Footwear for Cradle / Overland in winter

[Team-Dodgey]

A group of us is planning to do the Overland / Cradle etc in August. Target is the whole Overland, plus side-trip climbs of Cradle, Ossa, and a couple of days into Pine Valley / Labyrinth. We are struggling with what footwear to use, or actually what to attach TO the footwear. The best info seems to be snowshoes. Some info we have is that the duckboards on the tracks get like ice, and simple instep crampons are a good idea for anti-slip value. How useful would these be? For the peak-bagging, are snow shoes going to be OK, or do we need full-on 12-point (or even good instep) crampons? How much use would an ice-axe be? Our thought would also be to take ski-stocks (we don't have any walking poles). We are experienced mainland ski-tourers and SW walkers, but have not been in Tassie in the winter before.

Team Dodgey.

[Nuts]

Snow cleats/ instep crampons are handy on the boardwalk. Snowshoes are handy but not usually necessary other than being able to move sooner with a big dump. I'd take them if snow was laying or forecast at the Cradle end.

[Team-Dodgey]

Thanks for the feedback. Any other thoughts by folks?
For peak-bagging, what is the general feeling for footwear? Is climbing Cradle and Ossa, and hopefully Geryon, an ice-climb (suggesting crampons and maybe an axe), or more of a snowy & rocky scramble? ...in which case we assume snow shoes would be OK. Current thinking is snow shoes (for a dump on the main Overland track and for peak-bagging), and small ice-cleats or small instep crampons for icy duckboards. And also ski stocks. No full crampons and no ice-aces.

[doogs]

The weather can be very different one week to the next over the Tasmanian winter, the peaks could be almost entirely free of snow with a little morning ice or there could be a lot thick wet snow and lots of ice on the higher peaks. This makes it really hard to get the footwear right. In cold icy conditions Geryon would be a difficult ice climb needing ropes (ice axe, hammer, crampons + gear too), Cradle would be tricky over the back side for a short section rarely gets winter sun and Ossa has a large patch of steep snow which is tricky and feels exposed when frozen solid (might be best to wait until the afternoon until it thaws a little).

[Azza]

An Ice Axe is handy for the back side of Cradle to cut steps on the tricky bit if its really snowy...
If icy you'd possibly want crampons.

Ossa is a walk, except if there is ice it can get pretty treacherous with the potential to go for a nasty long slide off to the left on the way up.
You'd need to self arrest.

Geryon North or South - You'd probably want the full kit and its probably a bit of an ambitious side trip in winter with shorter days.

Being Tasmania there could be ice, snow, no snow...one can never be quite sure until you get there.

I usually take an ice axe if there is snow evident on the higher peaks or forecast, its come in handy once or twice.
Also look at the weather before you leave, if its not going to dump or there hasn't been one recently more than likely there won't be that much snow.

[Nuts]

I guess the standard question is whether all your team has used ice climbing gear? Ski touring suggests you have experience but (at the risk of sounding patronising), remote peaks aren't a good place to start, easy to get up high and have trouble on the way down (?) That said (with experience) you could traverse Geryons to Acropolis circuit so it always helps (on here) to just give a few more details.

My climbing skills are pretty rudimentary but i'd go nowhere near Geryon's when snowed under or iced up personally. I carried an axe for a few winter trips but didn't need it for Cradle or Ossa, could see where it might be handy especially if your determined to climb in any weather.

[Nuts]

I guess the standard question is whether all your team has used ice climbing gear? Ski touring suggests you have experience but (at the risk of sounding patronising), remote peaks aren't a good place to start, easy to get up high and have trouble on the way down (?) That said (with experience) you could traverse Geryons to Acropolis circuit so it always helps (on here) to just give a few more details.

My climbing skills are pretty rudimentary but i'd go nowhere near Geryon's when snowed under or iced up personally. I carried an axe for a few winter trips but didn't need it for Cradle or Ossa, could see where it might be handy especially if your determined to climb in any weather. Typically in good climbing weather you'll find slush or beaten tracks.