Better than verts

**cat in january** · 11-20-2016, 10:52 AM

Tobin Seagel gave a talk in Portland a few weeks back and he mentioned these. Seem like a much better alternative to verts-not that you can find them anymore.

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http://billygoattech.com/

**meter-man** · 11-21-2016, 12:51 PM

Email them. They hooked me up with a pair last March.

Great solution for bootpacking. Never used verts, but these make more sense to me.

EDIT: or did you mean you can't find Verts? http://www.verts.com/

**cat in january** · 11-21-2016, 01:24 PM

My bad wording. Last time I looked I could not find the verts.

**BFD** · 11-21-2016, 03:32 PM

I think you need crampons with them so adds some weight. The new binding on verts is a big improvement. I think Mike Records has done some trips with people using both so may have some insight on side by side comparison. Right now wondering what will work best on rocks.

**meter-man** · 11-21-2016, 03:45 PM

From last year's AK thread, here are Mike's comments: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...14#post4685514

**AKbruin** · 11-21-2016, 06:02 PM

I fondled them a little in Mammoth Mountaineering last spring. $130 seems like a lot of a thin piece of medal, they might be fiddly to get on and off with one's crampons (e.g., one must be a yoga practitioner or take off one's boots entirely), and they may or may not be easy to pack. That said, there are at least a few times every year when I'm flailing away trying to set a bootpack in steep, consolidated snow when they could be completely worth it.

meter-man: What do you think of them?

**meter-man** · 11-21-2016, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by AKbruin

I fondled them a little in Mammoth Mountaineering last spring. $130 seems like a lot of a thin piece of medal, they might be fiddly to get on and off with one's crampons (e.g., one must be a yoga practitioner or take off one's boots entirely), and they may or may not be easy to pack. That said, there are at least a few times every year when I'm flailing away trying to set a bootpack in steep, consolidated snow when they could be completely worth it.

meter-man: What do you think of them?

They gave me the plates for $100 CAN last March (~$70 US). I think it was the last of their old design, so they gave me a discount.

It's a specialist tool. If you're booting STFU a couloir in deep snow, they are a godsend. Otherwise, they are unnecessary. It's also nice to have the crampons underfoot too. Ultimately, I doubt I will use them very much -- except if I intend to boot up a coolie and then I will definitely bring them. AKB, if you haven't used Verts or Ascent plates, you'll laugh when you feel the difference. It just doesn't compare! I'll happily lend them to you any time I'm not using them.

I found them to be easy to use and easy to pack (they are flat and much smaller than Verts). It's one additional step over just putting on a crampon and definitely does not require removing your boots.

One minor negative as compared to verts is that you have to put on your crampons in order to use the Ascent plates. So, you have to carry crampons and the plates.

**AKbruin** · 11-23-2016, 12:18 PM

^^^Thanks, man. That's a very helpful write-up.

I guess I'll probably pick up a pair at some point. I figure there'll be 3-5x a year when I'll use them and they'll save me a crap ton of energy.