Modification to my Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras

You may have read about the issues I was having with my new Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras staying in place on my Altra shoes in my recent gear review blog post. The problems I was having included: 1) the toe not staying in place and the toe-bar pressing in, 2) heel spikes not secure enough and 3) sides of upper rubber rolling upwards when tightened. I have now made some modifications to them and have solved numbers 1 and 2 above. Issue 3 is still a problem, but it's one I can live with. To allay any suggestions that I'm simply using the wrong size, I tried a medium pair as well and the rubber upper was too tight for my foot, plus the toe-bar issue was worse. An extra-large would have made issue 2 worse.

Previous location of the metal bar shown in green above.

New location of metal bar on R foot. Notice it's not symmetric.

In regards to issue 1 above, I  moved the front metal toe-bar from the top of the foot to the bottom of the foot. This wasn't all that easy since the metal is quite strong. I ended up having to use vice-grips and a small screwdriver to pry the loop closure open. Once unhooked it was easy to reposition and squeeze together the loop where I wanted it. The positioning of the bar is no longer symmetric (see the second image) as I wanted a perfect fit and that was the only way to get it. If you are trying this, be careful not to bend it too far as the metal may be on the brittle side.

I realize the purpose of the toe-bar was probably to keep the two front chains from moving too far to the side of the foot and allowing the shoe to slide forward, but in my experience they were doing this a little too well. The modification now allows the front chains to spread apart slightly more than before, while still keeping the foot from sliding forward.You can see this change in the pictures on the right.

1 link removed from heel chains on both sides of crampons

The second issue of the heel spikes/chains being somewhat looser than ideal was solved by removing a chain link from both of the heel chains. This was even more difficult than the toe-bar modification as it required bending of 4 loops for each link I removed. Again, these links seem quite brittle. This isn't a bad thing given their need for strength, but it does make modification somewhat risky!

I still haven't come up with a way of fixing the third problem. It will have to be something that gets fixed with future generations of this product.

So, despite my complaints and the need to make some modifications to the toe-bar and the heel chains, I still really like these. Their traction is fantastic, and they're super light! Highly recommended!

-UltraChris

Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra Gear Review

Whiskey Jacks at the top of Hollyburn

This weekend The Trail Effect's J.B.Running and I took our new Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras out for a test hike up to Hollyburn Peak. It was a fantastically sunny and warm day and we were able to wear just tights and long-sleeves. It took just over an hour to reach the peak via the winding snowy trail that others had made. The trip down was slightly quicker. The highlight of the hike had to be the birds and the view at the top! There were some very tame Whiskey Jacks and a somewhat less-friendly Raven all searching for food.

This is my first gear review so bear with me; I promise they'll get better! First, the trail we were on had a mix of packed snow, icy sections and a few exposed roots. Since this is a gear review for crampons I figure it should be broken down into a couple categories: Traction, Fit & Feel, Cost, and Final Conclusions

Traction:
The Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras feature a number of clusters of stainless steel spikes that are about a half inch long (see photo below). You'd think these would provide unbelievable grip, and you'd be right. In terms of traction, these stood up to everything we could throw at them. I tried running in them, I tried sliding on a sheet of ice and I even tried placing my foot on an icy, near vertical section of the trail and stepping up - they didn't budge! Full marks in this category.

Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultra, pic from Hillsound website

Fit & Feel
Fit and Feel are at the opposite ends of the spectrum on this one. We'll start with the positive: the feel. The feel is great! I couldn't even tell they were there they're so light! Plus, the spikes aren't so long as to make it feel like they're pushing up into your foot. Those things, combined with the excellent traction, make for a phenomenal ride. The negative, however, is that they didn't stay on my shoes like they were supposed to, though J.B.Running's stayed in place for the most part. As you can see in the bottom photo, mine kept slipping to the side, and if I tried to over-correct and place them medially, that little metal bar would dig in to the top of my big toe! I think the issue stems from the fact that my Altras aren't as pointy as J.B.Running's Salomon Speedcross. I realize that most shoes come to more of a point than the Altras, but the Altras aren't that oddly shaped! And to be fair, the crampons did still work in lateral position, but I wouldn't trust them like that for a steep descent. Another thing that I wasn't totally thrilled about was the way the velcro strap attaches on top. It wraps around the rubber upper and, when tightened, it causes the rubber to roll upwards slightly. This isn't a huge problem, but I do think it could be designed slightly better.

Something isn't quite right here...

Cost
If we didn't win our Hillsound Trail Crampon Ultras as draw prizes at the recent Phantom Trail Race, I'm not sure we would have forked out the money for them. They are regularly $69.99 which, compared to some of the other models, is a bit pricier, and would definitely be quite the investment for a casual runner/hiker. If someone does a significant amount of winter running on snowy and icy conditions I could definitely see the benefit of these, but otherwise the cost is somewhat prohibitive.

Final Thoughts
They did what they were supposed to; they gave unbelievable traction on ice and snow! The downside is they didn't accommodate my non-standard, albeit anatomically correct, shoe, so I'll have to do some altering to make them perfect. If you can get a pair of these for a reduced price I would very much encourage you to do so, or if you have a stack of cash burning a hole in your pocket then feel free to grab a pair. Just remember to make sure they fit and stay on your shoes! Also, for the next month or so, Hillsound is giving away 100 pairs of these Trail Crampon Ultras. The caveat is that you have to submit a picture of you wearing a pair of Hillsound crampons. Maybe you could borrow a friend's for a photo shoot...