Snowshoe for receiving crampons

A snowshoe and crampon combination, comprising:

• a snowshoe including a snowshoe frame and a decking secured to the snowshoe frame, the decking providing a heel crampon opening positioned substantially where the heel of a user's boot is located when the snowshoe is worn by a user,
• the snowshoe further including a crampon registry plate positioned substantially where a toe area of the user's boot is located when the snowshoe is worn by a user, with open space in the snowshoe decking around the registry plate,
• a crampon with means for engagement with the user's boot and for securing the crampon to the boot,
• the crampon having a series of downwardly extending teeth, including a rear set of teeth positioned, when worn on a user's boot, to extend down through the heel crampon opening in the snowshoe deck so as to engage terrain when the user's heel is pressed downwardly,
• the downwardly extending teeth of the crampon further including a front set of teeth so arranged to generally surround the crampon registry plate and to extend downwardly through said open space and beneath the plate to engage terrain when the crampon is engaged against an upper surface of the plate, and
• the registry plate and a front portion of the crampon including cooperating means for substantially locking the crampon in position on the registry plate against lateral movement and against relative twisting movement,
• whereby the crampon may be worn on the user's boot for ice conditions, without the snowshoe, and when deep snow is to be traversed by the user, the boot and crampon can be secured directly and securely to the snowshoe, the crampon thus providing cleats for the snowshoe.

A snowshoe and crampon combination, comprising:

• a snowshoe including a snowshoe frame and a decking secured to the snowshoe frame, the decking providing a heel crampon opening positioned substantially where the heel of a user's boot is located when the snowshoe is worn by a user,
• a crampon with means for securing against the bottom of the user's boot,
• the crampon having a series of downwardly extending teeth, including a rear set of teeth positioned, when worn on a user's boot, to extend down through the heel crampon opening in the snowshoe deck so as to engage terrain when so positioned and when the user's heel is pressed downwardly, and including a front set of teeth positioned generally in a toe area of the user's boot,
• the snowshoe further including, at a position generally at the toe area of the user's boot, crampon locking means for cooperating with and registering with teeth of said front set of crampon teeth when said teeth are placed down into the crampon locking means so as to securely locate and register the crampon with the snowshoe, substantially fixing the crampon against lateral movement and against twisting movement relative to the snowshoe, and the snowshoe decking including space adjacent to the crampon locking means to allow the front set of crampon teeth to extend down through the snowshoe to engage terrain,
• whereby the crampon may be worn on the user's boot for ice conditions, without the snowshoe, and when deep snow is to be traversed by the user, the boot and crampon can be secured directly and securely to the snowshoe, the crampon thus providing cleats for the snowshoe.