Grivel Air-Tech Crampon Review
One Crampon to rule them all.
Another great product from the guys in Courmayeur Italy I would like to recommend: The Air-Tec Crampon by Grivel.
I have had a pair of Air-Tec Crampons for the last 3 years and I love them as an all round mountaineering crampon.
These guys are some of the lightest full steel crampons available in NZ (790gr w/o Antibotts), and lend them selves so well to some of the following: Mixed climbing routes in Arthur's Pass, The high neves of Mt Cook National park, Antarctic mountaineering and Ski Touring in winter.
The reason I like these sharps are because they have the same aggressive 2 front points that it's bigger brother the Grivel G12's has making them climb moderate ice and steep gully climbs securely but also the lower profile underfoot points that make walking so easy on hard ice and long trips when you are tired and slightly lazier as you don't need to lift your feet as much. Rock or mixed climbing in these guys is also easier due to their lower profile secondary points that don't scratch around as much as the G12's do meaning you can place the side of your foot securely and not feel as though you are on high heels as much as other more specific alpine crampons.
I have adapted them slightly from out of the box to make them as versatile as I rant about.
The adaptations that I have done are to make them as versatile as I can for all the work that I do. I have replaced the hard centre bar with a flex bar and nylon nut and bolt which means that they are lighter, able to work on all my boot types and are slightly safer as they are less likely to loose parts while in transit on my pack than the standard clip (this is only a theoretical problem).
I chose to go with the full strap option as they are then usable on all my boots from light alpine rock boots through to my ski boots, speaking of ski boots, I have added a small double fisherman loop of 3mm cord on the front bail to give me the extension I needed to reach over my high altitude boots and my ski boots without having to adjust the center bar, which I think is a great idea (=
So if you are looking for a great all round mountaineering crampon that can do a little of everything these are the guys for you. They will walk well on hard ice and firm to slushy snow with the help of the 'antibotts' that actively push off snow build up while you walk which makes for a safer crampon. The Air-Tecs' will climb most types of terrain up to NZ Gr3 routes, where the steepness of ice and harder terrain make the secondary points of the G12's preferred as they make vertical climbing more secure.
If you are too hardcore for these beauties Grivel has a great range available from the high performance ice and alpine masters the G14's or the Alpine crampons that 'go to 11' the G12's check them out. They are also really good at making Axes especially the Air-Tec Series of axes.
I rate them, you will too.
Have fun...
One Crampon to rule them all.
I have had a pair of Air-Tec Crampons for the last 3 years and I love them as an all round mountaineering crampon.
These guys are some of the lightest full steel crampons available in NZ (790gr w/o Antibotts), and lend them selves so well to some of the following: Mixed climbing routes in Arthur's Pass, The high neves of Mt Cook National park, Antarctic mountaineering and Ski Touring in winter.
The reason I like these sharps are because they have the same aggressive 2 front points that it's bigger brother the Grivel G12's has making them climb moderate ice and steep gully climbs securely but also the lower profile underfoot points that make walking so easy on hard ice and long trips when you are tired and slightly lazier as you don't need to lift your feet as much. Rock or mixed climbing in these guys is also easier due to their lower profile secondary points that don't scratch around as much as the G12's do meaning you can place the side of your foot securely and not feel as though you are on high heels as much as other more specific alpine crampons.
I have adapted them slightly from out of the box to make them as versatile as I rant about.
The adaptations that I have done are to make them as versatile as I can for all the work that I do. I have replaced the hard centre bar with a flex bar and nylon nut and bolt which means that they are lighter, able to work on all my boot types and are slightly safer as they are less likely to loose parts while in transit on my pack than the standard clip (this is only a theoretical problem).
I chose to go with the full strap option as they are then usable on all my boots from light alpine rock boots through to my ski boots, speaking of ski boots, I have added a small double fisherman loop of 3mm cord on the front bail to give me the extension I needed to reach over my high altitude boots and my ski boots without having to adjust the center bar, which I think is a great idea (=
So if you are looking for a great all round mountaineering crampon that can do a little of everything these are the guys for you. They will walk well on hard ice and firm to slushy snow with the help of the 'antibotts' that actively push off snow build up while you walk which makes for a safer crampon. The Air-Tecs' will climb most types of terrain up to NZ Gr3 routes, where the steepness of ice and harder terrain make the secondary points of the G12's preferred as they make vertical climbing more secure.
If you are too hardcore for these beauties Grivel has a great range available from the high performance ice and alpine masters the G14's or the Alpine crampons that 'go to 11' the G12's check them out. They are also really good at making Axes especially the Air-Tec Series of axes.
I rate them, you will too.
Have fun...
