Reply To: Micro Spikes / Crampons

[Gregory Kimura]

Thank you for this response, Haemama. I appreciate the concern about safety. The article doesn’t speak to microspikes or crampons, although it does mention skis and snowshoes. Two weeks ago there were some snowshoe tracks from earlier at the top of Cucamonga Peak, but there wasn’t enough snow/ice to justify. I wonder about San Bernardino, San Jacinto, and San G, though.
I’m not familiar with microspikes for hiking and have questions about their effectiveness in snow. I’d appreciate anyone’s thoughts. I used to have petzl crampons with snow shields, but I also wonder if that is overkill. Safest would be to bring crampons, ice axes, & snowshoes (although the latter makes for a heavier pack for a day trip).