Ice and Snow Gear

Recent Ice/Snow Climbing Device Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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