20 Best Crampons For Ice Climbing (2023 Updated)

I ordered these crampons when my favourite winter walking paths turned to solid ice in February, and even my trusty Icebug boots weren’t enough on the uneven terrain. The “Ultra” crampons arrived from Montreal very fast – two days at most – and worked like a charm, even on a steep hill was covered in ice that was practically bobsledding grade.

While others clung frantically to trees or slid down helter-skelter, I just strode down it more or less normally. The small, tough nylon carrying bag that is included makes it easy to take the crampons along “just in case,”: I’m able to stow mine in a large jacket pocket without worrying about getting stabbed by the spikes or having snowmelt leak through my jacket after taking them off en route.

(You don’t want to use crampons on paved surfaces that aren’t ice-coated. ) Road salt will corrode even stainless steel, so I’ve been giving these a quick rinse in hot water as soon as I get home and hanging them to dry: so far so good.

I can’t yet speak to their long-term durability, but they feel very well made. The velcro strap over the instep ensures that they won’t fall off. In all, this was a great investment that takes fear and worry out of winter walking – something many of us rely on for well-being during the pandemic!.

These fit like a charm and are true to size. The elastomeric (?) upper allows the micro spikes to easily fit between two differently-profiled trail runners (La Sportiva Wildcats and Hoka Speedgoat 4S).

They go on quickly with no slop or tightness. I bought them over the competitors because of the added Velcro strap, providing an even more secure fit. My last use of these on icy early morning stretches of deep, steep, patchy snow.

During walks with the crampons off between patches, I could slip my hands between the strap and elastomer and have the crampons hanging of the back of my hands, while using trekking poles. As long as you don’t fall on them or mind jangling down the trail for a bit, you can quickly put them back on my feet (an alternative: change-out to a longer bag drawcord and carry them in the bag, looped around your wrist).

After doing some research on various brands, I came across this one. The reviews were fantastic. And I have to say upon receiving them, they feel and look like they will last. Although I have not taken them out to be tested.

I did order to sizes as I was between sizes. I ended up sizing down. I am 7. 5US womens and went with the XSmall. I put both pairs on the various boots and shoes and was impressed with how well they fit and stretched.

They feel of good quality and something that will last. I can also use them on my trail shoes or snow boots on days snowshoes are just not needed. Recommend and if between sizes, size down.

Here is my update on the Hillsound Trail Crampons Pro. On hard ice that is fairly smooth and on not too great a slope, they are great both up and down. They are very good going down steep icy slopes.

I really like the ratchet system and the toe harness. These are very easy for me to put on and take off. Haven’t had an issue with them loosening in deep snow, yet. I know that’s coming though. However, going up steep slopes presents an issue.

The front points are not angled properly for optimum purchase when hiking steep slopes. These crampons are for hiking, not ice climbing. They need more angle. The front points just tend to slide out unless you tilt your foot quite a bit.

This movement is unnatural and fatiguing. The Kahtoola K10s have a much more functional angle for hiking. The other issue for ascending steeper slopes is that the anti-ball plate on the front is somewhat convex relative to the ground (concave relative to the boot).

That means the plate often contacts the surface, snow, ice rocks, etc. When it contacts snow or ice, it tends to slip out quite easily causing your foot to slip back a bit. That is not expected for such an aggressive spike and, frankly, works the opposite of why you buy these things.

It’s very slippery. The other issue with the plate is that it often contacts the rock when scrambling. This is a problem on narrow foot holds as the plate does not allow the spike to grip the rock in some instances (either the front points or the side spikes).

Therefore, you can’t use that foothold and that’s a problem when that’s the only option. These failed on a foothold where my K10s had no problem. Not good. To improve the performance issues, I am going to have to remove the front anti-ball plates.

Kind of sucks as they seem like they would work well in the spring when the snow is very sticky.

We have been using those elastic-based snow spikes all along. The challenge of those was it moved out of place during the walk and had no capability to tighten it further for the smaller feet. It added plenty of frustration during the winter hiking due to the need for constantly adjusting the spikes.

This trail crampon pro is a game changer. It allows micro-level adjustment to fit the shoes well. Once tightened up, it will be fixed in place and not moving around! That removed all the frustration!.

I bought these for winter walks in Quebec and so far they have been fantastic on trails and icy sidewalks. They really clamp into the ice making me feel safe and secure on slippery surfaces. They fasten over top of the boot (similar mechanism to a snowshoe) and actually stay on, unlike the flimsier crampons out there.

Super happy I bought these. Will be buying another pair for partner.

I have lots of different kinds of light duty crampons (paranoid about falling and breaking something) and these are my favourites. They are easier to put on/take off than rubber stretch on types. Once you familiarize yourself with the ratchet buckles they go on and come off very quickly and conveniently.

They are comfortable to walk in, the short “footprint” (pardon the pun) allows your foot to maintain the rolling motion that is normal and does not seem to stiffen the sole. I was surprised at how much snow that they would dig through to bite into an underlying ice layer.

Perhaps as much as 3-4 inches. This makes them a great asset when hiking on snow covered ice where the snow is not nearly deep enough to warrant the use of snowshoes but deep enough and course enough to cause lots of back-slipping as you walk.

The teeth on the crampons dig deep to find a little more bite on each step. For this reason I find myself using them to just get better traction even if the danger of slipping on ice is minimal. They adjust easily to the width of your boot soles and I have had no problems with the screws staying tight.

I did duct tape the supplied wrench into the supplied carry bag just so I would have it with me if the screws loosened.

The best thing about these crampons is the fact that it’s fully adjustable so that multiple members of our family can wear it. Sturdy build and solid quality. Highly recommended

Versatile with the adjustable straps, it’s meant for more icy conditions rather than soft snowy conditions

I bought these to climb Mt Rainier during a glacier course. From the first day, I had an issue with the front latch unclipping which would lengthen the crampon. My guides tried to tweak it and tied it as tight as we could to get away with it.

Then on summit push that happened repeatedly, creating a very dangerous situation for me given it was such a critical piece of gear. We had to stop mid route twice to retighten the crampons which was not ideal.

At the summit, my guide switched our crampons because his bigger feet would not have the same issue. I would NOT recommend these to people with small feet. I’m a size 7 street shoe size (my mountaineering boots were 1 size up).

These are excellently lightweight, and pretty compact. The cord connecting front and back parts is a good innovation, I think. Maybe would be vulnerable if you walk on rocks a lot. but a metal bar is, too, and this might even be easier to replace or repair, if necessary.

There is a some adjustability in the fit, but I was unable to get a really rock solid fit. Good enough for low angle snow, anyway, and these are not intended for front pointing on ice, of course. I don’t care much for the plastic harness components.

They make the crampons a lot bulkier for packing than they otherwise would be, and don’t conform very well to the shape of my boot. And I sort of have the feeling that they will wear out and break or tear eventually.

although have not seen any evidence of that. Maybe Petzl has figured out that there are good reasons to do it this way, but I believe I would rather just have rings and criss cross straps, like my ancient Salewa aluminum crampons.

Happy to have these, those, as they are way easier to carry than my steel ice-climbing crampons.

I’ve used these for about 15 trips. They are light enough you can always have them with you. In fact the same weight as some micro-spikes but with front points are far better on steep snow. Snow that is, and they are great for snow or icy crusts.

Anything other than true ice. In fact the wider horizontally oriented front points are much better on snow than sharp vertical steel points would be. They did ok on some mixed snow and rock as well. I had to sharpen them from time to time, but that was easy enough.

I had a pair stollen and promptly replaced them for this year. Five stars for what they are. Get the antiots though, and shame on Petzl those should be standard.

The Dart is great at climbing steep ice and mixed climbing, the points are easily swapped from mono to dual or even offset if you want. I really like mine set up in the mono point configuration as they climb ice and mixed amazingly well.

My feet feel solid and secure even when the ice is super cold and brittle. The anti ball plates do a good job of keeping the snow from sticking and the heel lever is pretty low profile so it doesn’t interfere with the heel of my boot.

It does take some tinkering to get the heel lever dialed so read the instructions. It is really cool that you can mix and match different parts from Petzl’s crampons to adapt them to different climbing styles without buying an entire crampon.

After the first hike this year, I realized hugging every tree along the hill will not get me very far. Did my due diligence and end up with two pairs of Hillsound for my father and I. I followed the size chart to select the crampons and they fit perfectly.

They are easy to put on and they stay put. I think this is very important to me as I have seem people with loose crampons along the trails. I have take them hiking 3 times so far, each hike was over 10km.

I didn’t have to adjust them during the hikes and they help me through different types of surface. I highly recommend this product for two reasons: well made with strong materials and the perfect fits.

I purchased the Hillsound Trail Crampon after having wiped out on my icy laneway walking my dogs and badly bruising my ribs. They are of great quality, fit well and stay in place well. I am a Women’s size 8 and bought the XS (6-9 women’s chart), they fit both my running shoes and Merrell winter hiking boots.

As I was injured, I have only used for walking on the road. They will perform well on uneven, hilly hiking trails where snow and ice is slick. They are aggressive and bite into and lift out of the ice very well.

Highly recommend for walking, hiking, running when conditions are icy to keep your winter fun going and avoiding falls.

Great product. Very well made and they fit perfectly on the sole of the shoe. They perform well on trails with little snow and icy stones. I recommend.

They fit perfectly. The finishes are very good. And the zippered bag to carry them in the backpack just in case is very practical. For a reason, a large part of trail runners wear these crampons in winter competitions.

This product is very well designed, easy to put on and take off. Will not replace traditional crampons, but for an approach step is sufficient. All stainless steel so no rust if stored wet.

Good quality walking/mountaineering crampon. I have been using these on my local hills (Pentlands UK) during the latest lockdown albeit in some pretty icy conditions. They are a good fit on my boots (Asolo Sherpa B2) but I think that they would fit most B1/B2 boots well.

I already have a pair of Nupse semi automatics and also Grivel G12s and these crampons hold up against them very well. Very secure for walking. and less tripping over front points! I would be happy to use them up to about Scottish II and Alpine PD/PD+ ( hoping to go to the Alps later this year and will be taking these.

lockdown permitting!)) Good gear at half the price of the competition.

These crampons aren’t quite as good build quality as my Grivel G12’s but at the price are better value for money. I don’t think the anti-bott will work as well as Grivel but haven’t used them yet so could be proved wrong.

Spikes are spikes, decent materials, no issues there. They are like a reasonable copy of Grivel’s and there’s nothing at all to complain about. The one thing that is much better than Grivel is the sizing.

G10’s and G12’s don’t like accepting my chunky size 11 boots. They will go in but only just. These CT crampons go bigger, at least a size 12, maybe more and they are wider so the boot sits in nicely.

Easier to put on and feel better underfoot than the Grivel’s. Would definitely recommend these over Grivel for size 11 boots.

Haven’t used them yet, but when I do they will be just the job, exactly what I needed. Top class equipment.

I am excited to review these crampons because I would happily call them the greatest crampons I have ever owned and I think every light and fast backcountry kook should have a pair. I have owned these for 5+ years and put many miles on them every spring and winter.

Even though they are made of bright weird green aluminum, they look hardly used and I have 100% confidence in their performance. Locking action: I love putting these on because the automatic action is positive and locks tighly when you flip up the heel.

One note, you’ll need to make sure these are adjusted for your boot before headed out because changing the length requires a screwdriver. It’s doable in the field but not preferred. Durability: I have used these crampons to climb and ski most of the volcanoes in the PNW, usually in springtime.

At first I was careful with rocks and suck but quickly lost patience. I have walked over all manner of texture and have had zero issues. I’ve taken these across many rocks, dirt, scree fields, scattered ice crap and then do it all.

No damage or bent spikes after many years. Weight: These are so light it’s awesome! I basically have no hesitance when throwing these in my pack because they are so damn light. I also worry a bit less about them puncturing or damaging other items in my pack.

Performance on ice: These are just okay. I have used these went following up an icy (but not vertical) chute and then perform but aren’t as confidence inspiring as steel spikes would be. Overall these rock as an all-round ski mountaineering and backcountry frolicking do it all crampon that lasts despite their lightweight build.

These don’t get a ton of use, but when they do, they’re awesome. Great lightweight crampon that works on approach shows / trail runners / hikers for when you don’t know what conditions you’re going to encounter where.

Wouldn’t really recommend on ski boots unless in a pinch, so so many auto crampons works well on boots. Antiball plates are great too for when the snow gets sloppy.