Microspikes: for ice and packed snow
Microspikes are a rubber harness with chains and short spikes that you pull over a standard hiking or running shoe.
- Where to use them: icy forest paths, packed winter trails to mountain huts, paths along a lake, winter running. Simply put, terrain where if you slip, you fall to the ground but don't slide down a slope.
- Advantages: they are lightweight, quick to put on, fit most shoes, and don't get in the way in the snow.
- Limitations: the short spikes won't bite into hard firn and ice on a slope. They are not meant for steep terrain.
- Size: microspikes are sold by shoe size. Try them on the shoe you will be wearing them with. A winter boot tends to be bulkier.
Crampons: for steep and exposed terrain
Crampons have 10–14 long spikes, including front points. They belong in terrain where slipping would mean a fall down a slope: a steep snow-covered mountainside, a gully, an icy ridge.
Crampons must fit the boot. They are categorised by their attachment method:
- Strap-on (basket): plastic baskets at the front and back can be attached even to a sturdier hiking boot. The most versatile choice for winter hiking.
- Semi-automatic: a basket at the front, a heel lever at the back. The boot needs a rear welt (heel lip) for the lever.
- Automatic: a lever at the back and a toe bail at the front. Only for stiff mountaineering boots with welts at the front and back.
Sole stiffness is key. On a soft boot, crampons flex and can come loose or snap. We cover boot stiffness for different terrain in the article How to choose hiking boots. If you are unsure which type suits your boot, take the boot to a shop and try the crampons on.
Crampons also require an ice axe and skill
Crampons alone are not enough. In terrain where you need them, you also need an ice axe, a helmet, and the knowledge of how to walk in crampons and how to arrest a fall. On a slope where an avalanche can occur, avalanche gear (transceiver, shovel, probe) and the avalanche forecast belong in your backpack too. It pays to learn walking in crampons and ice axe arrest on a course.
The Tatras in winter
In winter, the Tatras are the topic discussed most often on forums.
- Slovak Tatras: most marked trails above mountain huts are closed from 1 November to 15 June (TANAP seasonal closure). Packed paths lead to the huts, where microspikes are usually enough.
- Polish Tatras: a road leads to Morskie Oko, packed and icy in winter. Microspikes are enough there. Higher up above the tarns, alpine terrain begins, where crampons, an ice axe, and avalanche gear are needed.
- Before every hike, check trail conditions, hut opening times, and the avalanche forecast on the websites of the national park administration and mountain rescue.
How to decide
- Microspikes: ice and packed snow on a path where slipping ends in a fall to the ground.
- Crampons, ice axe, and skill: a steep slope, a gully, a ridge, hard firn, where slipping would mean a fall down.
- If you are unsure, take crampons and an ice axe, or change your route. Microspikes in steep terrain give a false sense of security.
Mountain safety is also summarised in the article Ten rules of safe mountain hiking.
Microspikes · Crampons · Ice axes
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