Review: Skiboard Crampons ,Boot Crampons, Whippets

[jjue]

The spring and early summer backcountry skiboard season is upon us and I wanted to take the opportunity to review and recommend three products that can make your spring backountry skiboard adventures safer and more enjoyable Often in the spring after the ski areas have closed we are climbing up firm icy slopes in the morning and descending nice soft corn snow as the snow warms up in the sun . Climbing can be really slippery and will challenge the best skiboarder who is using skins to climb up on their skiboards equipped with backcountry skiboard touring bindings.
I have previously reviewed options for modifying RVL8 stock bindings to create touring bindings to use to climb uphill with removable climbing skins.
Check out this post to learn about those options.
Sometimes however skins are not enough and one of the really cool new products is the newly revised Skeats Claws strap on crampons. You can find product information and description and cost here.
They make a superwide version 130 mm wide that fits my Condor exactly. The strap on crampon has nice spikes along the sides as well as front spikes that really help on icy climbs when used in combination with skins. They are easy to put on by just laying the crampons in the snow and pulling the plastic straps tight across the front of your skiboard . I do this without getting out of my skiboards and put the crampons on just in front of the receptor binding baseplate.
Here are some pictures .
IMG_20220517_143656288 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
IMG_20220517_143710916 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
IMG_20220517_143357386 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

This is a great product , easy to carry along in your pack and adds a whole lot of extra security in climbing firm spring snow .
However , sometimes the slope gets even steeper and skinning is no longer very comfortable .
IMG_20220515_102234941_HDR by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

It is easier to put the skiboards on your pack and climb straight up the slope booting it. The problem is that if the snow is firm it can be quite slippery and can be difficult to kick steps up . It is very helpful to add boot crampons to your skiboots . I have found an ultra light weight option that is especially designed for hard boot skiboots . It is called the Camp Skimo Race crampon. Product information here. You just slip your ski boot under the t bar in front and then click the rear lever and you are in . It will not work with soft boots and for those boots there are other types of boot crampons that can be used but for hard boots these crampons are fantastic and very light weight and easy to carry in your pack . Here are some photos. The crampons come with a nice sack to put them in and protect the rest of your things in your back pack from those spikes.
IMG_20220517_143506179 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr
IMG_20220515_095535621_HDR by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

With these babies on it is really easy and secure to boot up the steepest slopes
IMG_20220515_100701473_HDR by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

IMG_20220515_105143727_HDR by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

A really important extra safety feature is an ice ax tipped ski pole called a whippet . This will help you stop a slide if you fall either climbing or skiing down .
IMG_20220515_101923672 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

There is a new three carbon version with the ability to remove the ice pick portion and also use it as a regular pole Product info here.. Here is a review. I agree with the reviewer's comments and have used a whippet for years . It has successfully stopped my fall on steep icy slopes on a number of occasions !

Of course , the pay off from sucessfully climbing up to the summit is the descent ! I used all this stuff this last weekend climbing up to the summit of Kirkwood ski resort which closed a couple of weeks ago . It snowed some a week ago but now the hot sun and freezing temps at night have made climbing slippery and I used all my tools to get to the top . The descent was absolutely fabulous in nicely softened spring snow !
IMG_20220515_110757947 by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

IMG_20220515_112905680_HDR by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

IMG_20220515_113718652 (1) by Jack Jue Jr, on Flickr

[Steeps]

Thanks for the reviews! I'm getting keener on doing some skiboard mountaineering now that the Playmakers have got me thinking in terms of 'survivable lines' instead of just 'fun runs'. Crampons might come in handy for some of it.

How's your latest touring binding setup working?
*EDIT - Nevermind, saw you talk about it in another thread!* Glad you've come up with something that works well.

[jjue]

tl

How's your latest touring binding setup working?
*EDIT - Nevermind, saw you talk about it in another thread!* Glad you've come up with something that works well.

The set up I created with the tech toe piece and front bale to the rear with telemark lever on top of the receptor baseplate is just the bomb . Effortless friction free climbing and a super rigid tight set up front and back with no slop for the descent. Feels just like a regular non release receptor binding going downhill. I currently use the touring binding as my binding of choice even when I resort skiboard and am not climbing. It is easier for me to get in and out of then a standard non releaser . Getting in is just step in at the toe and then reach back and flick the rear heel lever up . Getting out is just depress lever in front with ski pole and knock the rear telemark lever off with a ski pole as well without bending down. I get a lot of interest from skiers and snowboarders as I climb and descend with them. They are really intrigued by the super wide skiboards and touring set up . My son who is a skier and snowboarder has asked me why I just don't buy Summit skiboards and drill them with touring bindings and not go to all the trouble of building out a custom binding set up . My answer is that Summit does not have any of the kind of super wide 110 and below boards that I like . I also like the way the RVL8 boards flex under bindings mounted on a riser compared to the Summit boards I have owned. (Marauders and 110s). I haven't had a chance to ride the Playmaker but I did handle one and I was impressed . It seems like a longer and stiffer Blunt XL which is great and I can see why you like it . With all the talk about how stiff it would be , I was surprised that at least in handling it , it does not seem too stiff to me and does have a nice flex.
I have settled pretty much on the regular Condor as my favorite board. Maximum float and yet nice camber for carving on firm snow . Riding my binding set back eliminates the need for rocker as I just ride the supportative tails in soft snow. !
ps Thanks for all your cool videos . You are really doing some cool gnarly lines ! I would be way too scared to drop into most of them !!

[Steeps]

Haha, don't think I'm not scared when I do! Glad you enjoy it. Skiboards grew up in the park but it's time to get them into some terrain. I can tackle lines on them that would be impossible on long skis... at least for me.

The Playmakers really impressed me with how much of the control is right under foot, and it's crazy how much better they handle extremely steep, crusty and tight conditions than Spliffs do (the camber gives Spliffs separate fore and aft catch-points and makes it harder to sideslip and pivot in a controlled manner when it really counts). The rocker makes is easy to transition back to powder at speed coming out of nasty chutes. I think the stiffness is most noticeable in the tails, and makes dropping pillows and down cornice faces predictable and super solid.

Does the Dynafit front piece give your binding some ability to release given enough stress? For backcountry, I'd want something secure like your setup for the descents that would have some chance of coming off in case of a full-out avalanche situation. Better to avoid avalanches in the first place, but even better not to have an anchor permanently stuck to your foot if you get caught in one.

[jjue]

Does the Dynafit front piece give your binding some ability to release given enough stress? For backcountry, I'd want something secure like your setup for the descents that would have some chance of coming off in case of a full-out avalanche situation. Better to avoid avalanches in the first place, but even better not to have an anchor permanently stuck to your foot if you get caught in one.

Traditional tech toe pieces like the Dynafit toe piece I have are designed to only release AFTER the heel releases and on a traditional tech binding the rear binding piece which I am not using is designed to release both laterally twisting and also forward from the heel with the release controlled by the heel release setting . The toe piece pins just pop open after the heel comes free . What I have discovered that in my final custom design where I have a telemark lever clamping down the rear of my boot my heel will release if I have a bad forward fall or if I have a forward twisting fall . After the heel releases the toe smoothly releases and I am out. Like the front lever of a non release binding you can control the tension on the rear telemark lever by adjusting the distance between the dynafit toe piece and the rear bale/telemark lever. I have it adjusted so it is very snug and snaps securely. I have found that I have no pre releases even on very firm bumpy conditions , moguls etc but have released a number of times all when I want to. One time was when I got the front of my skiboard caught in crusty snow at speed and went forward , the other time when another skier collided with me at the resort hitting me in the rear and side , I think in that case I had a forward twisting release at the heel and came out smoothly . I don't think the way I have my custom design that I will release if I have a twisting fall without any forward fall momentum at the heel. I guess the short answer is yes, there is some added safety with this design over a strict non release binding in terms of release but it is not as safe as a traditional full tech binding using both the tech toe and the heel .
In terms of avalanche safety , yes I think the binding would likely release in the event of an avalanche . On some rare occasions when I have been skiing in thick wet powder on a steep slope and come to an abrupt stop the telemark lever on the heel will pop off after I come to a stop , I think because of the shear affect of snow hitting the lever . In an all out avalanche with me tumbling in all directions and with snow affecting the rear lever I think there is a good chance it would release. But remember there is no brake and I do ride with a leash which would anchor the released skiboard to you . One way around this is using a break away leash which would break free in the event of an avalanche .B and D skigear makes a great break away leash . Product information here.
ps I understand exactly your point about the zero camber rocker design of the Playmaker . I loved the way the Blunt Xl and Rockered Condor pivot right under foot and there is no catch at the tip and the tail which helps negotiate variable snow . With the added stiffness of the tails of the Playmaker over the Blunt xl and RC you have the additional ability to ride off the tails which is great.

[Steeps]

Thanks for the details... that's easy to visualize and seems like a really good compromise between security and release potential.

I've been building leashes the last couple of years out of dog collars from the dollar store plus a bit of additional hardware. I use a bit of double-sided velcro tape to attach them to the back hand-loop of the boot; the velcro is quite strong but should work as a breakaway under enough force. I then clip them to the binding after putting my boards on. I find this more convenient and comfortable than the traditional around-the-leg or boot strap, and they can be clipped back to the boot and hidden under the cuff of my pants when not in use.

(I'm admittedly bad about actually leashing up... but I always have a set on my boots to meet hill requirements and for appropriate circumstances. They come in handy for strapping and shouldering a set of boards when climbing ropes, too)

One other mod I've mulled on a bit is trying to rig an accessory brake on a Receptor base plate, sitting between the two binding pieces. It'd be a nice addition to alleviate a little bit of my leash guilt and make the boards safer if one gets loose (I've never had an unintentional release that didn't involve hanging from a tree by my toe lever, but did drop a board I wasn't wearing once last season). Something similar to this: https://www.wildsnow.com/8690/afterm...s-dynafit-tlt/