Re: Ice axe *or* crampons?

In message <fjv5621ejr250aqi3kav16a3vac42t05gm@xxxxxxx>
The Reid <dontuse@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Following up to Simon Caldwell

You obviously have never stuck a 12 point crampon into the opposite
leg's gaitor by accident then ?

No, I'd learnt to walk without tripping over my legs by the time I was
about 5, so it was a simple matter to apply the same principles to
walking with crampons.

I found it takes a fair bit of relearning, perhaps you ride a
horse a lot?

Walking with crampons or snowshoes does require you to keep your legs
slightly further apart than perhaps most people are used to. However I
think this is an aspect where the pole, axe debate comes in again. If
you walk with two poles your gait tend to be more symmetrical than if
you walk with one axe for support. This is made worse if you walk with a
shorter axe because on every other step you are taking you tend to reach
over to one side and walk very asymmetrically. This makes it much more
likely that you will stumble or trip. Of course once you get onto
traversing steeper ground the axe is in your uphill hand so you don't
have to reach down so far. My personal choice is thus to use two poles
most of the time and then swap to a 50cm axe when the ground becomes
steeper.

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Ice axe *or* crampons?
    ... It *is* reasonable, in some circumstances, to walk with poles and crampons but leave your axe on your pack. ... Much the same as I hope someone isn't rescued having broken a leg trying to self arrest on ice because he'd heard that axes were the most important thing and wasn't wearing crampons since they're optional extras. ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: ice axe length
    ... I'm about 5'7 and I started off with a longer walking axe of about 65cm ... An axe is not a walking stick. ... It is interesting to interrelate walking poles and axes. ... However when crossing slopes I ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: Ice axe *or* crampons?
    ... At the times I self arrested with poles in anger I was a rookie skier who hadn't developed any technique for arrest with them and had had no practice at doing that. ... First time, I found myself sliding, knew I'd be in bother if I carried on sliding, knew how to axe-arrest but all I had were the poles and having been told they could be used. ... What allowed me to stop was knowing how an axe arrest works and applying that knowledge to the tools I had to hand. ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: Ice axe *or* crampons?
    ... I still think that a pole will not work as quickly or as well as an ice-axe, so it is important to know the terrain before you set out - in other words, to have done the route before. ... If you know your route, and the various escape routes you might need to shorten it, contain no steep slopes above vertical drops, but conditions are such that a slick frozen surface is likely, then crampons and poles are indicated. ... If the route is new to you, or appears to have drops downslope, then an axe should be added. ... I would be very unhappy walking with a climbing axe, one of those short, artistically bent tools for spidering up frozen waterfalls :-) ...
    (uk.rec.walking)
  • Re: Ice axe *or* crampons?
    ... particularly if there is snow over the ... ice and the crampons ball. ... Start sliding with crampons and poles, ... to cause you bother and trip you than a short axe which will always be ...
    (uk.rec.walking)