Simond Crampons

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 joe.wahab 07 Nov 2015
Anybody have experience of any Simond crampon models? Would be interesting to know the build quality of Simond hardware. I know some Simond clothes are raved about here, and given my experience Decathlon's excellent customer service (I got free return postage!), wouldn't be too bothered to try the crampons out only for them to fit poorly - I can just send them back! I won't bother at all if they are likely to fall apart.

The specific model I was looking at their (presumably) G12 equivalent, the Makalu Semi Step in: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/makalu-semi-step-in-crampons-id_8091164.html

I am trying to fit them to Scarpa Cumbres size 46, which I have read can be awkward to get a good crampon fit: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/t.php?t=484435

Could be interesting, as they are described as 'asymmetric'. With respect to the actual fit presumably I am after a crampon with spikes that are in a position to match the edges of my boot soles?

Cheers in advance!
 Graham 07 Nov 2015
In reply to joe.wahab:
They are fine, quality-wise. Not as well finished or cutting edge as the big brands (Grivel, Petzl or BD) but perfectly serviceable. They've been making crampons for just about as long as climbing's been around so they do know what they're doing. Just about all crampons are "asymmetric" these days - some may not even mention it in the list of attributes because it's pretty much a given that they will be. I'd have no worries buying a pair of Simond crampons like the ones you are looking at. If I was looking for a pair of crampons for hard technical climbing I'd give them a miss though.
If you've got Cumbres then I would get the version with the toe bail ("Speed") - sometimes the rocker of the boot can make fitting a toe-strap very difficult.
Post edited at 19:21
 Al Walker 07 Nov 2015
In reply to joe.wahab:

Echoing what Gaham says.

Wore a pair of Simond Vampires with clip on bindings for a good few years on a pair of La Sportiva Trango Extreme GTX boots. It was a bit fiddly getting a good fit on the boots at first, but once that had been sorted, they were a good stable platform. Not the most up to date of designs, and a wee bit heavy, but pretty bombproof. They stood up to a lot of mixed climbing well. I was very happy with them.

They didn't fit onto a modern narrow soled boot well though. When I got a pair of Scarpa Rebels I also had to change the crampons, just couldn't get a secure fit. But, if you can get a good fit to the Cumbre, they'd be an OK crampon.
 RR 07 Nov 2015
In reply to joe.wahab:
I had Scarpa Cumbres combined with Simond Makalu’s (with front bail) no problem.
OP joe.wahab 08 Nov 2015
In reply to joe.wahab:

Thanks for the replies folks - I have never read of problems between rockered B3 boots and the toe binding - any chance you can expand on how exactly the front bail would be better than a toe strap?

Also, how does this square with Andy Kirkpatrick's advice to go with the 'newmatic' style bindings due to the ease of getting them on? http://andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/getting_the_right_crampon

Thanks
1
 Graham 11 Nov 2015
In reply to joe.wahab:
The newmatic style of crampon has two metal posts that the strap attaches to. If the rocker of your boot is such that the boot sole sits near, or even above the metal posts then you will have a problem. There isn't enough strength in the system to hold the toe of the rigid boot and the crampon together and the toe sometimes pops out if the boot rocker is prominent. I personally have encountered this and had to switch back to a crampomatic style binding. (Boot/crampon combo was La Sportiva trango extremes and BD sabertooths). I have seen it happen with other combinations too. I don't know why andy thinks the newmatic style is easier to put on - they're about the same. Sometimes you might need to clean off the toe ledge of the boot where the bail sits but that's not hard to do. If you've got boots (which you do) that accept crampomatic style bindings, then use them.
Post edited at 20:45
 CurlyStevo 13 Nov 2015
In reply to Graham:
I disagree, this example is just a poorly fitted crampon. For a good fit the sole of the boot should fit the curve of the crampon when viewed from the side. It doesn't really matter which binding you use if the fit is right although I think the C2 plastic bail fittings are better my self. The bail bars not only have more play in the fitting (when both are well fitted) but they also tend to bend with time. I find this tends to adversely affect the front point protrusion and eventually you run out of adjustment holes to remedy the issue. Also the front welt on many boots (especially Nepalis) tends to wear down with time and eventually becomes insecure. I've seen way more c3 crampons fall off in the field than C2 btw.

The rocker on the cumbre isn't that excessive although the asymetric curve is, I'm not a fan of the asymetric bars to fix this as they all overly turn the points inwards. I can confirm the C2 bd sabretooths are a good fit and no need for the asymetric bar as the points cover the sole well and don't protrude from the edges.
Post edited at 07:27
 Graham 13 Nov 2015
In reply to CurlyStevo:

I agree Stevo - that crampon did not fit those boots very well - switching to the same crampon with a toe bail fixed it completely.
 CurlyStevo 13 Nov 2015
In reply to Graham:
If you have a bad conformity between the sole and the crampon at best you are going to get a bodge. Perhaps a toe bail bar is better in this case but it's still not a choice I'd make. Also it shouldn't mean the op should rule out c2 crampons. I'm with Andy k on this one I'm afraid. The points I made assumed you'd already considered that c2 crampons are easier to put on and roughly equivalent to take off.
Post edited at 20:30

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...