recalled Petzl Sarkens - opting not to return them

[Sean_T_Stevenson]

The recall notice for my Petzl Sarken crampons is dated October 16th. I am hoping that I can hold out until Petzl starts delivering an updated Sarken, and trade then. I love these 'pons, and there really isn't anything immediately comparable to them that will fit my size 15 Lowa Civetta Extremes, without having to take two sets with me (general & technical). The recall notice specifically states that less than 20 units have failed by cracking near the front points - out of the thousands that Petzl has sold. To me, it makes sense that I could simply be aware of the issue and monitor it with increased vigilance, and unless anyone can make a good argument as to why I should give them up now, I'm inclined to stick with what works, at least until the comparable replacement is available.

 

Thoughts?

 

[Gary_Yngve]

I'm hanging on to mine too. I don't care if they may not replace mine later... I just really like them.

[Couloir]

I have to admit, I'm starting to feel the same way. I traded mine in right away even though I didn't have any of the issues they were purported to have. I miss them.

[kurthicks]

Petzl told me that the "new" Sarkens, if they are ever made, are at least 3 years from production. They require a complete redesign supposedly.

[fenderfour]

The tooling development and expense for new forging dies is huge.

[northvanclimber]

I'm curious what features the sarkens have that are liked so much compared to some of the newer petzl models (ie, dartwins or M10s) and why people would be reluctant to trade them in. i've been thinking about getting a new set of crampons myself (ones with vertical front points) and have been considering both the M10 and dartwins...

[genepires]

Sarkens came with a plastic toe bail so you could use them on boots that were fairly rigid without a real welt, like the garmont towers. None of the petzl line with waterice front points come with this option.

 

Sarkens are much lighter than M10 and did better in snow walking than dartwin. (built in anti bot) I went through the same mental torture about the crampons but finally traded them in for the dartwin.

[fishstick]

I faced a similar problem with a set of Montrail crampons. I kept using them despite their recall with the thought that nothing else would work and nothing bad would happen if I kept an eye on them... I realized the error of that logic when I broke both vertical rails under the arch of my foot while soloing a straight-forward ice face in CO. It's actually pretty hard bunny-hop down-climbing 100+ m of late-fall ice. They sent me M10s the next week:)

 

Cheers,

 

GB

[Sean_T_Stevenson]

In my case, I need a crampon which fits over my size 15 Lowa Civetta Extremes plus 40 Below overboots - essentially the maximum extension with long linking bars, and the toe bail set forward. Not all models can accommodate that length. A mountaineering crampon is ideally lightweight (which precludes using technical crampons with beefy frame rails or stiffening structure), and has front points which provide vertical resistance in snow - meaning either horizontally oriented, or a T section point like the Sarken. The problem with horizontal points as found on a more general mountaineering crampon is that they don't provide the same capability on technical sections of the climb (although some people have reported success in this area by modifying the front points of a Vasak into truncated chisel tips). T section points will tend to gouge your placement more than a thinner vertical point, but is still useful for walking in snow, which is the tradeoff. Finally, the Sarken antibotte (at least, the latest version thereof - prior to the crampon recall, the antibottes themselves have been recalled / redesigned twice since I bought my set)is tightly integrated to the frame and performs pretty well - certainly, I would expect this to work better than an "afterthought" design, or the MacGyver solution.

 

 

[John Frieh]

I watched Sean Issac climb M8 in a pair of BD contacts (10 point horizontal front point crampons) and plastic boots...

 

I'm convinced just about anyone can climb hard routes in just about anything if they put the time in learning the subtleties of what every piece of equipment they choose... pick a pair and climb on them as much as you can... I'd bet just about any one on this page that it isn't their gear that is holding them back from harder routes.

 

Sarkens are/were a great crampon... I traded mine for dartwins largely because I didnt own a pair of vertical dual point pons... I really like them so far... they don't displace as much as ice as the sarkens did. I am on my third pair of darts and I really like them also.

 

I know Don Serl has raved about the Vasak for pure ice also. Hope this helps!

[jshamster]

I recently talked to a Petzl employee while climbing in Indian Creek.

I asked about the recall of the Sarken because I really love them, and there is no replacement.

Said Petzl employee said not to worry, only a couple/few had been returned prior to the recall, with one very vocal complainant. He also said that Petzl is extremely quality sensative, so they thought the recall was the best thing to do.

 

Bottom line, no way am I sending my Sarkens back.

 

Cheers.

Jimbo

[northvanclimber]

Thanks for all the input guys. much appreciated. also considering the newest BD crampons and the grivel G14's. too many choices!

 

I watched Sean Issac climb M8 in a pair of BD contacts (10 point horizontal front point crampons) and plastic boots...

 

I'm convinced just about anyone can climb hard routes in just about anything if they put the time in learning the subtleties of what every piece of equipment they choose

 

too true. a flip through west coast ice shows many a hard climb being done using some pretty old school equipment... oh well, the better gear helps me feel more hard core