I was in Cotswolds Outdoor earlier this week measuring rucksack straps (long story, don’t ask) when I noticed that Grivel Spider in-step crampons were on offer at half price. So only £15 instead £30. I was unable to resist the temptation!
These Spiders are small and light enough (140g inc bag) to keep in the rucksack most of the winter whereas my Kahtoola crampons are big and heavy enough that they are something you decide you may need and take with you. You don’t take them along for fun!
I bought a pair back in March, also at £15. I carried them over St Sunday Crag, Fairfield and Seat Sandal but they remained in their handy carry bag!
Can’t comment on if they’re any good, I’ve never used them!
I have had a pair of these for years but never used them. However, that’s missing the point. They are in the rucksack if you need some confidence whereas the 10 point crampons are 3 miles away in the car boot! These are ‘not recommended’ but I would highly recommend them.
73, John.
Well over here in Germany, these are available at about every sports shop and most large supermarkets in winter. Not the make Andy is referring to rather the ones below. These are are just rubber strap held spikes but they make a BIG difference when walking on ice! They are worth the €15 or so that they cost. They are marketted under various names. One company calls them snow chains for your shoes!
They come with a bag that easily fits in a jacket pocket, so the are easy to have with you “just in case”…
Ed.
Bought a pair years ago and whilst I have never used them on snow/ice I have found them very handy for negotiating steep wet grassy slopes which can be as slippery as ice.
Excellant buy always in the rucksack
Glyn
Speaking as a mountain “semi-professional” these are not really to be recommended. They are fine for a flat icy path around town - you know the sort of thing, compacted snow. But for upland use you really should be using a proper set of stiff boots with a 10/12 point crampon. If it is icy enough to think you need an instep crampon, then in fact you should be using proper ones. I know they are heavy, but…
The issue with all of these little instep or mini spike crampons is that they can give a false sense of safety if you have them in your bag and maybe cause people to push on when they shouldn’t.
Sorry Andy, not getting at you, but I couldn’t let this one go by.
Gerald, you are absolutely correct - I’ve been wondering whether to make the same point!
For instep crampons to be fully effective in use your foot has to be reasonably parallel to the surface that you are walking on, which means fairly flat ground. Uphill your weight is largely on your toes, downhill on your heels, either way instep crampons won’t contribute much security.
Brian
Hi Martin, they are a bit better. but the spikes are not at the edges of the boot. I’m afraid my advice is always the same - if there is a possibility of snow and ice on a hill/mountain route you should be carrying and using a full crampon and an ice axe. The ice axe is there to help support you on steeper ground and to permit self-belay and self-arrest in the case of a slip on an icy slope.
If you are in the bigger mountains you should also be carrying a snow shovel and avalanche probe.
All of that needs proper training. Not least of which is actually how to spot the wrong places to go - avalanche awareness.
Snow and hills/mountains is a serious business. I’ve seen avalanche prone slopes and cornices in the little Clwydian Hills near my own home around GW/NW-044.
Yes I do own a pair, in fact a second pair. They work fine on steep, shallow snow [on Corndon Hill GW/MW-013 every time] , icy footpaths [Pen y Fan was good on a sunny day in Winter] and wet, close grazed, grassy slopes (Great Mell Fell G/LD-035 in summer comes to mind). John GW4BVE recommended them to me in the light of my accident in 2009 and I’m grateful. They do fall off and I have searched for the missing one on occasion. One if still on the Breitenstein DL/MF-070 as far as I know [highest I’ve ever used them with lots of people about]. That’s why I have a second pair. It is best that the boots have a loop on the heal so the long spider strap can go through there instead of fall off. Gerald is correct - these are not mountaineering crampons - they’re “stopping me falling over” spikes for lowland footpaths. A pair usually lives in the bottom of my bag [next to the poly bag with the paper and trowel - ie not used very often section]
73
David M0YDH
Prunes may help there.
Thanks for the heads up Andy, and to Gerald et al for subsequent comments.
I have just picked up a pair (Spiders, not prunes), but I won’t be pushing any boundaries. I recall a couple of times when these would / might have saved me from sitting down suddenly, but no greater risk.
The thread did prompt me to look at alternatives, and read lots of reviews. I think the simplicity of these could be an advantage over the chain / rubber band mounted varieties, most of which seem more prone to breaking or moving around on the boot. YMMV
We’ll see… 
73
Adrian
G4AZS
