UKC

Hi
I'm looking for recommendations of crampons and axes (which I know
Basically nothing about) that'd suit climbing Mont Blanc. In a past post I asked for advice on boots and after lots of research I've decided to go for some B3 boots.

I was looking at G12/14 crampons and also Black diamond cyborgs, not sure whether they're more suited for more technical ice though ?

Axe wise I have no idea about, I've been looking at DMM raptor and also the petzl fly. I'd appreciate some guidance on what shaft would be best and how techy an axe I'd need,adze or hammer and whether I'd want 1 or 2 ?

Thanks
Alex

In reply to 1906johns:

What route?

Simple grivel airtechs would be more than enough for Gouter.

In reply to 1906johns:
Hi there,

For Mont Blanc (Gouter/Three Monts) you don't need very techy crampons - G12s will be more than fine and would be perfect for the climb. G14s and Cyborgs have thinner, more aggressive front points which are good for more technical terrain like steep ice - but because of the reduced surface area are less good at front pointing on snow. Therefore for less technical climbs like Mont Blanc the G12s would be better suited.

For an axe you don't need anything technical, and one will be fine. Something like a DMM Cirque would be well suited, and they come with adzes not hammers because the adze is more useful generally unless you are doing steep technical climbing. I would also recommend a decent pair of poles because the route is mainly plodding - I'm a big fan of Black Diamond ones.

In reply to zimpara: trois months probably

In reply to Just William:

That's great, thanks very much indeed

In reply to 1906johns:

Ah, plenty of time to buy your gear then.

In reply to 1906johns:

Whichever crampons you go for, do yourself a favour and get some anti-ball plates.

In reply to Pbob:

I thought that they came as standard?

In reply to Pbob:

I think the anti ball plates rather depends what crampons you have. Stiff boots with pastry cutter style crampons for sure, but slightly more flexible B2/3 boots with flat and slightly flexible crampons they don't really seem to add anything. I experimented with them once but never bother now.

Cheap gaiters, though, every time.

In reply to 1906johns:

DMM Raptor is a great axe, much more comfortable than the Cirque imo and well suited to easier alpine routes. Note the only difference between the Raptor and the Fly is the Fly has a lower grip rest for leashless and comes with a different stock pick, but the shaft is the same and they are compatible with each others picks if you want a more or less technical option for the same tool.

Can recommend Grivel Airtechs for those kinds of routes too.

In reply to 1906johns:

http://andy-kirkpatrick.com/blog/view/winter-novice-kit?utm_content=buffer6...