BTW, these are the Charlet Moser Sarken crampon (misspelled on main page). Who would have thought that Petzl (I assume they drove the research) could have made such a collection of improvements in the humble crampon? I have a pair of perfectly good 12-point crampons which I no longer use because the Sarkens are that much better. I have climbed up to NEI 5- in them as well as snow plods. To my surprise, they climb steep waterfall ice quite well (I am not a New Generation Mixed climber though). When it's supercold out, it's nice to be able to put them on and take them off in a jiffy.
Pros: T-shaped front teeth hold well in snow AND ice, dramatically improved bindings - simpler and more effective and faster binding, integrated anti-balling plates, color coding (sort of), weight savings.
Cons: none, except price, but it's more than worth the extra. I have heard that people had problems with the anti-balling systems cracking or not working, but I didn't; it may have been a problem with the earliest batches.
Note: I have the 'spirlock' binding system, but the other alternatives look almost as good. Things like making the crampon strap of a better material are common throughout the new binding systems!

This aluminum blade is lighter than most lexan blades - amazing! Very solid construction.
For digging snow shelters or avy pits etc. it works great. However, the surface area is a bit small for moving snow fast (read: avalanche). That's a tradeoff you have to make. But another plus of that is shoveling with it doesn't break your back!
The little button on the handle that allows it to become a hoe is a very useful little touch for campsite/shelter building.
Also, I would recommend drilling some holes in it so you can make a deadman out of it.

Lovely biner, superbly light.
'full size' but barely; the 'inside corner' is a bit small for tripled slings or racking nuts.
The gate action is quite stiff and when really trying to get gear in fast, it's a handicap/stress compared to the similar Mammut or DMM biners, which are almost as light.

So how can I complain about a 41 gram screwgate biner?
Well, the sleeve spins so freely that the gate tends not to stay locked. I don't know of another screwgate that even comes close in this department; it is probably supposed to be an advantage by making screwing/unscrewing easier, but it seems like a little breeze is enough to spin the sleeve. I still have this problem even after months of use (i.e. enough for it to gunk up a bit).

This is an outstanding pack for day routes. It's a little overbuilt, so it's nice and durable. I disagree with mgoodro, I think a thicker belt strap is unecessary. Mine doesn't have the side webbing - I may have an older version. But one thing I like about the pack is that streamlining, so I wouldn't want to have anything dangling off it.
Thoughtfully engineered; I particularly like the clip loop on the top that is built with a little wire to make the loop stick up from the pack. The side pocket is just the right size for most guidebooks.