My Crampons Don't Fit! Small Boots Make Crampon Toes Loose but We Have Options

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5 feet, 6 inches tall. That’s how tall I am. That less than 1.5 meters. I also weight about 140 pounds, or less than 65 kilograms. Of course, my twin boys are even smaller than that (at least for another decade or so). Small bodies mean small feet. Small feet mean small boots. Small boots mean more space in and around our crampons when we put them on.

I hear many, many climbers who are concerned about their boots not really “locking in” to their crampons because their toes can slide back and forth across the toe bar attachment. The crampons aren’t significantly more at risk for popping off, but there is a problem getting our kicks to enter the ice or our mixed-placements on rock not being precise. As the climbing gets near our edge of ability, that equipment problem could mean the difference between a fall or not, and falls - any falls - when we have sharp things on our feet and over our heads (our ice tools, if we are ice or mixed climbing) are dangerous. Injuries happen regularly on ice and mixed route falls.

This has been the most persistent problem for me since I’ve been an alpine climber. As boots have changed and evolved, I’ve wanted to take advantage of the new equipment and the advancements in technology. The same can be said for crampons. But boot/crampon combinations don’t always match well. And, further, the major technological advancements in boots have meant keeping warmth while making the boot profiles smaller and the materials lighter. That means my size EU 41 boots are now even smaller along the outer boundaries on the boots compared to EU 41s from ten years ago.

For me, fit trumps all. It’s a safety issue, in my mind. So, the video goes into the potential solutions I tried that didn’t work and then lands on the solution that finally has. It’s a bit of a universal solution, too, working across crampon manufacturers. It does, however, mean I need to by a particular crampon accessory. While that sucks, a bit, if I have to spend $30 more to make a $800 boot work with a $250 crampon, the percentage increase in total cost just doesn’t move the needle when compared to the safety benefit.

Take a look at the video and you can see what I do, now, to ensure my crampons and boots work well together when the climbing gets really technical. Maybe it’s a potential solution for you or some other “smaller” climber you may know.