SummitPost.org

For some reason there doesn't seem to be a market for these things. Has anyone seen such things for sale?

My boy is 7 years old, a sixe 1. I'm not looking for anything technical, though he has taken an interest in a winter mountain trip. What i'm considering now is making a set similar to Footfangs... or just buying some Footfangs off Ebay and adapting (cutting) them.

Considernig the hardness of steel neccesary, I'm fairly limited on my ability to bend and form them. The footfang design requires only 2 simple bends, which I can heat with a torch. Properly eating an entire slab of steel to do a G10-type crampon (or heat-treating it after forming) isn't within my home workshops ability.

Thanks!

What about something like these 6-pointers?
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80140

Won't get a toe point, but probably not going crazy steep anyway?

Or perhaps microspikes? A size small microspike fits a M's 3.5, so even that might be too big. But I figure you could easily remove some of the links from the chains to make them smaller. Plus, you can always add the links back in as he grows.

Or stick to wearing snowshoes?

You can get microspikes in size XS (youth sizes 1-4). Amazon has them in stock.

I am indeed looking for some front points. We're not getting vertical (maybe), but having him do some German style is certainly on the radar. I'm sure a kid his age won't last long when front pointing, but I want him to be able to try some new things.

Has anyone seen such things for sale?

Yes, but they are expensive; about double what some adult ones cost. I think around $250 last time I checked and were from a French company. I'll try and find the link on the last ones I looked at (which was actually several years ago). I didn't get them because I thought it was too much to spend on something that would be outgrown so fast. Also, what kind of boots would he/she be wearing?

Thanks for the research!

His boots were to come after I found crampons. Figuring that the crampons would be the hard thing to find, his feet might have grown by then. It will be a soft insulated boot, hopefully I can find something with a decent tread like a Bugaboot for kids.

I bought some CAMP trekking crampons (strap on) a number of years ago. They have front points and will fit a fairly small boot. I think I paid about $100 for them, but don't know if they are any longer available.

I just bought a pair of these:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11755949&lmdn=Brand

They fit a womens size 5 quite nicely and will probably go smaller.

Good luck!

Just take a pair of adult crampons and use only the front half. It should be about the right size. Rig up a bit of 1/2" webbing to strap the heel in.

A bit of an update to this. I have to amend my first post: These are not within my home workshops ability!
Early this spring, I built a coal forge, and have been playing around with making knives and carpentry tools ever since.

I think I'm ready to form some crampons, I just need to choose the steel!