Rock Spikes are Kahtoola Microspikes, Hillsound Path Crampon Ultrasand every totally different light-weight (chain-based) winter traction aids with boring spikes which had been worn down from heavy use. Fairly than throw them away, hikers and peakbaggers use them via the early winter and in late spring when the paths are icy nonetheless there’s quite a few naked rock and gravel nonetheless displaying. When you could use a pair of latest spikes in these circumstances, they’ll get worn down shortly by the uncovered rocks, so that you simply’d presumably as correctly use a pair that’s already crushed up, significantly your rock spikes.
The spikes on a pair of Kahtoola Microspikes or Hillsound Path Crampons will get fairly boring after a season or two of frequent use. You presumably can try to sharpen them with a file, nonetheless the metallic fairly is low high quality, they usually obtained’t protect sharp for extended. When boring, they are going to nonetheless present traction though you obtained’t get the an an identical diploma of penetration into ice that you just’d throughout the event that they’d been new. I liken them to the tire chains used on automotive and truck tires, offering traction even when the tires’ tread or studs are worn down.
If need to attempt to sharpen the spikes, use a Mill Bastard File. Stroke the file alongside the extended aspect of every crampon diploma, from the underside to the tip, and solely in that one path. That is simpler to do when the spikes are linked to a boot. Watch out to not sharpen the crampon enamel to a pointy diploma: they need to maintain barely rounded on the tip like a ballpoint pen for max energy. As shortly as sharpened they might get blunt as quickly as additional additional shortly although, since there’s now so much a lot much less metallic in every tooth.
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