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theirishman
May 10, 2007, 3:30 PM
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so I'm gonna invest in my first pair of crampons, ive used friends and all that to an extent but i want a pair of step ins fot speed, like the Black Diamond Saber tooth or the Petzl Vasak what are the ups and downs to step ins and what are your suggestions for crampons?
(This post was edited by theirishman on May 10, 2007, 3:42 PM)
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the_climber
May 10, 2007, 3:37 PM
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theirishman wrote: so I'm gonna invest in my first pair of crampons, ive used friends and all that to an extent but i was a pair of step ins fro speed, like the Black Diamond Saber tooth or the Petzl Vasak what are the ups and downs to step ins and what are your suggestions for crampons?
Dude! Need more info! What are you using them for? ie. primarily water ice, alpine ice, alpine snow slogs, general mountainering/glacier travel, Uber-lightweight speed alpine,...
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theirishman
May 10, 2007, 3:40 PM
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heh sorry, i will mainly be doing alpine ice/general mountaineering and as always the lighter the better, right now i use really old grivel crampons that weigh like 4lbs each
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the_climber
May 10, 2007, 4:36 PM
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There are lots of choises and some of them come down to simple brand preference.
BD Sabretooths are great
Grivel you'd have the choce between the G12, G10, Airtech, and Airtech lights; the 2F's are a classic
Petzl Sarkin are good for both alpine and ice, the old CM Black Ice poons were good too, Vasaks look like a good option
Simon Makalu... I've heard good things.
DMM have a few good ones as well, so I've been told
There is always a trade of of durability and weight when you consider the Uber light ones, the Aluminum crampons for example. If you're primarily doing ski mountaineering than the Al poons are a great option. If however you are going to be doing more general or mixed stuff, stick with the steel for durability.
A lot of it will come down to what boot you are using as well. Stepins are great, the standard around here. I used them for years. I'm using the newmatic system right now (toe strap/heal lever) and am impressed with the performance for both alpine and vertical ice. It's been too many years since I've used a classic strap system to give an opinion on them.
I'm a Grivel fan so I would point you in that direction, but they may not be the best for you... who knows.
Take a look at the weight, price, and get as many oppinions on them as possible.
I find that there is more of a difference between crampons aimed at water ice than ones with a more general Bias IMO.
That said, both the BD Sabretooths and the Grivel Airtechs seem to handle the mixed and steep ice with a little more gusto that the others. Perhaps with the BD's a hair above the Grivels in performance, but that is a personal preference thing I think. I would say they are on fairly even ground though.
Vague I know, but hope it helps.
edit to add: If you're going to be doing mostly glacier travel/walking you might consider something with a shorter front points/option of adjusting so that the front points are shorter. They tend to be more comfortable for walking long distances if you're not pushing off long front points... just a thought.
(This post was edited by the_climber on May 10, 2007, 4:40 PM)
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timm
May 10, 2007, 5:15 PM
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I have a pair of the Camp XLC 490 Ultralight Crampons. They are super light and work great for alpine ice and general mountaineering. They fit all my different boots very well. I haven't been able to find anti-balling plates for them ... don't know if Camp makes them or not.
Edit: These are aluminum (hence the light weight). They get easily beat up if you do any amount of climbing or walking over rock.
(This post was edited by timm on May 10, 2007, 5:17 PM)
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alpinismo_flujo
May 10, 2007, 6:07 PM
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"newmatic system right now (toe strap/heal lever)" - these hybrid systems are the new way to go. In fact, many boot manufactures are beginging to stop making the front groove for the step-ins. This provides, less chance of crampon popping off, more sensitivity and gets your boot closer to the hold.
I like SaberTooths for an all-arounder.
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theirishman
May 10, 2007, 7:43 PM
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the boots im getting are the Scarpa Summits which have the toe welt, but what is the downside to step ins?
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alpinismo_flujo
May 10, 2007, 8:09 PM
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Your boots are fine and so are step-ins...see above to answer your question...
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studclimber
May 11, 2007, 2:33 AM
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Sabretooths are the way to go. They work great on glaciers, ice, and on snice, cuz of thier horisontal frontpoints. Step-ins wont vibrate as much when kicked into hard ice.
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theirishman
May 11, 2007, 3:33 AM
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cool ya im definitley excited to get my boots and get the crampons!
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anykineclimb
May 12, 2007, 1:56 PM
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alpinismo_flujo wrote: "newmatic system right now (toe strap/heal lever)" - these hybrid systems are the new way to go. In fact, many boot manufactures are beginging to stop making the front groove for the step-ins. This provides, less chance of crampon popping off, more sensitivity and gets your boot closer to the hold. I like SaberTooths for an all-arounder.
my 1st pair of crampons were Stubai newmatic style and thought they were great. some think you can't get them as tight as step ins but you just need to adjust them right.
I always wanted a set of Grivel G14s in Newmatic. I think that would be the most versatile crampon.
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dr_feelgood
May 14, 2007, 11:10 PM
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quick question about crampons.
Being a never been on ice n00b, i bought a pair of BD Sabretooth Step crampons off steep and cheap while in iraq... yeah i know, buying ice stuff in a desert. Anyhow, What is a decent boot to match these guys. Want to get into northeastern 'alpine' stuff, water ice, and eventually drytooling.
Thanks
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anykineclimb
May 14, 2007, 11:14 PM
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dr_feelgood wrote: quick question about crampons. Being a never been on ice n00b, i bought a pair of BD Sabretooth Step crampons off steep and cheap while in iraq... yeah i know, buying ice stuff in a desert. Anyhow, What is a decent boot to match these guys. Want to get into northeastern 'alpine' stuff, water ice, and eventually drytooling. Thanks
I did the same thing with SAC, but bought skis!
so anyway, any crampon compatible boots that fits YOU will work. you could always take your crampons to the shop and make sure they're a good fit but unless you're some freak footed guy, pretty much every boot will work.
I'd probbaly suggest something insulated for the NE.
(This post was edited by anykineclimb on May 14, 2007, 11:15 PM)
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Dillbag
May 14, 2007, 11:20 PM
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Don't worry so much about what boot fits your crampons... Work on what boot fits your feet!
If you are looking at NE-Ice and Drytooling you will probably want a leather boot. If you are looking at Alpine adventures (larger more mountaineering) you'll probably want some plastics for warmth.
I recommend (although you seem to be in TX) getting to a gear shop with atleast 5 or 6 different pairs of boots and trying them on until you find the most comfortable fit.
Ice climbing is uncomfortable enough as it is... So you'll want happy feet. Spend the $$ to keep em that way!
Also, the sabertooths fit pretty much any ice boot with the toe bail and quick release heel... So don't worry too much about that. Once you get into dry-tooling you'll want different poons anyway.
Good luck and have fun!
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ToySldr
Jan 10, 2011, 9:36 AM
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Sorry for brining up a dead thread. I just ordered a pair of Sabretooth's and accidentally got a pair of Cyborg's. I will mainly be doing alpine climbing/hiking with snow and ice. Not much straight vertical ice climbing. Should I keep the Cyborgs or return them for the Sabretooth? I'm pretty sure the vertical front points won't do me much good, but, the horizontal will be great.
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bearbreeder
Jan 10, 2011, 10:02 AM
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sabretooths ...
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