I’ve been doing nothing but ice climbing and backcountry skiing all winter, so I decided to answer a few crampon, boot, and binding questions for my Monday Q&A. Compatibility is a common theme with FAQ’s on ice climbing and touring gear, and these questions follow that track. Unlike rock climbing where any carabiner works with any sling or alpine skiing where all boots fit all bindings, you have to make sure all your gear works with anything that it attaches to directly. When you get your new gear in the mail, take some time and make sure it all snaps together right before you head into the mountains. Now, onto the questions.
Cassin C14 Crampon
Q: Has anyone ever put these on tele boots for vertical ice climbing?
Has anyone ever put these on tele boots for vertical ice climbing? – Randomintelligentguy – Jan. 7, 2011
A: Well, the short answer is maybe. Regular crampon toe bails (with a few rare exceptions) don’t fit over the wide duck bill on the front of telemark boots. Some companies like Petzl make replacement toe bails designed specifically for telemark boots, but I can’t find any indication that Cassin makes a similar attachment. However, nearly all toe bails attach the same way, so you may be able to get away with using the Petzl bails on these crampons, but I’m not positive. Anyone? To address the vertical ice part of the questions—You won’t get the same performance as you would with actual climbing boots, or even close. Putting crampons on tele boots is generally a ski mountaineering move. The problem is that the duck bill will cover part of the front points and you won’t get very good penetration no matter how hard you kick into the ice. You can definitely climb this way, but if you want to get serious about ice climbing, just get some ice climbing boots.
