Oregon Hikers

Hello friends! I'm planning to climb Mt. Adams in a few weeks (mid-July), and only have microspikes at the moment. The consensus is that I should have crampons for extra "oomph" but my hiking boots aren't compatible with most of them. The Black diamond Neve claims to be usable with even trail runners, so they should work with my Salomon Ultra X 3 Mid (size 6 / Women's) hiking boots, right?

Just wanting to be as safe as possible without having new boots AND crampons on a big climb, trying crampons that don't work, or taking my spikes and not being able to summit past lunch counter. Appreciate any advice!

A strap on crampon should be fine, just make sure you set them up on your boots at home first to dial in the sizing on the adjustment bar before you take them out in the field.

I have the Black Diamond contact crampons with straps; same as neve but in stainless steel instead of aluminum. They work well on my low-top light hikers.

If you have crampons, also consider carrying a light axe or Whippet pole, and know how to self arrest from a variety of orientations (head first on your back, feet first/face down...) . Crampons are only your friend until you fall.

--Rob