UKC

It's been years since I set foot in the alps in anything other than ski boots but it strikes me that alpine footwear hasn't progressed as I thought it might. It's always struck me as a pain that you have to lug big boots and crampons up a route when they are only really needed for a simple approach or descent. I remember a couple of hairy slides down snow patches wearing flat soled baseball boots but the alternatives seemed a bit of over kill really. For routes in summer surely a pair of approach type shoes, with integrated snow gater that could take a crampon would suffice for anything other than proper ice routes (say routes on the N face of the Jorasses, Dru). It must be possible to create a lightweight 8 point crampon that is ridgid without requiring support from the shoe itself? This sort of thing would be fine for any slopes up to about 50 degrees (unless they are bullet hard ice) and the occassional icy obsticle.

So is there anything around, what do people use these days in the summer? I've seen photos of people running up Mount Blanc etc in spiked trainers, anyone used these?

In reply to Tyler:

http://www.planetfear.com/product_detail.asp?d_id=4&c_id=100&s_id=1...

You can wear those over approach shoes. Sorted.

Josh.

In reply to freelancer_85:

They look ideal, I suspected the answers may lie with adventure racers. Now I just need some waterproof approach shoes with an integrated gaitor.

In reply to Tyler:

Well, it isn't intergrated but: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/Product_arborescence/mountain/hiking/hiking-b... is designed for adventure racing.

Add a waterproof approach shoe and you're done.

Josh.

In reply to Tyler: Although things like Trango Ss are boots they are so light (all synthetic), in your rucsac they aren't much more than a pair of approach shoes. But strap on some G12s and I can climb 75 degree ice in mine happily. I'd like to get some light crampons as well but the missus would get upset.

But lots of trainer/rock shoe combos that would take a full strap walkers crampon:
www.sportiva.com/products/prod/350
www.sportiva.com/products/prod/359

In reply to freelancer_85: If they are the wee gaiters I've seen in Decathlon, they are mesh. Wouldn't keep snow out at all, just designed to stop grit and stones. You can get stop-tous from Decathlon for about a fiver but they don't work well with trainers (no underfoot strap). I've got these: http://www.outdoordesigns.co.uk/products_gaiters_torlo.html which I use with my ice boots but these might also work with an approach shoe and would be lighter: http://www.outdoordesigns.co.uk/products_gaiters_tundralow.html

In reply to Tyler:

http://www.icebug.se
possibly leave the crampon?

In reply to gear boy: Oi! You nicked my link for Iain from the other week! Find your own studded trainer provider!

More seriously, I have studded trainers and whilst they are perfect on very packed icy snow, or just plain ice, they are not really any better or worse than normal in softer snow. I often jog in my Inov8s after fresh snow. For alpine conditions they wouldn't be much use, plus they can skate on clear tarmac a bit, so wouldn't grip on rock that well I wouldn't have thought.

In reply to TobyA: nope honest, didnt see your link, but thought you would know about them
known about these for a bit, rumour is they are going to be distributed in the uk, but i dont know who by

In reply to TobyA:

I've used similar studded running shoes as approach shoes when I have to cross some dry glaciers. And the shoes behave like Toby described. The friction is a bit lower on dry rock but it's quite okay to walk on a glacier.

Classic examples are Aiguille de l'M and Petit Charmoz. The Nantillons glacier is easy to cross with these but not so nice with running or hiking boots.