Salewa Crampons

[Rob S]

Does anyone have any experience with Salewa crampons? I'm thinking about buying the "Salewa 12 point Chouinard" crampons. (Found a great deal on the net.) Any thoughts at all, positive or negative, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[jfb]

If those are the rigid ones, I have a pair that are about 25 years old. They work fine for me for moderate ice climbing, might be a bit heavier than newer models and they have horizontal front points which might not work as well as vertical front points on steep ice. They need to be worn with rigid boots so they don't flex and develop fatigue cracks. You need to use neoprene straps on them, they don't have bails on toe or heel.

 

[Paul_Bear]

I've used a pair of Salewa "Messner" step in 12 point crampons for almost 20 years. These are the scissors type design and are not completely rigid, although I've only used them w/ pretty stiff plastic boots. They've worked well for hiking and moderate ice climbing. I like them so much, I recently picked up a second pair on Ebay to replace these when they wear out!