There is not enough information concerning the usage of crampons during the mountain hunting. The city hunters are used to hunt during the summer season when there is no need to us them and the locals, who hunt all year around climb the mountain in the rubber boots. But there is one more group of hunters who look for the adventures and extreme. They need to use “nails” and other tools. They are used to estimate their trophies not by the length of horns but by the difficulties that they’ve overtaken while getting it. The winter mountains gives enough possibilities to experience them. One more reason why some hunters are fond of climb the mountains during the winter time is the rut season of ibexes and snow sheep that takes place at November. It’s a great opportunity to find the unique trophy.
The mountain tourists and hunters choose different ways, the second ones prefer to use animal’s paths or no paths at all. That’ s why they can’t use the classical welt crampons used by climbers in winter hikes. The reason isn’t in their weight but they are made to use on the glaciers, ice walls and for technical mountaineering. The welt crampons need the special welt mountain boots that the mountain hunters don’t have usually. The usage of these crampons in the bushes or forest zones will create additional difficulties, the tines will catch the young growth and branches and a fall or careless operation can lead to fatal consequences. There are lots of stories how the climbers caused themselves by the long tines.
Overview of the affordable market
Today it is not difficult to find the following devices on sale.
1. Ice shoes. It's clear from their name that they are made for ice, for the flat ice- for anglers on the frozen water.
2. Springs. The design shows, and it has been tested in operation, that this equipment is not for the harsh conditions of mountain hunting. They are good enough to walk in the town and to ride on the hill. The rubber will cut by the rocks in the mountains.
3. Chains. I pined so much hopes on these crampons when had bought them. Everything worked perfectly when I tested them on the small hills! But they ruined in the first day in the real hunting. The rubber cover fix the foot when you stay on the flat surface and the load on the fasteners is distributed evenly but then the position changes the rubber mount is torn. Conclusion: this equipment is suitable for light tracking and prepared routes.
4. "The postman's crampons". this is the name of these henpecked crampons of Korean manufacturers "Terra" and "Koveya". I’m fully agree with this name. Despite the correct metal base, the mount on rubber straps is not suitable for mountain climbing in any way. As with the previous devices, while walking on a slope, the elastic bands do not stand up and tear.
I have the similar crampons, produced by the German company Saleva but with fabric straps, and this is a completely different matter. My friend who had the same problem with the bands, asked the shoemaker to make them like my model. As a result, replacing rubber fasteners with fabric ones turned out to be excellent hunting crampons. Lightweight, reliable, functional!
There are three situations when the crampons are relevant in the conditions of mountain hunting in winter conditions. The first one is when you need to climb-go down a steep snow-covered grassy slope. You will slip and, as a result, lose strength without the crampons. The second is when moving on rocks and scree covered with snow. There is a high probability of slipping on the rubber sole. The third is when crossing ice, frozen rivers and streams. Both types of crampons described below are great for all three situations.
5. Henpecked plate crampons "Saleva". My crampons are already 8 years old, no less – this year I changed the straps, the old ones were erased. They are made of rather thick metal, but I consider the weight acceptable, given how much effort they save.
The only minus is the plate shape of the hooks creates conditions for compressing and sticking snow, so you have to stop in the sun and knock down the compacted snow, which interferes with walking and gives an additional tangible load. It becomes a real problem in especially warm weather.
6. Italian mountain Special Forces crampons are a recent acquisition of mine. They also dress under heels, but unlike the ones mentioned above, they have hooks in the form of spikes. This is very functional, since the snow practically does not stick. They have an excellent fixation system on the straps, the rear spikes are slightly longer.
But it is not very convenient to attach them to a winter boot with an small heel. Although the system is made so that they can be adjusted to any shoe. All these crampons are not designed for long-term operation on clean rocks, since any metal under the weight of the hunter's body eventually deforms, and a rubber sole is much more comfortable and reliable for these purposes.
