Ski crampons (or harscheisen) are bulky, expensive, fiddly and totally awesome in icy conditions.
If you ski tour in locations where steep, icy, windy conditions are likely (when Ski touring in Scotland, for example), your climbing skins may reach the limit of their grip. This is the point at which ski crampons can provide extra security and traction. They do have a number of important differences to boot crampons, however. Read on to find out more.
Ski crampon design
It is worth knowing that ski crampons are also referred to as harscheisen or couteaux (pronounced ‘coo-toe’). Additionally, there are a number of important differences between them and regular walking crampons.
Harscheisen are a lightweight alternative
Firstly, they are much simpler and therefore lighter, than boot crampons – both big advantages when backcountry or expedition skiing. If your route involves skinning up sections of hardpack, then these awesome bits of gear may well save you the weight and hassle of packing a set of walking crampons.
How to use ski crampons
- Get the right ones
Ski crampons are specific to bindings, so check yours are the right model and width
- Practice attaching them
Some are more fiddly than others, so save yourself extra hassle.
- Put them on before you really need them
You may need ski crampons when skinning on a steep, icy slope. But that’s also a difficult place to put them on, so get them on early.
- Maximise your glide
Modify your skinning by pointing your toe down/lifting your heel on each step.
- Careful near rocks and water ice
Ski crampons are only made of alloy and can get blunted or bent on hard surfaces (eg: on rocks, hard ice or steep traverses).
- Clip them to your rucksack strap
This makes it quicker to get them on and off
Attaching ski crampons
Secondly, they clip directly to the ski binding, not your boot. This means you can keep your skis (and climbing skins) on whilst ascending that hard slope. The design of most ski crampons allows them to hinge freely as you lift your heel, thus releasing from the snow. As you step down again, they bite in.
A good design also allows attachment and removal without taking the ski off. But this manoeuvre does take a bit of practice. It is important to check the design when buying or hiring kit, though. If your crampons can only be attached when the boot is out of the binding, that might be a deal breaker for you.
Limited on hard ice
Thirdly, these tools are not sharp and pointy. Being made of aluminium alloy, they don’t hold a point well. But they are instead designed to cut, rather than stab, into hard snow (hence their French name couteaux, meaning ‘knife’). Their aluminium construction also means that they will probably be beaten by hard ice and may even snap.
💡 Top tip: Find a way to carry your harscheisen on your rucksack belt or shoulder strap. This will make them far easier to reach and quicker to fit when you feel your skins slipping. Try clipping them together or use a small stuffsack (eg: Fjordalp’s ski crampon bag).
Buying ski crampons
These are not necessarily an ‘off the peg’ item. They are absolutely specific to each model of touring binding. Each model is also available in different widths to accommodate different skis. When measuring, a minimum 1-2mm gap between the ski edge and inner edge of the ski crampon on each side of the ski should be sufficient. Obviously, measure this at the ski waist. Certainly, you don’t want the crampons hitting the edges of the ski.
But also beware of choosing crampons much wider than your skis. Firstly, you might find this cumbersome. But secondly, an excessive difference between the width of the ski and the width of the crampon can cause stress fractures in the alloy. This in turn can result in sudden breakage. Ideally, the ski shop should be able to check this and do the ordering for you.
Harscheisen are sometimes an underrated piece of ski touring equipment. Certainly, if you mainly tour in soft, deep snow conditions, they are unlikely to be much use. But if you ever encounter areas of hardpack, particularly in combination with steep angles, heavy loads or high winds, then these lightweight bits of kit should definitely be on your list. They could even get you out of a pickle if you lose a climbing skin!
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