Crampon Crisis

Having discussed crampons at great length over the weekend in Ambleside, I took one of my boots into Snow and Rock this evening to get some advice about which type of bindings would work best. My boots (some ancient Scarpa Mantas) are not super-technical, but were designed to take walking crampons for crossing snowfields and glaciers.

Unfortunately the boots are getting on a bit (possibly 10+ years old - I can’t actually remember buying them) and they were re-soled last year after a Guatemalan volcano (Pacaya, since you asked) melted the glue binding the original soles. The distance the boots have walked and the re-soling have combined to leave them considerably more flexible than they were originally - so much so that they are now apparently beyond the limit for even walking crampons.

Ambleside and the Akto

Following the broken rib 5 weeks ago, painkiller-allergy 4 weeks ago and hernia operation 3 weeks ago, I’m unable to walk too far at the moment, and haven’t yet ventured back onto a bike. Normally this would make a stay in Ambleside rather frustrating, but while the rest of my family are out cycling the Fred Whitton or walking, I’ve been discussing tents, stoves, ice-axes, crampons and water-purification with the shop-assistants here.