|
The point should protrude far enough from the ferrule to permit several resharpenings. A one-piece point does not have the resiliency of a point and ferrule. Metal parts should be protected by a thin coat of oil after each use, the stock by frequent thin coats of a good wood preservative. A leather sheath for the head will keep the point out of undesirable places when the ax is carried, but is not necessary. Crampons.—Fitted well and tied securely to the boots, crampons, properly used with an ice ax, will hold on exceedingly steep ice slopes (80° is claimed!) without requiring that steps be cut. It follows that crampons will increase safety in steps on less severe angles. A crampon should be rugged, and the ski mountaineer should beware of rejected army crampons that may be on the market for some time, and that have received the well-deserved nickname of "folding crampons" for their utter lack of necessary sturdiness. Single articulation of the crampon is adequate. The points should be 1- 11/2inches long to permit resharpening—frequently needed if the climber wears them often on rock islands in the ice. The number of points varies from 2 to 19. The 12-point model, which has two points protruding at an angle in front of the foot, is most versatile. A 4-point crampon may serve for the skier who wishes only to wear something on his ski boots for short and infrequent pitches of ice that are not difficult. The binding when wet will tighten if of webbing and stretch if of leather, but leather is easy to tighten again and can be more easily worked at subfreezing temperatures. On any long trip a spare pair of bindings is desirable. Many methods have been devised to simplify adjustment of bindings; whichever is chosen should be so simple that the climber will remove crampons willingly |
|||
|
