UKH

Help me ukc! It's 7 years since I used this boot/crampon combi, but last time I remember being annoyed by the crampon falling off once.

I'm trying to work out if that was user error, or whether the boots have had it? The toe rubber is a little worn, so there's less contact with the metal at the front of the crampon than there would be with new boots. (The boots are 20 years old but used only for winter, which is not something I've done a lot of).

It's a basket at the front though not a toe bail. Last trip I then borrowed a crampon with a toe bail and that stayed on fine, if that indicates anything.

I don't see how that could happen unless your crampons are set way too big for your boots. Shorten them. The crampon should stay on securely before you put the strap through the basket.

Pictures of the setup would be useful

Yeah, I hhink the 'poons are too long and possibly also the heel clip too loose.

Indeed the lenght of the 'poons should be so that without engaging the toebail/basket properly, nor the heel clip (you might still need to use the heel clip to set the crampons), it should stay snuggly on the boot.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LeYVPDwkV37ztYU46

See how the worn toe rubber leaves a little gap where it would have contacted the vertical metal a bit more, when new

Really? I didn't know this was ever possible, they're either too short or too long.

A photo from behind is revealing though

https://photos.app.goo.gl/u5R3cGD6XZMyt9Xr9

...Well mainly revealing of uneven wear cos I walk funny.  that metal tab on the right would never contact the rubber without the heel clip done up.

Have the boots had it then?

The tread on the boots does look severely worn. You can get the boots resoled if the rest of the boot is OK. Feet first do this.

It does look like the heel clip is not adjusted so that it keeps the heel of the crampon in contact with the heel of the boot. My guess is the crampon may have come detached this way.

 

It's still hard (at least for me) to understand how they could have fallen off when using a basked from the photos you've shown.

Can you take pictures of the boot with the crampon fully attached and zoom out a bit, so we can see angles from

1. both sides 
2. front
3. back

Perhaps the heel clip got disengaged after the boot heel was pressed down hard, that then allowed the heel of the boot to slip over one of the rear posts (see gap in picture) and the front of the boot to be rotated out of the basket.

In any case the fit of the heel in the last picture would definitely be a cause for concern if it was me