Crampons

Ok, i inappropriatley and accidentally posted this under another thread, sorry. I'm looking to buy a pair of strap on crampons, like gravells, any suggestions on the cheapest place?

i would like to add to your question, any insight on aluminum crampons?
been eyeing the grivel G10 lights but am wondering how the aluminum holds up v.s. steel ?
thanks and peace, charlos

The bottom line is to make sure the crampon fits your boot well. Take your boot to the shop and try the BD, Grivel, and Charlet Mosers on for fit. Almost all of the companies make a flexable 10 to 12 pointer form most hiking./mountaineering conditions. The top end jobs like Bionics are more for vertical waterfall ice. I personnaly use Bionics and Contact strap-ons on my Scarpa invernos. I also have an older pair of switchblades too. The Bionics and Switchblades are for technical waterfall ice and the contact strap-ons work great for general mountaineering.

I ordered, but have not yet received used Koflach boots and G10 Grivel crampons from www.summithaus.com . Before ordering I spoke at length to Eric at SH. He assured me that all used equipment was in good shape and garaunteed. Boots--$100, crampons--$40.

I tried on the boots at EMS with the intention of purchasing them during their recent big sale. In between I heard about SH and decided to go with them.........

Good luck......Jade

I would stay away from AL crampons. They will wear down much faster than steel. Unless weight is an issue for you. But if you want to get more use out of them stick with steel.

skimom said:

What about the chromoly blend ... is that considered steel ? Is this a dumb question ?

I'm fairly lightweight so would that make a difference in deciding to go with aluminum ? The lightweight appeals to me, but I don't want to have to be getting them sharpened (or replaced) on a regular basis.

Click to expand...

Chromoly is essentially stainless steel--carbon steel with chromium added to prevent corrosion.

Weight is not the issue in choosing aluminum vs steel. The relative softness of aluminum makes it more prone to wear and breakage vs steel when it comes in contact with rock.

You shouldn't have to sharpen steel crampons, though every so often depending on use you may want to put a point back on them. It's the points not the sharpness of crampons that will give you traction, unless you're using them to climb trees (something, unfortunately that I have seen crampons used for). Even a dull point will work well enough and be less likely to make a mess of your shell pants/ gaiters.

AL vs. Stl.

Aluminum crampons are considered "light duty", and are generally used on hardpack snow and soft ice, where encounters with rocks is basically non-existent. In those cases, AL wins - because the snow is easy on the points, and the weight advantage is supreme.

In the eastern mountains, where above-tree line travel often means mixed terrain (snow, ice, rock) - all within a single square foot of area on your path, steel is much more durable. Aluminum wouldn't last 1 weekend worth of hikes on the rocks.

Aluminum are not intended for vertical ice (although most manufacturers will say they are ok for it).

the wall......

thanks for helping with my question.
since i tend to stay in rocky southern ny state during winter, aluminum doesnt seem to make sense.
peace, charlos

I'd say having to kick into hard ice is true. I think I do that because 1) flying ice chips look all dramatic-like and 2) the psychological, I'm nervy sometimes on slick ice.

But yeah, sometimes you need a good kick on the ice (especially front points) to get a good grip).

kicking into ice

if you're travelling up a regular pitch trail that gets flooded with say run-off or overflowing streams, and then freezes into a hard ice surface - Aluminum will still be OK. It's vertical & near-vertical ice that aluminum would make me nervous. A lot of people even go as far as just use studded boots for regular trail travel. Note that on "blue ice" you want at least 3-4 points making contact - so you have to "place" your feet.

You don't have to kick down for grip. It's purely psychological. You should practice on a frozen puddle near your house. Put on your boots & crampons and try to slide around. It ain't gonna happen. Even in aluminum crampons - unless they are really dull. All you need is just a tiny little bite into ice and you're all set. Of course, this changes on progressively steeper terrain.

Above tree line, where pathes of ice are not steep - aluminum would still be OK. The problem is when travelling on other sections of trail, above tree line (i.e.: windswept), resulting in exposed rocks. AL will get pretty dull in no time flat.

Avoiding rocky areas becomes impractical, and putting your crampons on and taking them off every several hundred feet, is also no good.

I do love the weight of AL though. I wish someone would actually design a set of AL crampons with small steel tips that thread in.....all the lightness of AL and all the grip of steel.......

the wall.........

Thanks for the input everyone, happy cramping!!

For what it's worth, folks with smaller feet may want to make sure they buy a crampon with an additional centered rear post (or narrower rear posts). Otherwise, the rear heel of your boot may slip through the rear posts, essentially making the crampon unwearable. Not usually a problem with insulated winter boots, as even smaller sizes are large enough to prevent this. However, if you use another boot in late fall or early spring this can become an issue.

I like the look/features of The Petzl Irvis. There are three different strap/attachment options for the crampon. I don't know if the quality of the metal is as good as Grivel or Black Diamond. It seems a little lighter.

John

I've never had to stomp to get traction with crampons. It only takes contact with a few of the points to keep you from sliding. Walking across a frozen pond takes some getting used to. At first you're cautious and think you're going to slide around. But after a couple of minutes you get used to having all that traction on your feet, and realize you're not going anywhere you don't want to go