Crampons and non-mountaineering boots

[ellenmseb]

I've gotten so much conflicting advice on this question. Yes or no, can I climb:

1. easy 13ers/14ers in Winter, e.g. Pikes crags trail
2. Early-season snowfields/couloirs e.g. Capitol in early July, Whitney in June (it seems unlikely that people are hiking 15 miles in mountaineering boots for a few hundred yards in crampons?)
3. Easy glacier travel e.g. Shasta, Mt. Hood

With these boots: https://www.rei.com/product/122163/salo ... ots-womens
Which are half a size too big so that I can wear 2 pairs of socks, and toe warmers; they claim to be waterproof but will soak through eventually.

And these crampons: https://www.rei.com/product/798354/blac ... abs-plates

Or do I need buy mountaineering boots?

I'm not sure whether I would use those boots enough to justify the cost. at least, I'll do Pikes in winter and Shasta in June. Unclear if I'll end up doing any early-season climbing or just wait until they're melted out, and whether I'll move up from Shasta to other cascade volcanoes. I do come to Colorado every Christmas and Thanksgiving and would appreciate the ability to hike without frostbite (though I could alternatively focus on cross-country or backcountry skiing).

[Ptglhs]

Only you can figure out if you can.

Pikes isn't steep so those boots and microspikes should be fine. Steeper couloirs or snow slopes which are steep aren't great with more flexible boots. Crampon boots are stiffer so they have less flex. You really don't want your boots to curl and pop out of your crampons when you are up a steep pitch.

I would say:

1. Yes
2. No
3. No

Invest in some hybrid boots like the la sportiva trango tech gtx.

[cottonmountaineering]

usually you'll want a boot with a 3/4 shank or full shank for crampons, meaning is that the boot sole is not flexible for 3/4 or the whole sole

wearing normal boots with crampons might have them slip off due to the flex of the boot, they can also be painful on your toes when descending due to normal boots not having a stiff toe welt

microspikes are useful for colorado where there are established trails, i pretty much never see them outside of colorado for mountaineering purposes

[ellenmseb]

ok, so it is not an issue that my hiking boots might be too cold and insufficiently waterproof to hike on pikes (etc) in winter?

Then, I can revisit this problem in june.

[AndrewLyonsGeibel]

ok, so it is not an issue that my hiking boots might be too cold and insufficiently waterproof to hike on pikes (etc) in winter?

Then, I can revisit this problem in june.

I’d say warm and waterproof is more important here than crampon compatibility for most standard routes here. You really don’t want to lose toes.

Edit: you’d really probably want 3/4 or full shank boots to use crampons. Most center bars don’t like flexing much so even if they don’t pop off from the flex you could break that. Warm and stiff mountaineering boots are pricey. There are some hiking crampons that work well with flexy boots but they aren’t as good as real crampons and will wear much faster on any kinda rock.

[dwoodward13]

ok, so it is not an issue that my hiking boots might be too cold and insufficiently waterproof to hike on pikes (etc) in winter?

Then, I can revisit this problem in june.

This is kind of a personal question based on how warm your feet run, ect, but I would never recommend hiking a 14er in winter without insulated footwear. To me, that’s a potential recipe for disaster. If you haven’t, best to test out this combination on a low risk objective (Sniktau, Grizzly, ect) before realizing your toes are going numb a few hours in you hike. You may find you are colder with two pairs of sock than one (circulation issues) and that toe warmers may not do much for you.

[Wildernessjane]

ok, so it is not an issue that my hiking boots might be too cold and insufficiently waterproof to hike on pikes (etc) in winter?

I would say this is most definitely a concern. Personally, I would not wear those boots in winter but you have to know your personal limits and the margin of safety you are willing to accept. For me, it would be way too narrow a margin of safety (having two pairs of socks on doesn’t help if they are both wet). I would only wear those boots at altitude in late spring/early summer conditions. That said, I would not have any qualms with using the BD crampons with those boots as long as they are a good fit - which we can’t tell from the picture. Sometimes when the sole is not straight you just can’t get a snug enough fit. By the way, I’ve used those same crampons with approach shoes for short distances in summer (for example, the snow bridge on Granite Peak in Montana). Personally, I would wear a combo like the one you are asking about for snow couloirs up to about 45-50 degrees in late spring/early summer. For steep snow climbs or on mixed routes, I would want a stiffer soled mountaineering boot. For easy glacier travel, you’d probably also want something a little stiffer like the LS Trangos or an even burlier option if your feet run cold or you are going earlier in the season.

[CaptainSuburbia]

I've done all my winter climbs with a similar setup without issue. I always make sure I climb on nice days which you should be doing anyways.
There are products that will make those boots more waterproof.

[justiner]

Kahtoola hiking crampons have gotten me up most every easy snow climb I’ve felt the need to use crampons on in Colorado and will work with trail runners and what I think you’re linking to: summer boots. For Winter conditions though, you may want to rethink your shoes though. Warmer the better. I think you can do Pikes with just micro spikes tbh.

[ellenmseb]

Thanks for the great advice everyone.
even more mixed advice on this thread!

I already own microspikes and strap-on crampons (found at REI garage sale for $65) so i probably don't need an intermediate "trail crampon". This spring, I won't be aiming for any >45 degree snow climbs regardless. So it seems I *might* be OK from the boot-stiffness perspective but not warmth. My feet run pretty cold. So buying new boots would basically buy me the ability to hike in Colorado over Christmas. It also highly depends whether Pikes summit house is open, lol.

Has anyone had any luck with just putting bread bags on top of your socks to keep them dry? or they slide around too much?

[RyGuy]

I've gotten so much conflicting advice on this question. Yes or no, can I climb:

1. easy 13ers/14ers in Winter, e.g. Pikes crags trail
2. Early-season snowfields/couloirs e.g. Capitol in early July, Whitney in June (it seems unlikely that people are hiking 15 miles in mountaineering boots for a few hundred yards in crampons?)
3. Easy glacier travel e.g. Shasta, Mt. Hood

Could you? Yes. Should you? I'd say no on 2 and 3.
I personally wouldn't use the setup you mentioned for much other than basic hikes in winter. Although some peaks only really need microspikes. (Peaks like Sniktau, Flora/Eva/Parry, James, Bierstadt, Quandary, etc)

1: Yes. Assuming those are warm enough for you...go for it. There isn't a huge risk assuming you are doing easier/shorter stuff and wearing microspikes or the strap-on crampons you mentioned.
2. No. The reason why is if you are climbing something steep enough for crampons, you want a 3/4 or full shank boot to help ensure your shoe doesn't flex and the crampons pop off. You also will very much appreciate the full ankle support that mountaineering boots offer as well for steeper stuff or class 2-3. You also tend to get your boot pretty wet during the spring as the temperatures are warmer and snow is melting readily on your boots. Full mountaineering boots really shine here due to being inherently waterproof. Could you make those shoes you mentioned waterproof? Yes, but it's going to be a constant fight and they aren't the best tool for what you want to do anyway.
And finally, if you are going full mountaineering boots, I would also suggest upgrading to the Black Diamond Sabretooth. It's attachment mechanism is much better and more snug/easy to get in and out of.
3. No, you will want a full mountaineering boot for the same reasons mentioned above.

-Ryan

[Jorts]

Depends on snow conditions. I've bootpacked in the low 40s without crampons and just a piolet. If it isn't bulletproof, you'll be fine to around 35 deg. You can French technique without full shank boots. Just don't front point.