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Aluminum Crampons = Cheap


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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.

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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? confused.gif

 

I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. hellno3d.gif 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. Geek_em8.gif After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. thumbs_down.gif

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mtn_mouse said:I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. hellno3d.gif 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. Geek_em8.gif After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. thumbs_down.gif

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.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

I haven't use those, but I have a friend that did and had a bad experience. hellno3d.gif 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. Geek_em8.gif After some ropework, he was retrieved intact and hiked down. But he said never never use alum. thumbs_down.gif

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.
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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.

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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.

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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.

 

wave.gif

 

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.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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".

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  • 1 month later...

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.

 

wave.gif

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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.

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