Snowshoeing with Crutches

[gimpyone]

I'm thinking about trying snowshoeing with crutches this year. I want to fit a ski pole tip of some sort onto my forearm crutches. It will need to have a very large basket to prevent postholing while bearing my weight. I am sure that I can engineer something. What type of ski pole would have the largest diameter basket that I could cannibalize?

[RR]

The old fashioned leather spyder with the eight inch rings are the only prefab that would easily bolt into the end of your stick...but the leather would be too old.

You might think out of the box a bit and construct pole ends with a stainless or aluminum oval laminated with snowshoe decking or haulbag material to prevent snow from sticking to any exposed metal.

Perhaps stainless studs, with a hex middle and threaded at both ends would serve well as both fixing bolt and spike.

Best of luck!

[drewvw]

interesting project...

i'm with the think outside the box angle on this one. Maybe start looking around at some sort of plastic/retangular/grid type of thing that you can modify to be a asket.

let us know what you come up with

[clg898]

You can buy standard powder baskets for ski poles without having to get the poles. Actually, maybe you should be looking for a banged up pair of modern snow shoes. I have a pair of 10 year-old Tubbs that have a vinyl or neopre decking (not sure) that is secured with grommets. You could fashion some aluminum tubing or maybe use some half-inch PVC tubing and then fasten the decking to it with grommets. Sounds like a good project to keep you busy while we wait for the snow to fly!

[wooley12]

Karma? Serendipity? Another Nordic Club member gave me an Army ski repir kit last night. PM with your address and I'll drop these in the mail to you. 6" rubber/aluminium

[gimpyone]

Done!! Thanks so much, those are perfect!! That's exactly what I had in mind!!

[wooley12]

In the mail tomorrow. Not sure how they are supposed to be attached on the pole. Think I'd get a too long metal ski pole at Goodwill and cut the bottom off. Then insert a 3-4" wood plug. Drill for a threaded rod and cap the basket with a nut and washer with some rod sticking out. First though, google around for how the army did it. There were a couple of ski pole hand grips in the kit and I'll toss those your way too.

[wooley12]

I'll send them anyway, but check this out

http://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/pro...ne%20US%20Army

[gimpyone]

That is super! In my excitement, I didn't ask you if you wanted to sell them?If you want to hang on to, or have a use for the baskets please tell me. I can always buy the full pole set up. Your idea of using the threaded rod and dowel was exactly how I envisioned it. Let me know
Brian

[wooley12]

I'n my quest to move west, I estimate that I have 5 tons of "stuff" to get rid of. Tomorrow I'll only have 9999 lbs. left. Your doing me a favor.

[PWDR8S]

I was going to suggest the bottom of a bathroom trash can for a basket but it appears you have just the exact item now.

Let us know how the crutch shoeing goes. Will you be one legged?

[wooley12]

And if anyone needs replacement wires for their Silvretta Saas Fee cable binding from the late 60's, I got 'em.

[gimpyone]

Originally Posted by PWDR8S

Let us know how the crutch shoeing goes. Will you be one legged?

Although I ski on one leg, I hike with two, so I'm gonna try two legged in the "walk thru" technique. I'll definitely let you know how it goes.

[gimpyone]

Thanks to Wooley12 for the awesome pole baskets! I took advantage of being snowed in yesterday to fabricate a pair of snowshoe crutches. My plow guy didn't arrive until 8pm, so I had plenty of powder in my yard and driveway to try 'em out.
My plan was to bolt the baskets onto a wooden dowel, which would then slip inside the lower tube of the crutch, secured by old outrigger pin that I had.
First, I removed the rubber crutch tip.

This is the jig I made for drilling the dowel.


Drilling the dowel...(not waxing the dolphin)

Threading the rod into the dowel.


Threading the basket onto the rod.

The assembled basket and shaft.

Inserted and pinned in lower tube.


Snowshoe "touring" in my yard.


I still haven't figured out whether I can do this two legged or not, but
I have a couple of configurations of knee and leg braces that I will try. A lot depends on the terrain, I'm sure. Packed trails are going to be much easier than deep snow. The 10" of powder we got yesterday was sweet!!
Gotta go dig out the car ; ski day tomorrow!!

[wooley12]

Well done !! I must say I'm impressed with your workmanship. A credit to basement fiddlers everywhere.