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Gear Review
Petzl Sarken Crampon
Versatility and John Daly "bite baby bite".
By don bowie
Ranked #36 - Crampons
September 30, 2009
After much obsessing I have yet to find a crampon this lightweight with equal performance in the alpine arena. The Sarkens are extremely versatile. The front points are oriented with both vertical and horizontal bars (essentially a "T" shape) which means they penetrate steep alpine ice AND bite into vert-snow, yet manage to resist sheer in combo-mank. Although, I say "ixnay" on the Sidelock binding system- unless you like a funky fit. The anti-ball plates work well and don't shatter when cold kicking. In my opinion, this is the best all-round performing crampon on the market.
View Details: Petzl Sarken Crampon
Helpful Votes: 3 Yes
Change me.
2 Comments Last Reply: October 25, 2010 By: Dane Burns
Side locks don't fit any of my size 45 boots good enough that I'd trust them to climb on. Hard to get on as well. Obviosly not the case for every boot size.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes
I agree with Don about the versatility of the Sarkens but disagree with his notion that the sidelock binding is a funky fit. That being said, I have not used it with big 8,000 meter boots. But for both leather and standard plastic mountaineering boots, the sidelock bindings offer a cleaner and tighter fit than pretty much any other binding on the market. They do take some getting used to to put on and a bit of flexibility helps.
Helpful Votes: 1 Yes