Rodchester Posted December 11, 2003 Posted December 11, 2003 Overstock.com Thought these were pretty darn cheap and I wanted to pass it on to anyone looking for a pair of aluminum crampons to beat up. Quote
Rodchester Posted December 11, 2003 Author Posted December 11, 2003 Have you used these? I have not, but at that price you can afford to beat the hell out of them. I can't imagine that as a basic glacier crampon that they'd be that bad. Am I wrong? Quote
dbb Posted December 11, 2003 Posted December 11, 2003 I'd be so much bolder if I could only buy a Rock Climbing Nut Sack. Oh wait, I can! Quote
Al_Pine Posted December 11, 2003 Posted December 11, 2003 So I've got these lightweight Camp crampons, pretty old, that we've always called the "candy crampons" because they're so brightly colored and just don't seem like they'd hold up. Now, I'm seeing more and more of these things and wondering if I can trust the things. What I'm mostly worried about is that they are not hinged. The backs and fronts are only connected with the metal strip with the multiple adjustment holes in them. I am worried that if I walk very far in these things with a flexible boot (i.e. approach shoes) that this metal strip is gonna get flexed enough times to just break due to metal fatigue. What do you guys think about this? Crampons busting in half on me, on icy snow, when I've got approach shoes on and have got just a lightweight axe or no axe, is not what I want happening. Quote
mtn_mouse Posted December 11, 2003 Posted December 11, 2003 Rodchester said: Have you used these? I have not, but at that price you can afford to beat the hell out of them. I can't imagine that as a basic glacier crampon that they'd be that bad. Am I wrong? I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. He was climbing the Emmons on Rainier, and had borrowed some aluminum crampons. Since most routes on Rainier involve rock and snow, the points were quite dull, not offering the security he needed. Coming off the summit at the high bergschrund, around 13,000 he slipped on the ice, no traction from those crampons, and did a graceful swan dive into the crevasse. After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. Quote
cj001f Posted December 11, 2003 Posted December 11, 2003 mtn_mouse said:I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. He was climbing the Emmons on Rainier, and had borrowed some aluminum crampons. Since most routes on Rainier involve rock and snow, the points were quite dull, not offering the security he needed. Coming off the summit at the high bergschrund, around 13,000 he slipped on the ice, no traction from those crampons, and did a graceful swan dive into the crevasse. After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. Mixed rock & snow is decidely not the right spot for AL crampons. Use the right tool for the job. Al crampons are great if you need to cross snow slopes occaisonally. Quote
catbirdseat Posted December 24, 2003 Posted December 24, 2003 I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. He was climbing the Emmons on Rainier, and had borrowed some aluminum crampons. Since most routes on Rainier involve rock and snow, the points were quite dull, not offering the security he needed. Coming off the summit at the high bergschrund, around 13,000 he slipped on the ice, no traction from those crampons, and did a graceful swan dive into the crevasse. After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. Aluminum crampons will bite into ice if they are sharpened. All crampons need to be sharpened eventually. I'll bet your friend will remember to sharpen his crampons the next time. Quote
Mtguide Posted December 25, 2003 Posted December 25, 2003 I have a pair of lightweight Kong aluminum step-ins,and they do tend to dull up pretty quickly.I wonder if some of the more recent models/other brands are the same,or any better? Quote
ashw_justin Posted December 25, 2003 Posted December 25, 2003 I got those crampons for the same price from Climb Axe two years ago. They are sooooo light, it's pretty much an excuse to bring crampons. Basically, they are for those lightweight day-trips when you will be climbing frozen snowfields in the morning and glissading down them later. Quote
nonanon Posted December 26, 2003 Posted December 26, 2003 Love my Kongs. IMO, anyone falling in a slot on borrowed crampons is automatically a suspect for operator error. Even dull, mine'll stick in ice harder than the back o' Gods head. As they say... Quote
slothrop Posted December 27, 2003 Posted December 27, 2003 I bought those Cassin crampons and don't like 'em much. They come with anti-bot plates, but those don't attach securely in the front. The screw that lets you adjust the length requires another tool (you can't just use one of the strap rings like on my Charlets). I haven't had major problems with their performance, though. I used them for easy glacier approaches this past summer. Quote
Off_White Posted December 30, 2003 Posted December 30, 2003 I've got a pair from Overstock, they work just fine for the kinds of stuff you run into on Cascade rock routes. For example, they were ideal on my tennies for crossing the glacier back and forth to Triumph. If I were going to be on Rainier for several days, odds are I'd bring a burlier pair of crampons. I'm sure they're not the best or the lightest aluminum crampons out there, but the price is good. Quote
Thinker Posted January 2, 2004 Posted January 2, 2004 Overstock.com Thought these were pretty darn cheap and I wanted to pass it on to anyone looking for a pair of aluminum crampons to beat up. I bought these from Overstock.com earlier this year. They were actually shipped from ClimbAxe in Portland. I like em for those times when I'm tempted not to take crampons due to weight. They were perfect for Adams. FYI, there's a good deal on a few pair of Grivel 2F's in OR's sale section if you're looking for something beefier. Quote
OlympicMtnBoy Posted January 16, 2004 Posted January 16, 2004 climbaxe.com has em for the same price, or you can get the stee; version (also $50). I've got a pair of CAMP aluminum 'pons that I like. I used em on the DC on Rainier last year, just made sure to take em off on the cleaver so they didn't get dulled on the rock, didn't take long at all with the stap-on kind. I hope to take em out for some summer traverses when I'm too lazy to take anything else "just in case". Quote
chirp Posted February 26, 2004 Posted February 26, 2004 I got a pair of Kahtoolas Alum. crampons for approach shoes and running shoes, pretty darn durable up to now with mixed scrambling and thrashing around. Pricy tho for lightweights. Just a matter of purpose Quote
Alpinfox Posted February 26, 2004 Posted February 26, 2004 Anybody know where i can get a pair of these for cheap? Camp XLC 490 Aluminum Pons Quote
fenderfour Posted February 26, 2004 Posted February 26, 2004 Not quite the Camp jobby-jobs, but cheap and aluminum: Cassin Raid Lite $50 Quote
Rodchester Posted February 26, 2004 Author Posted February 26, 2004 I'd check Second Ascent in beautiful downtown Ballard. I got a pair of similar aluminum Camps there about three years ago (and love um). They were a little different than the ones you s want in that they were a hybrid binding with a strap on front and a step-in type rear portion. I know that I have seen Camps in the case since that time. Give them a call. Quote
JoshK Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 In the case off teh dude biting it on the emmons that is operator error. Alum crampons rock. If you aren't an idiot and know when and where you can and can't use them, you'll be more than happy with their performance. I got some of those camps from Jim Nelson, after his recommendation due to his expirience withalum crampons in the NW coulior on Eldo. I have been super happy with mine. Quote
Alpinfox Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 Yup! I found a good deal on the stubai ultralights, but the Camp's were my first choice. Quote
MrDoolittle Posted March 2, 2004 Posted March 2, 2004 I got a pair o' the Camps, great over sneakers, and on snow and such, but I'd be reluctant to use them on a longer route with a significant amount of mixed terrain. It doesn't take much to dull the points. I'd take the extra weight for the toughness of steel Quote
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