UKC

What crampons would be best for general mountainering looking to progress to proper winter/easy ice climbing thanks

In reply to mattc:

What boots do you have? B2s or B3s?

In reply to mattc:

For general mountaineering and easier winter climbs, G12 will get up no probs.

G14 would be my pick, if you plan on doing a lot of grade VI and upwards mixed plus WI4 or harder continental ice climbing.

In reply to mattc: Hi Matt

G12 will do all you have asked, they are lighter and cheaper than G14 also.

Just make sure they fit your boots ok, ie take your boots into the shop and try the crampons on.

The G14 are more of a specific ice and mixed climbing crampon which can be setup with a mono point. If you think you will rapidly progress to climbing hard ice and mixed routes then these are probably a better choice in the long run. Make sure you also try the petzl lynx if you go down the route as they are a worthy contender.

HTH Davey

In reply to mattc:

G12 is a better allround crampon. Get the newmatic fitting over the crampomatic IMO.

In reply to mattc:

Which boots do you have BTW and what size?

In reply to mattc:

I have Nepal extreme and also trango alps would be good to find some that fit both

In reply to mattc:

G12 Newmatic...

In reply to mattc: g12s will fit the Nepals and trango fine. You'll have to go for the newmatic binding to fit you trangos.

BTW I have Nepals and trangos plus g12s

In reply to mattc:

And what size?

G12 newmatic fit nepal extreme very well IMO.

The only bugbear I have with G12 / G14 is the front point protrusion could be a little better but it is OK on larger size nepals with the newmatic fitting.

The crampomatic fitting is OK to start with but as the toe bail bar bends and the soles wear down the front point protrusion gets worse to the point that even adjusting everything to give the best results a new toe bail bar must be bought to get the front points protruding enough. The newmatic fitting doesn't have this problem and is quicker to get on, more secure and has less 'play'.

I guess under about grade V G12 will do everything G14 will do nearly as well, but will perform better on poor snow, is more suitable to alpine and better for walking. At grade V and above you may want vertical dual points for ice and a mono for rock as the positives start outweighing the negatives. Which crampon design is best for you does to some extent tend to depend on your asperations, how quickly you think you'll realise those and how deep your pockets are. If you are operating on a budget and think you'll be pushing up to grade V quite soon I'd probably opt for something like the G14.

I find most people with vertical points that can be adjusted between 1 and 2 points dont actually change the set up very often (including myself), something you may want to bare in mind.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
Thanks they are a 42. Am I right in thinking the g14s are harder to walk in?? Due to the front points??

In reply to mattc:

Only a bit harder to walk in, they won't support your weight quite as well in more dubious snow either.

To be honest either crampon will probably work fine for the uses you've described and as you winter / alpine climb more you'll likely own more sets of crampons anyway.

In reply to mattc:

If your doing lots of walking and easier gullys then get the G12's otherwise get G14's - being able to use monopoints makes a massive differance to mixed climbing (as somone who originaly had G12's but bought some G14's a few years ago as dual points on mixed stuff V and above are crap)

In reply to mattc:

Thanks all