UKC

I am (with friends much more talented me) going for my first bash at ice climbing in the Ecrins, mainly top roping but potentially some easy routes. I currently have Scarpa manta's and was looking at buying some G14 Newmatics for my first trip. Would a B2/C2 setup be sufficient for lower grade ice climbs or just plain dangerous?

Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Ben

In reply to Benbrady11:

Will be fine.

Cheers Jaypee!

In reply to Benbrady11:

what makes you think it would be dangerous? The mantas are more than adequate for low grade snow/ice - that's what they were made for! the only issue I can see from the boot cramp. combo is if your boots are a large size i.e. 45+ you might experience more flex in the boot which *could* cause issues with the rear crampon bail attachment but this would be more annoying than dangerous. climb away I say or spend another £300+ on some stiffer, warmer boots, your choice.

hpe this helps.

In reply to Benbrady11: H I Ben

Agree with the previous poster, they should be fine. Just make sure which ever crampons you buy are a good fit to your mantas.

Cheers Davey

In reply to Benbrady11:

My wife has climbed ice with mantas. She uses the dmm gladiator crampons. Never had a problem

In reply to higherclimbingwales:
Hi! yea your reply is very useful. The worry also was that the ankle support might be to flexible offer stable support even on less steep angles. I'm pretty much buying all my winter gear from scratch so any unnecessary spending is gladly avoided.

Thank you all for your replies!

Cheers

Ben

In reply to Benbrady11:

Flex in the ankle is fine, in fact it's easier to walk with a flexible ankle - if you've ever walked in skiboots you'll know what I mean. There's a trade off when it comes to winter/ice climbing. stiff=heavy (usually) but the stiffer b3 boots tend to have much more insulation in them.

There are some B3 boots that bridge the gap between the B2/3 range such as the Trango Extremes (incidentally the ones I own) which aren't as stiff all round as the Nepals, say but offer better insulation than the Manta but will take any crampon.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Ok, again good info - looks like I'l be buying some good socks in place of B3's for now - I can deal with that.

Cheers

Ben