It 's an hour or so to the head of the valley , and I was already in thick snow by then . From there it 's a solid climb for another 45 minutes or so up the ' Devils Staircase ' which is about as steep as a staircase . Then there was what seemed like the ' trudge of doom ' across the flat ' South Crater ' through mostly firm snow , followed by another stiff climb up to Red Crater . By then the snow was getting quite icy and I was glad I brought my crampons .
Why was I glad for the crampons ?
A. Because the climb was long .
B. Because there was more ice then .
C. None of the above choices .
D. Because the climb was steep .


B