We have a few pairs of instep crampons in the collection, most of them made by Stubai of Austria. This pair are a bit different because they aren’t made by Stubai! The webbing straps which appear to be original and the solid make lead us to the conclusion that they could be military though there are no specific markings to confirm or deny. The B4 stamped on each one is almost certainly a size indicator. We know for sure that they once belonged to the first lady of Scottish skiing, Myrtle Simpson, and that she used them attached to her ski boots when the points just protruded below the skis to give her grip on ice when ski mountaineering. Modern ski mountaineers use rather more refined versions called Harscheisen.