5 TIPS FOR WALKING IN CRAMPONS

■ Remember you are armed and dangerous. You can do damage to other people, to your kit, to your limbs and your whole self if you snag them and fall over in the wrong place.

■ Get used to walking with your feet slightly wider apart to begin with, making a conscious effort to avoid snagging your trousers or boots. Make sure there are no loose bits of fabric flapping around, and tuck your crampon straps away neatly into the outside of your boot.

■ Crampons work best when all of the downward pointing spikes are in contact with the snow. This is called ‘flat footing’ and it is a skill that takes practice – especially as the slope gets steeper.

■ On steep ground, the slope may reach an angle where it is not possible to walk with both feet flat on the ground. Here you will need to use the front points or a combination of one foot flat and the other front-pointing.

■ Practice these techniques somewhere safe with no consequences of a slip, and try to play on a variety of angles and snow textures. The firmer the snow, the more exact you will need to be with your technique. You will find that ascending and descending require differing styles and flexible ankles. Remember though, the key to all of it is those downward facing points need to be in the snow. If you’re edging across a slope and half of your points are visible, they won’t be working properly for you.