View Full Version : Enough Snow For Microspikes?
elizardph
10-24-2010, 23:12
Trying to get cold weather gear organized, I hear rumors of a cold hard winter coming in this year (well thats according to the ridiculous amounts of acorns and the farmers almanac.) Anywho wondering if there is usually enough snow to require some kind of YakTrak / microspike addition to my stuff for a thru-hike heading out March 1st?
IronGutsTommy
10-24-2010, 23:38
yeah the whites have snow year round and theres been incidents with people slipping and falling 60 and 200 feet with microspikes on. so id definitely carry spikes and perhaps contemplate a pair of crampons for the new england area. others more experienced in thrus and the whites surely will share their opinions on the matter. spikes for one are too light not to bother bringing up north in my opinion, but im interested what the concensus is on crampons and or snow shoes
Check out the Diamond grip from www.icetrekkers.com (http://www.icetrekkers.com)
They fit boots and trail runners and are designed for backcountry use. They also run better than anything similar as they are hardly noticable with your stride walking, hiking or running.
They are not crampons, more like snowchains for your feet.
And Yes, I am the rep in the Southeast.
Leki too!
kayak karl
10-24-2010, 23:53
Trying to get cold weather gear organized, I hear rumors of a cold hard winter coming in this year (well thats according to the ridiculous amounts of acorns and the farmers almanac.) Anywho wondering if there is usually enough snow to require some kind of YakTrak / microspike addition to my stuff for a thru-hike heading out March 1st?
although you already got advice, are you NOBO out of Springer
Starting out in early March, I assume a NOBO, in which case the Whites aren't an issue. I think someone might have used snowshoes this year, but not necessarily thru-hikers --- I don't know. There were some snowshoe tracks in the Smokies in March, FWIW, but no one I knew used snowshoes.
I can't see carrying anything like a real crampon either, even instep crampons. IMO the only thing you might consider is something like yaktrax or Kahtoola Microspikes, for extended icy stretches. Not snow.
I don't mean to say that you won't walk in snow, just that I doubt you'll do enough of the type that merits snowshoes or crampons to make it worth carrying them. Of course, given differences in the particular year, when precisely you go, etc, such conditions could present but I personally wouldn't pack for such conditions. If it's really that bad, I'd suggest that you either find a way to walk around it or wait it out.
This year I walked in some snow, certainly, but rarely (to never) had significant traction issues doing so. The worst was when it was well below freezing in the morning a couple of days and the snow just wouldn't pack, not as bad as walking in sand, but a similar sort of "energy sucking" (and just generally sucking :-)) experience.
fiddlehead
10-25-2010, 07:18
You probably won't need them if northbound.
Google sheet metal screws as a backup. They are lightweight.
You don't wear Microspikes because of any amount of snow. You wear them because of ice or icy snow. It could be 3 mm deep and you'd need them, or it could be 10 feet deep and you wouldn't need them. It really depends on the surface conditions.
elizardph
10-25-2010, 13:41
thanks for the input. I am headed NOBO. The reason I ask is that I have done lots of hiking in Vermont and New Hampshire in the fall/spring and have encountered the hard pack with the layer of ice on top, or just downright ice and very slippery conditions. I didn't know if that was a reality commonly faced down south.
kayak karl
10-25-2010, 13:49
You probably won't need them if northbound.
Google sheet metal screws as a backup. They are lightweight.
thanks for the reminder. im getting a doz. 1/2" zips for BMT this winter. couldn't remember if it was you or tipi that used these. thanks.