Ski Boot / Crampon Fit

I'm looking for some advice on crampon fit for my ski boots. The rear bail doesn't quite fit flush on the ski boots due to the ski/walk mechanism but seems to be adequate. I have posted pictures of the toe bail fit as well. Overall it seems solid but who knows how it will be when weighted

I almost always use strap systems with ski boots. Faster and easier to get on, and they dont mess with the walk mode mechanism. That being said if you are climbing a lot mixed and steep ice in your ski boots  like some kind of beast then the straps aren't the best. The way those crampons are fitting on your boots looks kinda wonky, if it were up to me id swap out the binding system.

The toe bail is potentially easy to fix if you have a vise and a hammer or some strong locking pliers. Basically the toe welt of AT boots is generally "taller" than regular mountaineering boots, and you want to adjust the bends slightly to accommodate that. Remove the toe wires and clamp the part that wraps around the toe securely in the vise. Adjust the legs downward with the hammer. The goal is to make the angle more acute, and it shouldn't take much of a tweak to get a very close fit.  Weakening of metal? This could theoretically be an issue. I've done it without issues a couple times and those were old, beat-up toe bails. I assume they are bent cold in the factory and no heat treatment takes place after that, but who knows.

The heel lever doesn't have an easy fix as far as I know. You need to figure out if it's secure enough in the position that the walk/ski pin allows (+ security from the strap, obviously). This is a judgment call. See jdejace's post below. That could be a great option, but I'm thinking the CAMP wires on the heel bail are likely to be aluminum...

I've always thought Petzl/BD/etc should offer a wider variety of toe bails because it really just comes down to minor tweaks to the angles to go from sketchy to bomber. I thought Petzl used to offer some ski-specific toe bails, but not sure. CAMP does make a tall AT-boot-intended toe wire, but it's aluminum. I used them once for something non-technical, but it sketches me out a little to pair with steel toe pieces.

Front looks good enough to me. Those new fangled external walk mechanisms are a pain crampon-wise. I had to look through a lot of boots before finding one that would take crampons reasonably well. One thing you might try is a heel bail that is a bit shorter and tapers at the top. It can maybe wedge in between the two sides of the mechanism better. CAMP has a few. 

https://www.camp-usa.com/outdoor/product/crampons/crampon-accessories/skimo-heel-bail/

snug them up one click and then recheck the heel lever height to see if it is a better sounding fit when you close the lever. 

jdejace wrote: One thing you might try is a heel bail that is a bit shorter and tapers at the top. It can maybe wedge in between the two sides of the mechanism better. CAMP has a few. 

https://www.camp-usa.com/outdoor/product/crampons/crampon-accessories/skimo-heel-bail/

Hey, are the wires of that skimo heel bail aluminum or steel/stainless? Given that it goes on an aluminum crampon and CAMP has shown willingness to make aluminum toe bails, I'm assuming aluminum, but if it's steel I'll buy a pair.

Thanks for the replies!

Skimo has CAMP automatic steel Heel Bails for sale. Sent them a message asking if these would provide a good fit

https://skimo.co/camp-crampon-bails

Chase M wrote:

Thanks for the replies!

Skimo has CAMP automatic steel Heel Bails for sale. Sent them a message asking if these would provide a good fit

https://skimo.co/camp-crampon-bails

Worth noting, not all of those bails are going to be the same low-profile as the skimo bails, and the skimo bails may not be steel. For the non-skimo steel ones, I assume the adjuster knob makes them higher. Probably need comparison photos w/ boots.

CDub wrote:

Hey, are the wires of that skimo heel bail aluminum or steel/stainless? Given that it goes on an aluminum crampon and CAMP has shown willingness to make aluminum toe bails, I'm assuming aluminum, but if it's steel I'll buy a pair.

I'm not sure and I don't want you spending money based on my metallurgy. Ask CAMP, nice guy there named Jonathon seems to answer all the tech questions I've sent. 

And post up the answer. Should I be worried if they're aluminum? Never thought about it. 

CDub wrote:

Worth noting, not all of those bails are going to be the same low-profile as the skimo bails, and the skimo bails may not be steel. For the non-skimo steel ones, I assume the adjuster knob makes them higher. Probably need comparison photos w/ boots.

Standard CAMP ones are big.