. Would love a size 49 in a more comfortable boot - just haven't found yet. Hence - thinking dealing with some wet (yet comfortable) feet in my 49 Ultra Raptor II mid GTXs would be the better options.

Thoughts?

[justiner]

Lots of strategies you could do for this. The approach is long - a least an overnighter, right? So hiking is a big component and ill-fitting shoes would be no bueno. I've done like 30 miles over a couple of days in my Trangos, but they fit well, and they actually have a slightly flexible sole to help when hiking. I would be comfortable climbing Snowmass in Ultra Raptors in hiking crampons, but that's not everyone. GTX in wet condis over a couple of days are going to mean wet shoes that may not dry out all that well, and that may lead to sad feet. Non-GTX shoes would have a chance to just air/vent out naturally.

So two things to try: just bring the GTX Ultra Raptors for the hike in and climb, and bring an extra pair of socks and maybe some oven bags to slip in your shoes to keep your second pair of socks dry when hiking out. It may get a little hot and sweaty, so careful if that happens. There's not a ton of tricks to try to dry out your shoes beforehand, other than very carefully drying them with your stove, or stuffing your shoes with newspaper (if you can find newspaper!).

Or, bring both, use the Trangos for the climb.

[ekalina]

I've definitely chewed up my feet wearing mountaineering boots on long, dry approaches. It makes the climb that follows a lot less fun if your feet are already beat. In the future I plan to avoid this by wearing trail runners or at least light boots and clipping the mountain boots to my pack for the approach. This would mean a heavy pack for me since I have the LS Nepal Cubes, which are heavy, bulky boots, but it seems like it could be quite feasible for OP since the Trangos are much lighter.