Compared to crampons, snowshoes give relatively little grip on ice. Ropes, ice axes, crampons and other technical mountaineering gear are necessary. Specialized "ski crampons" are employed in ski mountaineering on hard snow and ice. Mountaineering boots are typically designed to be used with crampons. It requires ropes, crampons, and ice axes. Ice axes, crampons and ropes are recommended in midwinter. Early 10-point crampons lacked forward angled spikes and thus required step cutting on steep terrain. Without an ice axe or crampons this presents a serious obstacle. No crampons are suitable for B0 boots (flexible walking boots). Frequently crampons are required to travel efficiently and safely over snow and ice. The glacier is mostly snow-free in summer so that crampons are required to cross it. Crampons are fastened to footwear by means of a binding system. That year, Chouinard and Frost began marketing adjustable rigid crampons made of chrome-molybdenum steel. They reportedly also wore crampons for better foothold. He removed the flex from crampons, making them more rigid for front-pointing.