carolyn

Thanks, Wallstein! These are the last thing I ever thought I would look into. After being hit head-on in a car accident this winter, I am trying to find ways to adapt to my injuries. Though it will be a long time before I am able to climb again, they could be helpful at one of my part time jobs - teaching people to belay and climb. In the long term, it's quite possible that without something like this personal climbing might not be an option...or at least not as as enjoyable due to extreme pain. Then, there is the safety issue.... I guess it's fair to say...."never say never", and be grateful for some of these dorky things that end up on the market. You never know when they may assist you in continuing to do things you love.

If someone were in need of belay goggles, which would be recommended the most? Take cost out of the equation. Functional, effective, and durable is most important. Thanks much!

The lynx are the winners!!!! That said, after one climb and some walking/standing around, it looked like the front bail was about to come off. Thankfully, we noticed a set of smaller bails in the box of goodies (ETA: Apparently they are off an old pair of Montrail Ice9). After switching them out, there was pretty much no movement in the crampons the rest of the day. These smaller front bails also worked better on the Scarpa Phantom Guide than the original Petzl or Black Diamond bails. Of course the one that works best for my boots and climbing needs is on back order. Then there is the issue of getting used to climbing on vertical points vs horizontal. Other than using mono/vertical for dry tooling and occasional mixed, I've exclusively used horizontal (which I loved). As long as they stay on my feet, I will learn to love the vertical points.

No (and yes, but that does not seem to be an issue w/the petzls). There are small stops on the heel sides. They don't come close to hugging my boot. The sabertooths had general width issues, but I am still concerned that after a lot of kicking and/or walking it will allow for enough movement to loosen them a bit. If the rest of the crampon is not too wide, then this may not be as big of an issue. The photos I provided in the link show the obvious space between boots and stoppers. Aside from trying some grivels, which I plan on doing soon, the lynx is the most narrow.

So here is what I know, and I'm sticking to it! Spoke with BD (by phone) and was told I probably did not have them tight enough. Its likely I may need the smaller bail on the newer crampons. Since they are out of those replacement parts I would have to buy an entirely new set. Uh, if it was only that simple . After shortening/tightening them my boot hung off the back and it looked like the entire crampon would bust. It did nothing to improve the width, which was my main concern. Petzl was WONDERFUL. Between my local rep and their customer service, I ended up with a pair of Sarkens, Lynx, and dartwins in my hands today. My concerns were addressed as real vs someone who does not know how to put their crampons on. I tried the Sarkens with newmatic/soft bails. Aside from the heel stops they fit very nice. I'm not too fond of the soft bails, but should be able to trade them out with a step in and get similar results as the other two. Truthfully, these are not the crampons I want, nor do I think they would be ideal for WI/mixed/DT. Dartwins are weird. Once they are on, it is almost as if they are on the wrong feet. I swear, the linking bar is correct and I know my left/right. The width in the middle is nearly as bad as the sabertooths. Again, same problem with heel stops. (ok, just got a call midposting from an old petzl rep and someone who climbs in them. He says they are weird, but they do a great job. I do have them on right. ) The lynx seem to be the best fit, aside from the common heel stop problem. The width is just perfect almost all the way around. The bails (on all actually) could easily be hammered into shape. The front bail seems to have a little more contact with my boot than the sabertooths. I also prefer the extra points. Its so sad I will probably never be able to find the Lynx. Petzl told me they are still on backorder. I think I could correct the heel stop problem with some pretty heavy hammering. I read online about someone putting a hole in the heel stop, then adding a screw/bolt. Maybe I could be less dramatic and try some duct tape to start. Any other suggestions? Hopefully I will get out on them in the next week and see which ones stay on my feet. For anyone interested, I uploaded some photos. They are not high quality or edited, but you will get the point (no pun intended ) with all the crampons I have tried. Crampons

Dane- I have an average size (womens) foot...39. Great to hear success w/ grivels. Again, my planning was poor. I'm coming up on 2 weeks off and no crampons, unless I can make any of the petzls work. I would have to order grivels, and that could take weeks. I suppose I could always get back in my alphas. That's like giving you keys to a mercedes and then saying you can park it in your garage, even sit in it all you want. But, you will have to drive that beater to get around. Bah humbug!

Unfortunately, I don't think taking a hammer to the front is going to do much good. After closer inspection, I would have to take a hammer to the entire crampon. They are just flat out too wide front to back. Even switching out the front bale wont do any good. I do work at a shop which sells climbing gear. I should have known better than to assume my (or any) crampon would fit. Though it probably would not have changed my mind on the boot. I would have just budgeted and planned differently. Gotta say, it is going to be quite a mourning process after 10yrs of DT, mixed, and WI in those sabretooths. I just LOVED them!!! Anyway, I should have a few varieties of petzl crampons by the end of the week + parts to tinker with. I've got a shout out to Grivel. BD and I are playing phone tag. After trying on 5 different BD crampons tonight, I realize it is just hopeless. All I can do is express my concerns. If I must, I will see what LaSportiva has to say about their experiences with the particular boots and best crampons. How is it such a great boot has such a slim collection of crampons to match? Frustrating! I'll keep you posted. Though I am still curious for those who own this boot (particularly women's or smaller sizes) which crampon is working best for you. I would like both mono and dual pt. P.S. HI MIKE!!!!

So psyched to treat myself to a new pair of boots, after a decade in the Alphas. So bummed to find my sabretooths do not match well with the boot. I think it's unlikely there is anything I can do to MAKE them fit properly. I will keep researching, tho. In the meantime, my google searches are showing plenty of people having issues fitting crampons to this particular boot. Grivel Rambos are a popular choice. I have a pair, and agree...they would fit if I could shorten them. Unfotunately they have been sitting in the closet too long and the bolts to adjust appear to be either stripped or rusted. DOH! I guess I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue with these boots and crampon compatibility. Have you been able to find a way to get BD crampons to work? What crampons have fit well that you like? Thanks!

Some things never change!

I so wish they could stay with us longer. Thank you for taking such good care of Phydeaux. I hope you find some peace knowing how much he cherished YOUR friendship.

Something magnetically drew me to this site tonight. Cant believe I remembered my password! Please summarize the last year.... Carolyn

LOL, no shit off white! I dunno, she is probably doing better than me at this point. Im pretty exhausted, lucky to get 5hrs of sleep each night. She had a few awesome months. She has not been eating again since mid october though. So Im doing a lot of syringe feeding. Somehow she is happy as can be...mousing, playing with her strings, eating grass, gettin' stoned, and so on. She seems to still enjoy being a cat despite the constant poking and prodding on my part to get food and medicine in her. We saw one of the top renal specialists in the country last week. Her kidney failure (now disease) is 'stable', despite going off of only one kidney. Something else is going on contributing to her tummy not feeling well. Unfortunately I cannot afford extensive testing to find out. I am doing the best I can to treat her symptoms. Not sure how successful at this point. I did get the report back from the FDA deciding if the drug she took caused her kidney failure. It stated, 'not likely'. They only information they used to come to that conclusion was the drug companies report, which was included in my letter. Keep in mind both myself and vet filed a report with the FDA as well. Their report was grossly inaccurate. The drug company said she did not have lab work done prior to administration of the med, so it was probably a pre existing condition. Strange how I actually have a receipt from the drug company paying for the lab work they claim does not exist?!?!?! It also says that Latte died in July (a tad disturbing to read as I watch her sleeping on her throne). When I contacted the FDA to find out how to change this conclusion they came to and told them the drug company lied, I was told I was treading on legal territory and they could not advise me. WTF?!?!! :stick up the middle finger: Work is starting to slow down so I hope to deal with some of it soon. A big part will be getting in touch with my senator - something I do not have here in MN right now since it is still in a recount. *sigh* I sure do hope to climb someday again. My body and mind are feeling more than a tad blah. Yet, if you ask me if I would rather spend my day frustrated and tired because of my cat, or not have her with me, I would pick the first. And when she IS gone, I will be devastated, yet relieved and feel free again. Here are a few photos of her from early fall (she looks the same now). I built a small grass platform on my back patio,since she has never really been able to roll or walk in the grass. Even when its 20 degrees outside she is sitting at the back door begging to go out.

Although one correction. I think those in the blue states will actually be stuck with 90% of the mosquitoes with MN joining.

doesnt look like the bill is going to pass the house.