UKC

Does anyone have any experience in the use of Grivel F2 crampons both with and without the anti-balling plates.

I'd be interested in learning whether you feel these are worth £20.

In reply to Chris Robson: I'd sell the 2Fs and put the £20 towards a new crampon like the G14, on wet snow, 2Fs are on a par with Elton John shoes!

In reply to Chris Robson: Nope. Or, make your own by cutting a piece of heavy gauge plastice to fit. Good luck...

In reply to The Voice of Reason: I've had a pair of 2Fs for years and as you say they are a nightmare for balling up without plates. However after a couple of seasons like this I saw the light, coughed up for a pair of anti-balling plates and have used them for several years since, Alps, Scotland etc. With the plates I have never had a problem and the crampons themselves are good and sturdy, even though they may not be this year's model.

In reply to Chris Robson: 2F's shorter bottom points are very good on rock (mixed), better than grinding down some other cramps. Most will agree tho they are the worst ballers out there - nothing that an anti balling (anti bot) plate wont sort out. Save £20 and try zip-tieing some bits of plastic to the bottom (fairy bottle, ice cream box etc etc). 2F's get alot of bad press nowdays and I can confirm that older front bails dont like modern lower profile boots and didnt Joe Simpson have a problem with some? You could flog 'em for loads on that auction site we aren't allowed to mention.

In reply to JimmAwelon:
I don't think my 2Fs are much worse than my old Chouinard rigids for balling up. But buy some of the fancy rubber plates or do some DIY (hint, duct tape) & they're a good general purpose crampon & easy to adjust if you want one pair to use with several pairs of boots

In reply to Chris Robson:

I got anti-balling plates for mine after a season of growing taller with every step and getting fed up of having to belt my foot withthe axe every 5 paces, and never looked back.

The only problem is that I got a Rambo front point kit for them for steep ice climbing purposes, ad the a-b plates don't fit when the Rambo points are mounted, so I have to fall back on duct tape then, which which works, but not as well as the purpose-made plates.

Personally, I'd spend the money and keep on using them, since otherwise they're a perfectly good, if rather old-fashioned, crampon.

I bought the anti-balling rubber things and also find them very effective, although I did have a slight problem adjusting the two little clip things at the back end.

In reply to bigbertie:
Copy that, but once in place it all works out well, and I climbed with the G14 too and even it looks sexy, I have no problems climbing with my 2F's and looking to another sexy thing...

You better buy an extra real ice climbing (the G14 is NOT) crampon if your's goal is just waterfall/mixed. And keep the 2F for alpine, they are light!

For the debate: 2F or G14.
I think that horizontal front points (2F) better work in soft ice than Rambo points will do, you hear a lot of complaints of Rambo owners not capable of holding ground: their frontpoints are slicing through the firn. But the balling problem with the 2F is real and with the plates its gone!

In reply to raymond:

I agree that the horizontal points are better in softer ice, but for steep, hard ice like you get on Norwegian icefalls, the Rambo points do the biz.