The inexpensive tripod snow basket...

A trip to the local ski store proved to be very productive. I asked if they sold spare baskets for ski poles and explained to the salesman what I was trying to accomplish. He went back into their shop and returned with 3 large baskets which originally fit on Scott brand poles. He was very helpful and just let me have the baskets for free! I think its probably common for ski repair shops to have extra baskets laying around.

The next stop was the local Home Depot. My first idea was to slip the tripod leg through the basket and then secure the basket with a couple of hose clamps. Hose clamps are very inexpensive and can be purchased at just about any hardware store. The drawback of such an implementation is that a flat-head screwdriver would be required to tighten the clamps. So, I searched for a better solution. After wandering the isles for a bit, I found a PVC 1/2" female thread to poly adapter sprinkler fitting ($0.79 ea.) which proved to be perfect for my needs!

The poly adapter fitting slipped through the ski pole basket with just a little room to spare. I then used a hot glue gun to semi-permanently attach the fitting to the basket. The 1/2" threaded side of the fitting fit snugly over the rubber leg caps on my Gitzo G1228. After pushing the adapter over the rubber caps, I give it a couple turns to engage the threads and screw it firmly into place. To remove the baskets, just give it a couple of turns, unscrewing it, and they pop right off.

The basket assembly prevents the tripod legs from sinking more than 5 or 6 inches into the snow and they stay on securely until you want to remove them!