Billy Goat Ascent Plates

I was an alpinist long before I was a ski mountaineer. And, although I love skinning uphill, booting up steep couloirs still has an honored place in my heart. In the right conditions, booting is more efficient. There’s nothing I hate more than zigzagging up a narrow chute on skis doing kick turn after kick turn. On the other hand, conditions can dictate a skis-only approach rather than sink crotch deep and “trench” upwards.

Dr. Phil wallowing up the North side of Tincan, Kenai Mountains, AKThis is where the rub lies. Too narrow and steep to skin and too deep to boot. In the past, there were few alternatives for travel in these conditions. Dina enjoying my draft high on the Spoon Couloir, Disappointment Peak, GTNP.Some friends of mine used to sing the praises of Verts, plastic snow shoe-like discs that increase the floatation on steep ascents. In the right conditions, they work pretty well. But if the climber encounters a hard patch of snow things get desperate and down right dangerous. An imperfect solution.

Enter Billy Goat Ascent Plates. These elegant devices create the necessary surface area to reduce post holing while allowing crampon front points to provide the security and safety during intermittent firmness.I first came across these on Wildsnow when Louie Dawson gave them a shout after using them on a trip. When I was at the Outdoor Retailer Show this summer, Dane Burns from Cold Thistle came across them and summoned me for a sit down with the distributor.

Made of aluminum, they’re relatively light and, paired with a super light mountaineering crampon like those offered by CAMP USA, the combo is a formidable tool for getting up to go down. Not limited to skiing, I can also see them used by alpinists on long ridge slogs that can suck the motivation from anyone on the way to the top.

The creators know a thing or two about trenching in the Coast Range of British Columbia and their frustration led to the development of what you see here. Plenty of vertical meters testing out prototypes confirmed their utility and led to their release.

From their website:

“Our mission is to design and produce innovative products that will optimize efficiency for mountain travel.”

Billy Goat Technologies is the manufacturer / distributor for BGT Ascent Plates. The Ascent Plate is a new Patent Pending alpine snowshoe for technical terrain made from an aluminum plate component that fits between the ski / mountaineering boot and a crampon. Billygoat Technologies was founded in 2012 by Jon Johnston and Lance Edwards.

The plates have gone thru various stages of development since 2004 when Jon made the first pair out of a scrap of laminate flooring to climb the north face of Plinth Peak in the BC coast range.  The flooring didn’t last long, but the concept worked amazingly well.  Soon in conjunction with the late Jack Hannan, multiple prototypes were created out of various materials until we settled on aluminum for its light weight, strength and ease of manufacturing.

The Ascent Plates have been tested extensively on some of the most difficult lines in North America, including the first winter ascent and descent of the “Beautiful Nightmare” on Plinth Peak, BC; an attempt of the southwest ridge of Mt St Elias, AK (reaching 16,000’);  an attempt of the NE face Mt Queen Bess BC;  Mt Hickson, BC (various lines), Mt Rainier, WA; Joffre Peak BC, both Twisting Couloir to NW face direct and Central couloir;  Mt Sampson BC, North Face and DD couloir; Mt Meager BC by various lines,  and countless other routes around BC and AK.

Jack and Jon pioneered many routes around the Pemberton area, using snowmobiles to access remote areas and climb lines that most would not have attempted.  The ascent plates were crucial to the success of many of those missions.  Unfortunately Jack passed away in an avalanche on the north face of Mt Currie in March 2010, but Jon is still out looking for new lines in the Coast Range.

I’ve spent numerous days out wallowing up couloirs in the Tetons and now in the Chugach, Talkeetna and Kenai Mountains of Alaska. It always kicks my ass. So, it’s not without a small amount of enthusiasm that I wait impatiently for the chance to test these puppies out.  Louie Dawson gives them a good review here. It’s worth reading all the usual suspects’ commentary below. Many good points raised both for and against. These may drive your decision to purchase a pair

I have no personal report on them yet but included below are my detailed steps for assembly and fitting so I can stare and dream.

My old Dynafit TLT 5P paired with a Grivel Haute Route crampon.

Positioning the front part of the plate close to the bail pivot. Heel lever forward.

Lining up the rear piece. I moved it back one hole to optimize forward position.

Screw set, 3 per side minimum.

Locked and loaded.

If your partner doesn't have a pair and the snow is deep, this is all he's going to see until the top.

Comments

[Jeff]

Hey Brian,

Just got a pair of TLT5's for this year and I'm excited about the door they will open. Curious of the metatarsil (sp) mod it looks like you did to yours. Any info would be great...

Thanks!

[Brian]

Hey Jeff,

Good eye, mate. I'd like to say that I was being super clever with that but it's nothing very interesting. After 3 seasons of heavy use, one of the rivets at the toe failed and made the whole front end pretty loose. After I broke one of the lower buckles I brought the boots into a boot maker here to have the buckle rivetted on. While he was at it, I had him replace the rivet at the toe, as well. That rivet failed within an hour.

So, I simply replaced the rivet with the short screw and ny-lock nut you saw in the picture. I don't know if it "locks out" that silly little bit of travel it's supposed to have. Never paid much attention to this useless feature. It boggles my mind that people actually debate its merit on sites like Wildsnow. Wasted design feature, IMO.

[Aaron]

Hi Brian, came across your page and live in Eagle River. I picked up the billy goats and love them. Need lighter crampons though. I see you have the Haute route. What are your thoughts of the Camp 390's vs Haute route? Is the Haute route worth the weight penalty for having a little beefier tie piece in a billy goat application?

I guess it all comes down to the application in which you intend to use them, but if you had any thoughts on the matter...I am all ears.

Thanks!!

[Brian]

Hi Aaron,

E.R.? Do you happen to guard the gates to my favorite zone in the Chugach?? If so, can I be your friend? You know what I'm talking about, I'm sure.

Anyway, I think the BG plates are the shit as long as the rest of the group has them. They add foot weight but in deep snow their benefit outweighs the downside. Choosing light crampons helps mitigate this, of course. But too light of a 'poon can have consequences. To wit, I was booting up a tasty line in Chamonix last spring, moving over some rocks and a gentle kick against some stone in a mixed section snapped the front bail of my CAMP 390s. Not good. Down climbing outtathere was less enjoyable, to say the least.

With that event in mind, I think the additional weight of the steel where it counts with the Grivel spikes is worth it. Crampon failure is just too big of a deal to mess with. I know others who have beat on their CAMPs without issue but.... Perhaps fitting a steel bail on the 390s would be a nice compromise. Hmmm.

The other thing about steel points is that they simply wear better. That said, the Haute Route front points are a bit short making steeper ice slightly more sketchy. Chose your poison.