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Ice and Snow Gear

user rating: 4 of 5 (5)
Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro reviewed Aug 28, 2023
$79 MSRP
user rating: 5 of 5 (3)
Petzl Nomic reviewed Jul 2, 2022
$300 - $309
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (3)
Black Diamond Sabretooth reviewed Jan 9, 2022
$200
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (3)
Grivel G12 reviewed Apr 11, 2021
$175 - $199
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (3)
Black Diamond Neve Strap reviewed Apr 8, 2021
$112 - $180
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Black Diamond Snaggletooth reviewed Jan 15, 2018
$230
user rating: 4 of 5 (3)
Black Diamond Contact Strap reviewed Jun 29, 2017
$170 - $179
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Stubai Tour Lite Telescoping reviewed Jun 6, 2017
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Black Diamond Serac reviewed Feb 16, 2017
$75 - $199
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Petzl Leopard FL reviewed Nov 29, 2016
$113 - $164
user rating: 5 of 5 (2)
CAMP Corsa Nanotech reviewed Sep 28, 2016
$160
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (2)
DMM Cirque reviewed Mar 25, 2016
user rating: 3 of 5 (2)
Kahtoola KTS Hiking Crampons reviewed Feb 24, 2016
$170
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Petzl Sum'Tec reviewed Nov 21, 2015
$210
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Petzl Summit 2 reviewed Aug 22, 2015
$140
user rating: 5 of 5 (2)
Black Diamond Raven with Grip reviewed Jul 8, 2015
$125
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Grivel G10 reviewed May 13, 2015
$160
 
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Forrest Mjolnir reviewed Dec 27, 2014
discontinued
user rating: 3 of 5 (2)
Black Diamond Raven reviewed Sep 2, 2014
$100 - $140
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Black Diamond Venom Hammer Ice Axe reviewed Jun 24, 2014
$180
user rating: 5 of 5 (3)
Black Diamond Raven Pro reviewed May 1, 2014
$18 - $200
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Stubai Tirol reviewed Feb 5, 2014
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Petzl Lynx reviewed Feb 4, 2014
$250 - $259
 
user rating: 5 of 5 (2)
Chouinard Equipment Blue Composite Shaft Ice Axe w/Curved Pick reviewed Jan 31, 2014
discontinued
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
CAMP X-Dream reviewed Jan 2, 2014
$232 - $329
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (2)
Black Diamond Cyborg reviewed Oct 3, 2013
$210 MSRP
user rating: 3 of 5 (1)
Grivel X Monster reviewed Jun 18, 2013
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (3)
CAMP Stalker Universal reviewed Feb 24, 2012
$105 - $139
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Black Diamond Fusion reviewed Jan 20, 2012
$280 MSRP
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
Cassin X-Alp reviewed Feb 21, 2011
user rating: 4.5 of 5 (1)
CAMP Ice Rider reviewed Feb 9, 2011
discontinued
user rating: 3.5 of 5 (1)
CAMP Vector Nanotech reviewed Jan 7, 2011
$280 MSRP
discontinued
 
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
MacInnes-Peck Terrordactyl reviewed Nov 17, 2010
discontinued
 
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Simond Chacal reviewed Nov 17, 2010
 
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Grivel Taa-K-Oon Alp reviewed Aug 29, 2010
discontinued
user rating: 4 of 5 (2)
Omega Pacific Mountain Axe reviewed Jun 28, 2010
$68 MSRP
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
SMC Superblue Hinged Crampons reviewed Apr 30, 2008
discontinued
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Grivel Nepal Steel reviewed Dec 17, 2007
discontinued
user rating: 5 of 5 (4)
Petzl Vasak reviewed Feb 23, 2007
$110 - $174
user rating: 5 of 5 (1)
Grivel Racing Wing reviewed Jan 18, 2007
discontinued
user rating: 4 of 5 (1)
Black Diamond Viper reviewed Sep 25, 2006
$260

In order to show you the most useful information, we have omitted some products.

Recent Ice/Snow Climbing Device Reviews

rated 1 of 5 stars
Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro

Lost one in the snow on my very first use because the strap mechanism meant to keep them on your feet just plain doesn't work. The traction they provided was helpful for the few hours that I owned them, but obviously that does no good if you don't have it. Also, customer service was unhelpful. Bought these to try them out. At first they seemed pretty good because they appeared to provide good traction. However, I soon found that they are, in fact, a fatally flawed product. The straps that are supposed… Full review

rated 5 of 5 stars
Petzl Nomic

If you are a technical climber, this is the only tool you need. At home on rock, ice, mixed, and on sketchy approaches. I have climbed on every iteration of the Nomics. I learned on gen 1, bought gen 2 and used it for 2 seasons leading up to wi5. I had no complaints, the tools took me places I couldn’t have dreamed of before my introduction to the sport. Then I tried my friend’s 3rd gen tools. I didn’t think such improvement was possible from perfection. Durability issues were fixed in the… Full review

rated 5 of 5 stars
Black Diamond Sabretooth

Great versatile steel crampon for hard snow and icy conditions, in flat terrain, mountain uphill, and vertical faces. I had initially chosen the Black Diamond Serac Clip for my first pair of crampons, but they had been unavailable for quite some time up until a few days before my outing, and amongst available options I chose the Sabretooth Clip (Hybrid). I am glad I did, as I got a lot more versatility for the same price and weight. Bindings, compatible boot types and suitability for flat, uphill… Full review

rated 5 of 5 stars
Hillsound Trail Crampon Pro

Excellent performance on ice, packed snow, or greasy logs. Easy on and off boots. Solid connection to boots for great control on flats or slopes. We bought these after trying snowshoeing on the mountain trails on the North Shore of Vancouver. The trails get packed down pretty hard very quickly and only the crampons of the snowshoes really do any work. So we decided to drop the snowshoes and go with spikes. We looked at many different varieties including the rubber mounted carbide pegs, chain and… Full review

rated 4 of 5 stars
Grivel G12

The benchmark mountaineering crampon that most people need. This will get you up any mountain in the world. This is the crampon 90% of people need. I have climbed vertical ice, steep snow, and even dry tooling. Sure, there are better crampons for really steep stuff, but if you only want one crampon, this is a good one. Steve House climbed Nanga Parbat Royal Face in this. Stevie Haston climbed Scotch on the rocks in this. I find it fits my boots well (La Sportiva and Hanwags models) and the Newmatic… Full review

rated 1 of 5 stars
Black Diamond Neve Strap

These do not work at all with Altra trail shoes. The crampons slide off the toe box. My foot slid out multiple times while traversing a very sketchy icy slope. Full review

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
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

rated 4 of 5 stars
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

rated 5 of 5 stars
Stubai Tour Lite Telescoping

This is a great tool for exploring a wide range of terrain. The telescoping feature is reliable and well designed. After much research  I finally bought the Stubai telescoping axe as a versatile hiking tool. The first thing I noticed about this tool was how well it was built . It has an aluminum head. Delivered with snow basket. Perfect for trekking and glacier walking. Its telescopic shaft can be adjusted according to individual requirements from 60 to 95 cm. It works well for me as I am 6'1"… Full review

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