Patent Application
20140123521
This application relates to snowshoes and crampons for use in mountaineering and backcountry skiing.
A mountaineer or backcountry skier is likely to encounter a variety of conditions in an alpine environment. While hiking and climbing one may be required to cross exposed rock, a scree slope, glacial ice, crusted snow, heavy wet snow, powdered snow, and the like. Even where the environment is uniformly covered in snow, the type of snow will not generally be uniform. Although crampons are often used for traction on ice and hardened snow, they are not suitable for soft snow. Likewise, snow shoes are only suitable for soft snow and are not ideal for climbing steeper pitches. Switching between crampons and snow shows while carrying a pack or skis and wearing heavy winter clothes and gloves is particularly inconvenient.
Accordingly, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a lightweight means for accommodating varying snow conditions with increased convenience.
In one aspect of the invention, a snow climbing plate is disclosed for use with a crampon having spikes protruding from a lower surface of a sole portion thereof and heel and toe bindings extending from an upper surface of the sole portion, the heel and toe bindings being positioned to secure a boot to the crampon. The snow climbing plate includes a generally planar member having a lower surface and an upper surface opposing the lower surface, the planar member having a greater lateral extent than the sole portion. The planar member further includes a binding receiver positioned to receive one of the heel and toe bindings of the crampon when secured to the boot having the planar member positioned between the boot and the crampon and a portion of the planar member captured between the heel and toe bindings of the crampon. In some embodiments, the binding receiver is a heel binding receiver and the planar member further includes a toe binding aperture positioned to receive the toe binding when the heel binding is positioned in the heel binding receiver. In other embodiments, the planar member further includes a notch extending from a toe end of the planar member toward the heel aperture and positioned to receive the toe binding.
In another aspect of the invention, at least one rib is secured to or extends from the lower surface of the planar member and may extend from a lateral edge of the planar member and extend downwardly from the lower surface.
In another aspect of the invention, the planar member further comprises at least one heel tab aperture positioned rearwardly of the heel binding receiver and sized and positioned to receive at least one heel tab secured to the sole portion of the crampon.
In another aspect of the invention, the planar member extends one or both of rearwardly and forwardly from the sole portion of the crampon.
Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:
The snow climbing plate 10 may define a longitudinal direction 14 that is generally parallel to a front-to-back axis of a wearer and a lateral direction 16 that is generally parallel to a right-to-left axis of a wearer. The planar member 12 has an upper surface 18 and a lower surface 20 and defines a two end 22 and a heel end 24.
The planar member 12 defines one or both of a heel binding receiver 26 and a toe binding receiver 28 positioned to receive a portion of the heel binding and toe binding, respectively, of a crampon. As shown in
The planar member 12 may have a lateral extent 32 to either side of the heel and toe binding receivers sufficient to reduce the planar member's 12 tendency to sink into soft snow. A longitudinal length of the planar member may be such that the planar member 12 has a rearward extent 34 beyond one of the heel binding receiver 26, a sole portion of a crampon securing the planar member to a boot, and a sole portion of a boot secured to the planar member 12. As shown in
The planar member 12 advantageously reduces the extent that a wearer's foot descends into snow. Accordingly, some or all of the lateral extent 32, rearward extent 34, and forward extent 36 may be effective to achieve this objective. As an example, the lateral extent 32 of the planar member 12 along a all or a major portion of the sole portion of a boot or crampon secured thereto may be between 25 and 100 percent of the width of one of the heel binding receiver 26, toe binding receiver 28, and the sole of a crampon or boot secured to the planar member 12. Likewise, one or both of the rearward extent 34 and forward extent 36 may be between 5 and 25 percent of one of the entire length of the planar member 12 and a sole of a crampon or boot secured thereto. The toe binding receiver 28 is preferably a notch or, if a forward extent 36 is included, the forward extent 36 it is preferably short. This arrangement facilitates steep climbing without having the climbing plate hang up in snow. Also, the short toe end of the plate allows the toe spikes of the crampon to bite into hard snow or ice without interference from the climbing plate.
In some embodiments, one of the heel binding receiver 26 and toe binding receiver 28 may be omitted such that one or both of the toe end 22 and heel end 24 does not include a notch or other feature engaging a crampon. In such embodiments, the positioning of a binding in whichever of the receivers 26, 28 that is not omitted and the capture of a portion of the planar member 12, such as the instep portion 30, between the toe and heel bindings of the crampon may be used to retain the snow climbing plate 10.
In some applications, a crampon used with the snow climbing plate may include tabs for retaining a heel of a boot. Accordingly, the planar member 12 may include one or more heel tab apertures 38 positioned rearwardly of the heel binding receiver 26 and sized to receive the heel tabs. In this and other embodiments disclosed herein, where a crampon does not include tabs, the heel tab apertures 38 may be replaced with tabs extending downwardly from the lower surface 20. The tabs may be formed by bending downwardly sections of the planar member 12. The planar member 12 may have a thickness such that a portion of the heel tabs extend above the upper surface 18 of the planar member 12 effective to engage a heel of a boot secured to the planar member 12.
The planar member 12 may be stiffened by one or more stiffening elements secured thereto. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, ribs 40 may be fastened to a lower surface 20 of the planar member and extend downwardly therefrom. The downward extension of the ribs also helps to increase traction of the climbing plate. Alternatively, the ribs 40 may secure to the upper surface 18 and extend upwardly. As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the heel binding 48 includes a bail 52 with a clamping member 54, or toggle member, for engaging a boot. The bail 52 may be pivotally mounted to the sole portion 46. The toe binding 50 may likewise include a bail 56 or other member for capturing a portion of the toe of a boot. The bail 56, or other member, may be rigidly secured to the sole portion 46. In instances where the crampon 44 includes heel tabs 58, these tabs may be positioned within the heel tab apertures 38.
As noted above, the instep portion 30 of the planar member 12 is positioned between the bail 52 and the bail 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the planar member 12 extends rearwardly from the edge of the crampon 44 but does not extend forwardly from the sole portion 46 of the crampon 44. However, in some embodiments, the opposite may be true or the planar member 12 may extend both forwardly and rearwardly from the sole portion 46.
An adjustment member 68 may secure the heel portion 62 and toe portion 64 to one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment member 68 is a metal strip secured to one of the portions 62, 64 having a plurality of holes secured therein and selectively secured to the other of the portions 62, 64 by means of a fastener. In the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment member 68 extends across and under the instep portion 30 of the planar member 12.
As is particularly evident in
The snow climbing plate 10 described herein advantageously allows a snow climbing plate to be interposed between a crampon 44 and boot 60 with little or no adjustment. For example, a size setting for a crampon 44 that is only slightly loosened but still in an ideal setting range may be adjusted suitably for securement and use with a boot both with and without the snow climbing plate 10. Accordingly, a user is relieved of the need to adjust the crampon when installing and removing the snow climbing plate 10.
The snow climbing plate 10 additionally has no binding of its own and is therefore lighter in weight than a complete snowshoe. In some instances the disclosed snow climbing plate does not need to be removed when not required and when placement or removal is required, the process is little more complicated than removing and replacing a crampon.
As can be seen in
Referring to
A sliding plate 88 may extend across the notch 26 in the lateral direction 16. The heel tab apertures 38 or tabs may be defined by the sliding plate 88. The sliding plate 88 may have a width in the longitudinal direction 14 that is less than the extent of the notch 26 in the longitudinal direction 14 such that the sliding plate 88 may be positioned at various longitudinal locations within the notch 26. The sliding plate 88 may also be positionable having a portion thereof extending rearwardly from the heel end 24 of the planar member 12. The sliding plate 88 may secure to the planar member 12 on either side of the notch 26 by any fastening means. The fastening means may require tools to remove and install or may be removable and installable without tools. For example, the fastening means may be screws, bolts, wing nuts, quick release fasteners, or the like.
In the illustrated embodiment, the sliding plate 88 may include one or more opposing pairs of apertures 90 positioned adjacent longitudinally extending edges of the sliding plate 88. The planar member 12 may likewise include one or more apertures 92 positioned adjacent the longitudinally extending edges of the notch 26 and each positioned to selectively align with an aperture of the apertures 90. Various configurations of the apertures 90 and the apertures 92 may be used. For example, adjustability may be achieved with one or more pairs of apertures 90 and a plurality of pairs of apertures 92 spaced apart along the longitudinally extending edges of the notch 26. Alternatively, a one or more pairs of apertures of 92 may engage any of a plurality of pairs of apertures 90 formed in the plate 88. Although apertures are shown in the illustrated embodiment, any structure enabling registration of the sliding plate 88 at various longitudinal positions along the notch 26 and fastening to the planar member 12. For example, rather than apertures, one or both of the apertures 90 and apertures 92 may be replaced with notches.
As is apparent in
The flanges 104 may secure to the planar member 12 by means of fasteners 106. The fasteners 106 may be embodied as any removable fastening means such as screws or bolts. The fasteners 106 may also be embodied as any permanent fastener such as rivets, welds, or the like. In some embodiments, the flange 104 may be formed by deformation of the planar member to define a recessed area for receiving the lateral portions of the sliding plate 102. The flanges 104 may define one or more opposing pairs of apertures 108 positioned over the notch 26 and positioned to engage a fastener engaging the sliding plate 100 in order to fix the position of the sliding plate 100 within the notch 26. In some embodiments, the fastener used may be such that only the flanges 104 and corresponding fasteners are required to retain the sliding plate 100 within the notch 26. The sliding plate 100 may include one or more opposing pairs of apertures 110 distributed along the edges thereof and positionable to overlap the apertures 108 at various positions. As an alternative, one or more pairs of apertures 110 may be positionable to engage any of a plurality of pairs of apertures 108 in the flanges 104.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In the illustrated embodiment, the ribs 40, which provide one or both of stiffening and traction functions are used to adjust the position of the planar members 12a, 12b. In other embodiments, the apertures 118 may be formed in one or more longitudinally extending members and the apertures 120a, 120b may be positioned to be selectively secured to these apertures. In such embodiments, the ribs 40 may be omitted or each planar member 12a, 12b may have portions of the ribs 40 formed thereon or secured thereto in order to provide stiffening and fraction functions.
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
