Jon Tep Everything Outdoors Guide

Unlike the Grivel Spider Crampons that are available at a reasonable price for consumers simply looking to walk around town with a little more safety and traction, the Grivel G12 Crampons are designed for and excel at climbing.  Naturally since the intended purpose is different, the design of the Grivel G12 Crampons are much different as well.  Instead of walking around town up and down icy driveways or paths, the Grivel G12 Crampons have effectively been used for rock climbing, and ice climbing, and alpine routes.  Put simply, they are as versatile as they are durable.  In addition to this they have some new technological features that put it over the top in terms of safety, and it is important to remember that no climb is complete unless it returns safely to the bottom of the mountain.

The Grivel G12 Crampons can accommodate any shoe or boot size between Men’s US size 5-12, though there is question as to how well they accommodate the size 12.  Even among US shoe sizes, no two size 12 shoes will fit alike much less be cut the same.  It’s recommended with the larger shoe sizes to bring the boots into the store and test the fit of the Grivel G12 Crampon before committing to buy.  Likewise, see which of the three binding options works best with the boots.  If they are a bad fit then consider using a different pair of boots or perhaps look into buying a different type of crampon, since the Grivel G12 Crampons are only offered as a one size fits all option.

The Grivel G12 Crampons weigh-in at a hefty 950 grams, or just over two pounds.  Many climbers find the weight a little bit cumbersome.  Other don’t mind the weight simply for the gains in versatility and durability.  The Grivel G12 sports 12 spikes, four in the heel and eight around the ball of the foot and the toe.  The toe spikes are also effective in helping to climb rock and ice, according to consumer reviews.  The new feature that’s getting a lot of attention is something called antibott sheeting, a flexible latex sheeting that prevents snow from caking around the crampon and ultimately helping to keep the climber safer.

Though a pair of Grivel G12 Crampons will set a climber back by about $175, consumer reviews indicate that the Grivel G12 is the nearest thing there is to a universal crampon.  Though there are crampons better designed for rock climbing or better suited for ice climbing, the G12 Grivel Crampon performs well on several types of terrain conditions (not recommended for vertical ice climbing), and proves very effective on climbs where varied conditions exist one right after the other.  They might not have the specialty of their own Grivel Spider Crampons, but these general use tools are extremely popular with many climbers.