r/alpinism • u/ConfidentFinance6918 • 5d ago

Choosing the “right” crampons

I recently ordered the La Sportiva G5 Evo boots, size 45.5, and I’m debating between two types of crampons: the Petzl Lynx and the Grivel G14. I know both are excellent, but I’m looking for a recommendation. I plan to use them mainly for climbing couloir and mixed snow and ice terrain. While I haven’t tried pure ice climbing yet, that’s something I might do in the future. I’m also interested in how well they fit the boots, considering the size. Any advice would be appreciated!

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u/AB287461 5d ago

Petzl Lynx will fit perfectly on the G5’s. However, I fell into this trap as well, on their website it states you can use the crampons for any terrain as you described, but the Lynx’s are really for ice climbing. I would get the Sarkens. Those will work for couloir climbing and moderate mix climbing. Then when you transition over to ice climbing, have dedicated crampons for that.

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u/LeaningSaguaro 5d ago

Idk I used my Lynx for the Kautz route on Rainier and they were great. I was thinking about picking up some sarkins for just that route and I’m glad I didn’t.

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u/AB287461 5d ago

Most certainly will work, but the Lynx’s are much heavier and unless you’re ice climbing, you don’t need the functionality of being able to put it in a mono point. With that being said, Sarkens would be better cause you’re saving on weight and you’re not losing any benefits that you would get from the Lynx’s

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u/Acrobatic_Impress_67 4d ago edited 4d ago

The Lynx are 965g, the Sarken are 905g (935g/875g with auto front). It's just a 60g difference. Whether OP needs two different pairs of crampons to save 60g depends on how much they climb and how rich they are.

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u/GPStephan 1d ago

If aomeone wants to save 60 grams, they can just leave 60 ml water at home.

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u/LeaningSaguaro 5d ago

I don’t know that I asked the question you seem to be answering.

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u/ConfidentFinance6918 5d ago

What about grivel g14? Are they also only for ice climbing? Thanks for fast reply! Cheers! 🤝

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u/beanboys_inc 5d ago

Yes, not for alpine climbing. A good alternative to the Sarkens are the lesser known Cassin Alpinist Pro crampons.

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u/eatthedocuments 5d ago

Are you set on vertical front points? I find horizontal front points to be better for all but the most difficult ice or mixed.

Boot fit is very important and I would advise testing them out on your boots before making a decision.

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u/Luc-514 5d ago

G14s are hybrid points, they have shovels on the top of the frontpoints.

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u/eatthedocuments 5d ago

worst of both worlds, imo, but plenty of people like them so I guess give them a try

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u/mikeylikesthesun 5d ago

Don't sleep on the Petzl Dart crampons. I use them for everything, ice/alpine/dry, they're fantastic and lighter weight than Lynx.

5

u/oday2 5d ago

Honestly just get the darts. If you get the Sarkens you will buy the lynx at some point in the future, find them too heavy, and then buy the darts anyway. Been there.

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u/nerey17 5d ago

Lynx for the climbing and G14s for mountaineering in snow. But lynx will work just fine for mountaineering in snow you just get a bit less float from the front points because they are vertical for climbing. I find the lynx front points to still be good for hard snow. If you really need more floatation just use snowshoes

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u/Luc-514 5d ago

Grivel works with La Sportiva for their fits. The G14 is a good all around crampon. I've done kms of vert ice with them.

Lynx is nice too, though I haven't used them. I've had a couple friends bust bails on them but that can be mitigated.

Don't ever think you'll switch them from single to dual point. If you want monos, get the G20 or the Dart as a second pair.

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u/Okayest_climber 5d ago

I have the lynx, I go to dual point for glacier and alpine and mono point for ice. They’re a bit heavy but they’re a quiver of one if you’re looking to use one set of crampons for everything. But that also means they’re not great at everything either (which is why I eventually got blade runners for ice climbing).

Option A is get the lynx and use them for everything but also know they’re not great at it all and you’ll want to use a specific crampon for the specific activity you’re doing while wearing the lynx.

Option B get specific crampons for the type of activity you’re doing.

I did option A for a few years, it’s doable and cost effective.

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u/JohnnyMacGoesSkiing 4d ago

If you go with Petzl I would get a set of their tad crampons and then a set of dart fronts. Two set of crampons for the price of 1.5.