"Monopoint crampons are only for hard mixed and drytooling"
"Double boots are overkill for Scottish winter"
Blah blah!
There's so much crap out there about what goes on your feet for winter climbing, both directly (boots) and what you strap to them (crampons). It's honestly getting quite annoying seeing yet another person spout off about monopoints only being for hardcore Dave MacLeod mixed types and double boots only being worth it in the depths of alpine winter or at high altitude. Rubbish, on both counts.
The answer is this: look at what your needs are and use the right kit to deal with them best.
Double boots are awesome at high altitude or in seriously cold temperatures, sure. They have a ton of insulation. But what says they're overkill for less extreme conditions, like say winter in the Japan Alps or the Cairngorms? Nothing.
Are you out and back in a day or staying in a heated lodge? Are you young and fit and with good circulation? Is it above maybe -15 C? Then use singles - you can get away with it.
Are you bivvying out, where frozen boots are an issue? Do you have circulatory problems, perhaps from past cold damage? Is it just really f***ing cold? Then use doubles and screw anyone who tells you it's overkill.
Traditional wisdom says that dual points are best for ice and monos are best for mixed (less leverage, etc). Well again, what do YOU want to climb in? What do the conditions dictate that you climb in?
Are you climbing neve or poor-quality ice? Do you want more support? Then climb with dual front points.
Are you climbing delicate ice? Are you climbing mixed? Is the ice bullet hard due to low temperatures? Then you go ahead and throw monos on your boots and enjoy nimble footwork and less ice shattering.
During the Kaikoma trip I lived in Spantiks. They're 'big, clunky' double boots. I climbed in Stingers. They're 'nimble, mixed-specific' mono crampons. What on earth was I thinking? Well, I was thinking I wanted the easy bivvy logistics of a double boot and the better climbing performance of a mono crampon. I'm sure to some people such a combination is ridiculous, but you know what? I felt more capable of hard climbing in them than Phantom Guides and Dartwins - the combo I used at Yatsu in December.
This isn't meant to be a run-down of the pros and cons of each, more of a plea to not blindly follow so-called 'advice'. So go ahead and ignore all the know-it-alls who will tell you that something is overkill for your needs, or that you're not extreme enough for a certain piece of kit. Use whatever you need to get the job done and be happy.
Oh, incidentally the new BD Stingers are really, really awesome crampons and I'll probably write a bit more on them specifically sometime. If you can find them, I highly recommend them!
"Double boots are overkill for Scottish winter"
Blah blah!
There's so much crap out there about what goes on your feet for winter climbing, both directly (boots) and what you strap to them (crampons). It's honestly getting quite annoying seeing yet another person spout off about monopoints only being for hardcore Dave MacLeod mixed types and double boots only being worth it in the depths of alpine winter or at high altitude. Rubbish, on both counts.
The answer is this: look at what your needs are and use the right kit to deal with them best.
Double boots are awesome at high altitude or in seriously cold temperatures, sure. They have a ton of insulation. But what says they're overkill for less extreme conditions, like say winter in the Japan Alps or the Cairngorms? Nothing.
Are you out and back in a day or staying in a heated lodge? Are you young and fit and with good circulation? Is it above maybe -15 C? Then use singles - you can get away with it.
Are you bivvying out, where frozen boots are an issue? Do you have circulatory problems, perhaps from past cold damage? Is it just really f***ing cold? Then use doubles and screw anyone who tells you it's overkill.
Traditional wisdom says that dual points are best for ice and monos are best for mixed (less leverage, etc). Well again, what do YOU want to climb in? What do the conditions dictate that you climb in?
Are you climbing neve or poor-quality ice? Do you want more support? Then climb with dual front points.
Are you climbing delicate ice? Are you climbing mixed? Is the ice bullet hard due to low temperatures? Then you go ahead and throw monos on your boots and enjoy nimble footwork and less ice shattering.
 |
| Left: Scarpa Phantom Guide (lightweight single boot) with Petzl Dartwins (dual front points) Right: La Sportiva Spantik (lightweight high-tech double boot) with Black Diamond Stinger (monopoint) |
During the Kaikoma trip I lived in Spantiks. They're 'big, clunky' double boots. I climbed in Stingers. They're 'nimble, mixed-specific' mono crampons. What on earth was I thinking? Well, I was thinking I wanted the easy bivvy logistics of a double boot and the better climbing performance of a mono crampon. I'm sure to some people such a combination is ridiculous, but you know what? I felt more capable of hard climbing in them than Phantom Guides and Dartwins - the combo I used at Yatsu in December.
This isn't meant to be a run-down of the pros and cons of each, more of a plea to not blindly follow so-called 'advice'. So go ahead and ignore all the know-it-alls who will tell you that something is overkill for your needs, or that you're not extreme enough for a certain piece of kit. Use whatever you need to get the job done and be happy.
Oh, incidentally the new BD Stingers are really, really awesome crampons and I'll probably write a bit more on them specifically sometime. If you can find them, I highly recommend them!
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