UKC

Hey all,

I just started doing my first mountaineering climbs this year. Until now I was happy borrowing gear for my climbs, but now I want to start getting at least my crampons and ice axe. As someone who has little experience I am overwhelmed with the number of different crampons on the market and have no idea what I should look for. I want a crampon that is good for glacial traverses, but as I want to do more technical climbing in the alps in the years to come it also should be good for ice climbing up to WI5 and should climb mixed terrain well. I have found 4 crampons that seem to fit those specs pretty well, but have no idea how to choose between them.

- cassin blade runner (alpine)

- petzl sarken

- grivel g14

- Black diamond snaggletooth

How do these crampons stack up against each other? How durable are they? (I heard that BD has durability issues) What are the drawbacks?

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas

In reply to SkyDisk:

If you intend to only ever need one pair I think the snaggletooths might fit the bill best. G14s are good but heavy (and pricey), sarkens and blade runners are a bit specific (although the blade runners I think are modular).

In an ideal world a pair of something like g12s, airtechs or vasaks would see you through for most things with a pair of g20s or darts for hard stuff.

In reply to SkyDisk:

Petzl lynx. Quite adaptable for all terrains but you will need a proper B2/B3 boot for it.

In reply to SkyDisk:

Nobody with any common sense will want to climb WI5 with crampons that they've regularly used for hard mixed, so it's best to abandon any thoughts that one pair of crampons is a remotely sensible option in the longer term. 

Buy crampons that suit what you'll be climbing next week and worry about what you want to climb in the future, in the future.

More specifically:

Probably not G14s, they are an old design and the newer Petzl Lynx beat them in every respect. The Sarkens are a good option for classic mountaineering with the odd steeper pitch of ice. The Blade Runners are the converse, they should be great if you're going to be mainly climbing WI routes this Winter but still useful for classic snow and glacier routes next Summer. Not entirely convinced by the Snaghletooths, however they might make sense if your next objectives are snow routes with the occasional mixed section.

Most mountaineers probably wouldn't go too far wrong with the Sarkens (assuming they fit). However, only you know when and where you intend to go climbing and mmountaineering in 2020...

HTH

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

One pair of crampons, two sets of front points?

In reply to SkyDisk: what boots, what size feet do you have.  That kind of answers the question of how stiff the boot is, and how to attach the cramp on.

As per the question, well answered above... and I also like petzl lynx

In reply to tehmarks:

Swapping picks on axes is fine and using the same axes for multiple styles of climbing works great. However, I've never found swapping front points to work out particularly well with crampons. Anything used regularly for mixed gets seriously blunted all round and just adding new front points doesn't miraculously resolve problems with secondary points and the rest of the crampons.

The OP might fair better if he is mainly climbing and mountaineering outside of the UK (where mountaineering routes and approaches on icy paths tend to be particularly hard on crampons) but almost all of the keen UK climbers and mountaineers I know have multiple sets and at least try to keep one set reserved for harder ice.

That said, what someone climbing half a dozen routes per year can get away with, won't work for someone wearing crampons for fifty, sixty or more days per year.

As with most things (boots, clothing, ropes), a "one size fits all" solution is superficially appealing and suits some people, but do enough climbing and mountaineering and the disadvantages quickly become apparent. You also ultimately realise everything is a consumable and the overall cost is identical whether you own one pair of crampons (or boots, or ropes) or three.

I stand by the main thrust of my advice - people should buy the kit that best suits what they are doing NOW, not what they might hypothetically be doing in the future. 

In reply to SkyDisk:

Petzl discovered this issue and brought the option out to buy their crampons in sections.

You could buy the Petzl Vesak front section and the Petzl lynx full crampon or visa versa, depending on which one works out cheaper.

You just swap them over depending on what your doing( keep the back and extender bar and swap the front section.

Having a quick look at prices it may only cost another £50 total 

In reply to SkyDisk:

In general, you need different boots, crampons and axes for these activities.  Summer alpine mountaineering is best done with a pair of modern lightweight boots, at most something equivalent to the Grivel G12 crampons and a lightweight axe.

Here, for example, is a review of lightweight alpine axes:

https://blacksheepadventuresports.com/2019/01/10/comparison-review-lightwei...

As far as crampons go, I'd start with the boots - get a pair that fits well and is best suited to what you want to do.  Then find the crampons to fit.

Hey,

First of all, I want to thank everyone for the fast replies. You really helped me!

In reply to wbo2:

I have a pair of Scarpa Jorasses Pro GTX in a size 11.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

I will be mainly climbing in the eastern Alps.

I will have to decide between the sarken and the snaggletooth then. My primary goals are classic mountaineering with mixed climbing.

How well do the sarken hold up to the occasional mixed climbing?