Advice Please: What Spike length on Distel Spikes?

[Jamie Jones]

I have recently upgraded from cheap Treehog spikes to the Distel DMM - Click-Buckle - short gaff spikes

I like the Distel spikes as they are so much more comfortable... But I was continually gaffing out on the short spikes that they came with while climbing on conifer and yew trees. So I had the larger spike sent out to to me and I have swapped them over. I find that on the larger spikes, I am continually on the spike point and not being able to use my boot instep for support.. There isn't a medium length spike.

So are other people having the same problem and what are you using as a setup on these spikes?

[Martin du Preez]

Short spikes all the way, it’s just that they are a new set so will take some getting used to, if I changed from my Distels to say steins I’d have the same problem 

[Steve Bullman]

Yep what Martin said. It’s just muscle memory. Stick with them 

[Joe Newton]

47 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Yep what Martin said. It’s just muscle memory. Stick with them 

I climbed for over a decade on short spikes. Recently changed to long gaffs and wish I'd done it years ago. They are better in pretty much every way. Ivy or knobbly stems are no problem now, and I haven't noticed a drawback on skinny stuff where I thought they'd struggle.

 

The only thing to be aware of is you have to tiptoe on the ground to avoid bluntening them

[Pete Mctree]

I only climb on long spikes now - took a month or so to re-adjust then it felt natural. Just stick with it

[Dan Maynard]

A quietly radical thread cutting against conventional wisdom? Maybe have to buy some long ones to try now.

 

I've only ever climbed on short spikes,  conifers and yew have not been a problem but thick loose ivy can definitely be a bit of an act of faith to stamp up - just keep walking and push up again when they pop out, which they inevitably will.