Maybe a bit too specific a query about crampon fitting, but let's see. I've got a pair of the new La Sportiva Trango Tower Extreme GTX to review this winter. I thought until about late afternoon yesterday that today was going to be my chance to christen them on a winter climb, (sadly the forecast fluctuated, hence me being sat at home writing this, not topping out on Helvelyn after a 100 mtrs of frosty rock, frozen turf and lovely fluffy snow) so was fitting crampons to them yesterday.
The majority of the winter climbing I've done for over a decade now has been in a pair of 2006 La Sportiva Trango Extreme Evo GTX. The Trango Towers are the same size and when put sole to sole, exactly the same length as the old Evos they are replacing. But putting both my ancient newmatic G12s on them, and my CT Nuptse (with the same type of hybrid binding) the front of the boot is a narrower profile - it protrudes further through the front posts of the crampons and covers more of the front points. I had to shorten both pairs of crampons by one hole too, despite the boots not being different in length to the old ones, because of this. Of course with a full a step in crampon like my Terminators, it makes no difference.
I was wondering if this is specific to the Trango Towers versus the Evos? Or if anyone else replacing some decade old boots has noticed anything similar. My hypothesis being in order to shave some grams of weight off, designers are slimming down everything unnecessary on modern boots. Thoughts? I did wonder too, that if this is a 'thing', if the distance between the front posts on crampons for hybrid bindings is also narrowing?
