SummitPost.org

JHH60 wrote:

rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing

What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.

Most of the places I'm planning are class 3/4, and may involve some long overland scree above the 3/4, which I would surely not want to do in rock shoes. And I'm thinking of blitzkrieg approaches, with the old Colin Fletcher maxim "a pound on the foot is 5 lbs on the back."

JHH60 wrote:

rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing

What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.

Actually, that's not what I said .. I get the impression that for the kind of stuff the OP is interested in, crampon-compatible insulated boots are kinda overkill. The OP mentioned Sill's L couloir. If you've ever been up it, you know what I'm talking about.

It's kinda amazing the kind of stuff people do in the Sierra in regular approach shoes. (ie. folks like Matthew Holliman)

btw I notice that asolo has another one might be worth checking out .. the lothar GV.

rhyang wrote:On the subject of 5-10 exum guides -- I'd hoped these might work for me, but they just didn't fit. Not that I actually need more approach shoes

How did they not fit? Some 5.10s seem to have a wide heel area, compared to the toe box. I partly solved that problem on the camp fours by using shoes stretchers to widen the toes.

rhyang wrote:

JHH60 wrote:

rhyang wrote:Some people have also been known to wear boots for the snowy / couloir / class 3-4 approach, and then switch to rock shoes for the climbing

What Rob said. If you're planning on ditching the overboots and crampons at the base of the rock anyway you might as well use appropriate stiff, crampon compatible, insulated boots and then ditch those at the base of the climb and switch to actual rock shoes.

Actually, that's not what I said .. I get the impression that for the kind of stuff the OP is interested in, crampon-compatible insulated boots are kinda overkill. The OP mentioned Sill's L couloir. If you've ever been up it, you know what I'm talking about.

It's kinda amazing the kind of stuff people do in the Sierra in regular approach shoes. (ie. folks like Matthew Holliman)

btw I notice that asolo has another one might be worth checking out .. the lothar GV.

OK, not what Rob said. Whatever. If crampons are needed my guess is that something like Trango S Evos with hybrid crampons would be a lot more comfortable and secure than approach shoes with overboots and strap ons but then again, I've never used the latter system. You can ditch them and switch to whatever suits you. I do use 5.10 guide tennies on 3rd/4th when crampons aren't required and like them more than my Trangos, but I've managed 5.8 in the Trangos. YMMV.

I climbed Matterhorn Peak via the East Couloir last May and Mt Lyell via the East Ridge last June in the Exum Guides. Both of those are basic snow climbs followed by a bit of class 3/4 scrambling. The shoes worked well for me, but they did get pretty wet from soft snow while approaching Matterhorn Peak in May. They are stiffer and slightly higher-cut than other approach shoes which allows them to work fairly well with strap-on crampons.

It would definitely be interesting to try them with those lightweight overboots in an attempt to keep them dryer in certain conditions.

MoapaPk wrote:

rhyang wrote:On the subject of 5-10 exum guides -- I'd hoped these might work for me, but they just didn't fit. Not that I actually need more approach shoes

How did they not fit? Some 5.10s seem to have a wide heel area, compared to the toe box. I partly solved that problem on the camp fours by using shoes stretchers to widen the toes.

I have narrow bony heels. I think the toe room would not have been a problem, but the heel lock just wasn't working for me .. it was either ankle pain or toe pain. I haven't tried the camp four's.

The mad rock fury is another high-top approach shoe which is not too expensive. Their drawbacks vs. the exum's are round laces which tend to come untied (can be solved with aftermarket laces) and a tongue which lets in debris, even if you use gaiters. The floating tongue thing is kind of typical for a lot of approach shoes I guess. They do seem to dry quickly if they get wet.

After the original mad rock rubber wore out I resoled mine with 5-10 stealth dot rubber and have used them on a bunch of stuff. One thing I have noticed about dot rubber though is that it seems slick as snot on snow (if not using crampons). The exum's tread pattern is probably better in that respect.

I wish nike still made the cinder cone Nice friction, closed tongue, decent on snow, light. I'm trying not to kill mine too quickly ..

For those who use your approach shoes on snow, are they stiff enough for kicking steps without using crampons? Mine (5.10 guide tennies) are pretty marginal for that but perhaps other models are stiffer and work OK.

JHH60 wrote:For those who use your approach shoes on snow, are they stiff enough for kicking steps without using crampons? Mine (5.10 guide tennies) are pretty marginal for that but perhaps other models are stiffer and work OK.

5.10s vary a lot, so does snow. I've kicked steps in Palisade glacier with approach shoes. The camp fours have pretty sturdy toe boxes, compared to the lighter 5.10s.

MoapaPk wrote:5.10s vary a lot, so does snow.

Sure - but I was thinking hard neve. My Chuck Taylors would work fine in soft stuff.

Sure - but I was thinking hard neve. My Chuck Taylors would work fine in soft stuff.

I seriously doubt they would work well for that-- I'm thinking summer snow. I know there is a substantial variation from morn to afternoon, but maybe that is where the crampons fit in. Really, I'm not talking about serious steep couloirs.

Today, I saw this pic on http://joelandneilsclimbingblog.blogspot.com:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ggQa6lrWIBg/S4QN4C5xHLI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/Futnu02indg/s1600-h/P1060769.JPG

Seems like the Exum Guide, as this pic from the same trip seems to confirm:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ggQa6lrWIBg/S2BucMwBdBI/AAAAAAAAAjo/xzOZNy_WrxI/s1600-h/IMG_4384_resize.JPG

He appears to using them with hybrid 'pons, any idea about that? Maybe a cut-out in the heel?

I thought this could be of interest here

PS: I can't get the images to embed here, so pls. follow the links

edited to get the links to work

Wow, the external heel counter does have a substantial indent at the top, so maybe you could attach that type of crampon. But the counter is basically dense PU foam, and the soles seem a little too flexible.