Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Crampons - steel or aluminum, 10 or 12 point?

I'm shopping for a new pair of crampons. I consider myself a hiker, not a climber - waterfall ice or other highly technical climbing is not in my near future, but I do enjoy getting out in the snow. I'm leaning towards an aluminum crampon, the Camp USA XLC 490, mostly because of it's light weight and relatively reasonable price. I'm also considering the even more reasonably priced Stubai Universal Ultralight, a 10 point model. So two questions:
1. Do I need 12 point crampons if I'm not climbing vertical ice?
2. Are aluminum crampons durable enough? Or is the extra weight of steel worth it?
Thanks.

Aluminum crampons work well in snow, and only in snow. I bought a pair as an emergency when I go with my snow shoes in case I would encounter brief ice passages.
They are useless on glaciers! And I don't mean vertical ice, just plain walking. The material is just not hard enough.
Also consider that you'll not always walk on snow, but very often hit rock and might also walk longer periods on it, because putting them on and off is just annoying . In this case the aluminum won't last long.
If you want crampons and never worry get the real ones, 12 point made of steel. They are a bit heavier, but it's worth it.

A 12 point crampons means you have 10 points of purchase when walking. A 10 point means you have 8 points on the ground. The other two points are for front pointing on steep snow and vertical ice.

If you're just walking on snow a 10 point crampon is probably good enough to get the job done although I prefer 12 point crampons.

As stated above by Freddy aluminum is lighter but less durable. If you're getting these just to get over a pass in the Sierra early in the season aluminum is probably OK. If you plan to use them a fair amount, for longer stretches of terrain, and over rocks you might find steel to be worth the extra weight. Some people get by with aluminum on rather mixed and technical terrain but I prefer the security under foot that steel crampons provide me with.

Here are a couple other things to consider:

(1) What boots are these crampons going on? This will dictate to some degree what crampons you should consider plus what attachment system to use (strap on vs newmatic vs clip on).

(2) The secondary points are raked more forward on some crampons and oriented more vertically on others. For just plain walking on snow you probably don't need them to be raked forward.

Guess I haven't logged in here for a while; my old user name is a goner ??

Anyway, go steel! Aluminum is really not worth the weight savings; hit of few rocks and they're dull. My wife had a scary encounter with them a few years ago. Steel only now!

never go cheap on your boots or crampies

just as you wrap your family in some steel when your driving , get on your feet as well.

the lighter ones just dont last , and they can bend

I like steel but I use my crampons a lot, with mountaineer boots and spend way too much time on dirt and rocks while wearing'm.

If you are buying them for a couple of weekends a winter for use with hiking boots or lesser footwear, aluminum is just fine.

Christobal,

Have the Stubai 10 point ultra lights, they work great for me

Just did the M.R. on Saturday 4/3
The snow conditions were perfect! Wore them for 5 hours.


I am like you occasional (once a year Whitney M.R.) climber in snow
San J, San G are some of my regular climbs summer and winter!

Berne Mettenleiter aka "The Mountaingoat"

Grew up in Germany, have climbed many peaks in the Alps with Glaciers, so I have to agree with Kurt. If you do this, as he does, as a professional, skimping is not an option!

A pair of 12-point steel crampons will work well and last a long time. If you get the step-in version (e.g. Petzel Charlet Vasak Leverlock Fil), you can even use them for steep couloirs and waterfalls. I would not buy toy crampons unless I were sure I would only use them under very casual conditions.

For what you are describing, i would go with the aluminum. for snow scrambles in the sierra's i used only aluminum!
i was so happy with my aliminums!

Thanks for all the advice. It sounds like steel crampons may suit my needs better. I hope to use them quite a bit, and I expect I'll often be crossing patches of bare rock on a mostly snow covered route.
I'll need strap on bindings because I'll be using them with several different boots.
Now thinking of Camp USA Stalker Universals. Anyone have experience with this model?

Hard to beat the Grivel G10 or G12's.

Christobal,

What are the hikes (climbes) that you are attempting to do and what time a year??

just curious!!

Looks like you live in San Diego!!!

I've own Grivel G10s and BD Sabertooths but I have really been impressed by friends Charlet Vasaks. They are are light, quick and easy to put on, sharp and steel.

You can't go wrong with these three brands.

Berne,
I'm hoping to do Baldy and/or Baden Powell this month, and planning a trip to Whitney in May, although I'm not sure if I'll be attempting the summit, as I don't have a lot of experience in snow and ice yet. Just going as high as I feel safe. Did San Gorgonio (Vivian Creek) last month, and would like to try it via Dollar lake. I will probably use the crampons most often in the San Bernardinos.

Grivel G 10s or 12s Bullet proof. Don't forget a tough gator to protect the calf from an occasional "shank" in the shank, usually when tired and French stepping. And don't forget the antibott system for your pons.
Dave

Take a look at the Hillsound Cypress 6-point... did fine for my hiking in the Sierras last May-June.

http://hillsound.com/02product/cypress6.php

Black Diamond Sabretooths are a very good all round mountaineering crampon . They come with either a traditional steel toe bail or a black plastic toe bail .I prefer the version with the black plastic bail . The plastic bail fits my boot toe better and I believe will have less wear on the rubber toe covering of my boot .
I spoke to Black Diamond in Salt lake City before buying my crampons , they assured me that the plastic toe bail was almost indestructable . After two years use , I tend to believe their claim .
Go into an Adventure 16 , REI store or a local climbing store and try out the crampons on your semi rigid mountain boots . Most stores will be very helpful .

That's exactly the ones we had problems with. Didn't sharpen them in a while and they wouldn't bite on hard ice.

+1

Used my Stubais a few weekends ago, no anti-bot plates, and they did well, but for some reason they hurt my feet when I'm using them for a long time on steeper slopes. I've got the lightweight steel, and they are indeed lighter than my other pairs, so they're the "beater" pair. Also, maybe they're an older model, but to adjust them involves tools to release a nut on top of the lever. PITA.

My first crampons were G12s . Like Dave said, bulletproof, but I'm going to need a serious afternoon of cuddling up with the bastard file to make them sharp again. I have the plastic bales on both front and back, and have worn them on everything from mountaineering boots to trail runners. Love them.

My cyborgs are for ice only: the front points are way too long and aggressive for just walking. I'd kill myself tripping or gouge my leg just above the tough patch on my gaiters.

Current faves, though, are the BD Sabretooths . I first used them on the Whitney Ice Fall last November, then on the West Ridge a few weeks ago (and they're still up there if anyone wants to go looking). Easy to walk in, and it feels like your feet are just chomping the snow. The new BD Seracs are a slightly scaled down model of this and the stainless steel is significantly lighter. I just used my dividend on replacing the Sabretooths since i loved them so much.

Always consider the terrain you're climbing, your boots, and conditions. Good luck!