Crampons

Recent Crampon Reviews

Black Diamond Snaggletooth

Good precision and grip, but slightly heavy. I bought them for mixed climbing routes with a lot of rock climbing involved and they proved very adequate for the task indeed. I used them with a pair of La Sportiva Baturas and they performed very well with great feeling and precision. However there was this incident on the downclimb when one of the crampons suddenly came off without particular reason. I had them fitted really hard, so I don't know what happened but since then I am a bit cautious. Full review

Black Diamond Contact Strap

Easy to fit on and great traction. These were very easy to fit to my boots (10.5D), and fast to get set up. I really appreciate crampons that are a breeze to put on and take off. It's not often I have an easy place to put them on when I get to ice, snow, etc. And the first time using them, I could feel a lot of secure traction on snow and scree fields. Full review

Black Diamond Serac Strap

12-point stainless steel crampon that does the job. I bought these a couple of years ago and I've used them only in snow ranging from powder to crust with my flexible hunting boots, but never on solid ice.After some mixed rocky trail hike, a fellow hiker advised me to buy a knife sharpening stone to sharpen the edges from time to time. I came to no result since stainless steel is VERY HARD to sharpen. Not that I needed any sharpening because till this day they are as sharp as they were when I first… Full review

Petzl Leopard FL

The Petzl Leopard FL is an aluminum crampon featuring a Dyneema cord adjustment system. The crampon is so light you won't hate yourself for carrying them when you didn't need them. They are so easy to use and so effective you'll be glad you have them when you do need them. Specifications: All aluminum construction optimized for snow travel Ten points (with dual front points) assure traction on icy terrain Very lightweight 360 gm/12 ounces for pair CORD-TECH optimizes volume when packed in their… Full review

Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro

I have had these for three months and have used them during my quest to complete the winter 46 in the Adirondacks. First the pluses: quick on and off, length of teeth, carbon steel, anti balling plates. The negatives: the attachment system although quick is ill designed; the 4 alpine stoppers are a solution to a design problem that is inelegant and frustrating when having to use in freezing temperatures. I have lost a crampon on the trail without these stoppers and find that the ratcheting system… Full review

Kahtoola KTS Hiking Crampons

Would be excellent, but for a design flaw. Rear cleats are too close together causing an instability when hiking over hard surfaces, such as ice or rock. The Kahtoola hiking crampons shown in the photo are of a flawed design. I bought a pair last year and tried them out in a variety of conditions—ranging from packed snow to icy trails. The length of the spikes make them very good on packed snow, but on ice or icy trails they are very wobbly. This instability on hard ice is caused by the too-narrow… Full review

Grivel G10

High quality, good fitting steel crampon. Excess strap is annoying. I use these for hiking and scrambling when there is enough slope that I need the grip. They hold well on ice and hard pack, and give some assurance in deep snow. The antibott works as advertised...I never get snow packing on them. They are a 10-point crampon and designed for regular hiking boots, NOT mountaineering boots. The toe and heel fittings fold down and the length collapses to make them easier to pack. The straps stay tight… Full review

Black Diamond Neve

Excellent touring crampons for ordinary hiking boots. I've owned a couple of pairs of touring crampons for ordinary hiking boots. These are soo much better than my first pair you wouldn't even put them in the same competition. After correctly setting the length of my boot, these crampons have NEVER slipped off my boot — unlike my other pair! For their intended use these are just great. These are obviously not for ice climbers! But for touring in steep old snow these are just fabulous. Highly recommended! Full review

Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro

A welcome necessity to any slippery slope! I like these crampons so much that I am willing to post a somewhat embarrassing photo of myself scampering up a section of steep terrain, butt in the air. I'm not sure what I would have done without them on the hike in which this photo was taken. There was a layer of powder covering a thick sheet of ice, and as you can see, the terrain was pretty steep in terms of hiking trails. The crampons were lightweight and easy to put on. My feet gripped without any… Full review