It's all fun and games in the backcountry until it's not.
Foot fangs and whippets FTW.
#TheMountainDoesNotCare
Those aren’t Foot Fangs
Correct. Foot fangs was a play on words.
I'm running Hillsound Trail Crampons.
While somewhat similar, the Kahtoola Microspikes are okay and marginally lighter, but they are no where near as good as the Hillsounds on steep dirt, scree, bare rock, logs, slide alder, grass, river crossings, blueberries, heather, snow and ice. They stick to everything. It's crazy. Just put them on and go wherever you want. Especially if you're running good stiff soled boots like the Scarpas in the picture. I had just carried the last half of a boned out buck a couple thousand feet down an avalanche chute and was resting up before I waded the river while heading back to camp. Just check 'em every now and again to make sure they haven't slipped around like this one did a little bit off the heel.
And yes, I've ran both of the Kahtoolas and the Hillsounds as well as the Black Diamond Contacts (but those have only been for glacier travel and while crossing a snowfield with a sometimes sketchy runout during The Season That Can't Be Named
).
