Clay Ellis

Crampons
Your local outfitter likely sells an array of crampons: hinged, semirigid, and rigid. Hinged crampons are used for mountaineering and snow climbing, not ice climbing. Rigids are for waterfall ice and mixed routes where you're almost exclusively front-pointing—kicking the toe spikes into the ice. Semirigids fall somewhere in between: They flex well enough when you walk in them, but they're as efficient as rigids on vertical ice. For this review, I tested one semirigid and three rigid crampons.

1) Black Diamond Mako
Introduced in 1999, the Mako (36 ounces; $185) was the first crampon to incorporate a "trident" front point as opposed to a dual or a monopoint design. After climbing a few pitches, I found the three-pronged toe to be particularly effective on thin ice. The outer points backed up the middle point, eliminating side-to-side wobbling and helping to distribute weight through the entire frame. On frothy, rotten, "chandeliered" ice, the side points act like tiny outriggers, helping to reduce the risk of the points shearing out of the ice. Advanced climbers should consider purchasing the Lacerator Kit ($35), instep points for shimmying up free-hanging icicles.

2) DMM Terminator
The Terminator (36 ounces; $168) has a novel asymmetrical shape and a variety of adjustable front-point configurations: centered monopoint, offset mono, dual, and mixed. The most interesting is the offset monopoint, which was designed to put the weight of the front points directly under the big toe, as would naturally occur in rock climbing. So does it make front-pointing easier? I've climbed extensively with both offset and centered monopoints, and the difference isn't readily noticeable—both work equally well. In any case, the choice is yours because you can mix and match the configurations. A bolt-on heel spur for bear-hugging freestanding ice pencils is included.

3) Grivel Rambocomp
Grivel's newest crampon, the Rambocomp (37 ounces; $170) is a modification of the company's proven Rambo. The big change is a frame designed along an asymmetrical last to more closely fit the anatomical sole of a boot and lock more tightly into the boot welts. Because the bottom points, under the sole of the foot, have been reduced in size (you don't use them on vertical ice anyway), the Rambocomp is also lighter than its predecessor. Care to shimmy up a free-hanging dagger? The serrated secondary points along the inside of the foot are splayed outward for just that purpose.

4) Charlet Moser M10
The front and rear sections of the semirigid M10 (37 ounces; $190) are connected with a flat bar that flexes as you walk. It's an effective design—the M10 is stiff enough to avoid the vibration and penetration problems typical of hinged crampons on vertical ice, and yet, because it conforms to the rocker sole of plastic and leather boots, it's more comfortable for glacier walking. Like the Terminator, the M10 has adjustable front-point configurations, and because of the sliding bar connecting toe to heel, it adapts better to various sizes and shapes of boot.

Review

2) Leather has made a resurgence in the past five years, mainly because of boots like the La Sportiva Nepal Extreme (4 pounds, 15 ounces; $420). Closer fitting, and therefore more supportive, than any plastic boot, the Extreme also has a low cut for better ankle dexterity, while a deep heel cup keeps your foot glued to the sole for front-pointing. The Extreme's only drawback, common to all leathers, is that there is no removable inner boot that you can take out and dry in your sleeping bag overnight.

3) The rockered sole of the Scarpa Inverno (5 pounds, 12 ounces; $300) facilitates a natural heel-to-toe stride on the trail, making it a great plastic double boot for long approaches. It's less well suited to technical mixed-route rock-climbing maneuvers like edging, and it's big and heavy compared to a typical leather boot. I wouldn't choose the Inverno for ice and mixed routes at my local crag, but for expeditions and brutally cold days, with its well-insulated removable liner, it's a durable performer.

Where to Find It: Black Diamond/Scarpa (801-278-5533, www.blackdiamondequipment.com); DMM (801-942-8471, www.dmm.wales.com); Grivel (802-985-5056, www.climbhigh.com); Charlet Moser (877-807-3805, www.charlet-moser.com); Yates (800-928-3716, www.yatesgear.com); Koflach (800-258-5020, www.koflachusa.com); La Sportiva (303-443-8710, www.sportiva.com)