Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Winter Access Forum crampons & technique

Hello,

I will be on the MR at the end of April. I am considering which set of crampons I should bring along with me. I own the G10 which is a pleasant crampon, good for nice glaciers in the alps. But I'm thinking of getting something more aggressive. I've ice climbed in a bunch of sets but they were never my own. I'd like to purchase a more serious pair of crampons, something better for technical routes, and since I'm going to be doing Whitney I might as well get a pair that would serve me well on this trip as well. (In the future I plan on climbing more alpine and waterfall ice). Any suggestions...

Also, I've heard that the area above the notch there may be all iced up. From looking at people's posts, I can't really tell what that area is going to be like and I dont think anyone can really forsee. Still, I wonder, what kind of crampon techniques do people use on that bit? More specifially, do people front point sections of that? How technical of a crampon would I want/need? And would it serve me well to have two ice axe along, a technical one in addition to my mountaineering one?

I just want to be prepared as best I can for whatever the mountain has to throw my way.

Cheerio.

Hi Kristoria,

If you plan on climbing waterfall ice, I would suggest the Grivel G12, Petzl Vasak or Black Diamond Serac. A slightly more aggressive crampon for ice climbing would be the Black Diamond Sabretooth. All these will work well on the MR.

Usually the only time the chute above the Notch gets iced up is after the snow melts away. This section is near the top and can be avoided by climbing the rock on either side. You will probably have a good boot track above the Notch at the end of April.

Hi GigaMike,

Thanks!

PS. Your photo galleries are truely spectacular!!

I second what Mike has already said. I have the Petzl Vasaks and they were good on the MR and I have been on snow up to 55 degrees in them without difficulty. I'd recommend getting yourself a 12 point crampon, makes a huge difference when you are front-pointing compared to a 10 point crampon.

Hi,

Oh I'm so sorry, I got the Sabretooth confused with the Cyborg!

I know its complete over kill, but I've fallen in love with verticle front-points, did you see the serrated edges on the Cyborg? Aren't those the loveliest things you've ever laid eyes on?

Could you please advise: I kind of have my eye on the Black Diamond Cyborg SS Pro Crampons, Grivel G-14, Petzl Charlet Sarken SideLock Crampons, or the Petzl Charlet M10 Leverlock Fil Crampons. Would any of these work on Whitney?

Would I damage the crampon on the rock, or would the protruding front points be more of a hinderance than a help on Whitney?

I'll probably be wearing a leather moutaineering boot. I don't want to do plastic. I have to see what I can rent b/c I just noticed that my boots have a giant rip in them.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Kristoria

I use vertical mono-points for waterfall ice. I use horizontal points (Charlet Moser similar to the Vasak Leverlock Fil) for everything else. Vertical front points may look cool, but they suck in the snow. If you're only going to own one pair of crampons, get an aggressive pair with horizontal front points. They will work for everything from easy approaches to moderate waterfall ice.

Got it.

And of course function must trump style.

Thank you!

I personally go lightweight as possible.
I use the campUSA XLC 490. Yes, I know what rock does to al cramons, but they're so pretty and light.
If I needed to do heavy front pointing at the notch, I'd just traverse around and not go up from the notch. Just my opinion though. Have fun.

Let's qualify that with: be aware that there is very hard ice under the snow coverage on the "Easy Traverse."

The Easy Traverse is an option... But it really isn't easy.

I've only heard bad things about the "Easy Traverse." But I think all the things I've heard have been WRT the traverse in the summer. I hadn't really considered it as a winter route, maybe because I haven't really heard people talk about it in the winter. Personally, I'm kinda looking forward to going up those last 400 feet from the notch. But I appreciate the suggestion because it is another option to have available, and options are a good thing. Its also good to know about the ice underlayer. Thanks!