UKH

Following on from a comment on another thread I've been trying to find internet evidence or images of crampons that were briefly available -in Tiso and Nevisport sometime between 1979-83 IIRC - for what was then Scottish mixed winter climbing. Not like Andy Nisbet's "Trampon" plate, these were more like a dremelled Salewa Adjustable with each down-spike cut to a 'molar' or tricouni profile and about a 1cm long. I'm curious to check whether they had front points and how they'd been configured. I did see and handle a pair in a shop at the time, and seem to remember they were black powder-coated, but didn't buy them and have never met them on the hill. Anybody able to shed more light? Is my memory playing tricks?

Hi, ones I clearly remember from that era were, Salewa rigid crampons, black.  These had front points one of which was longer than the other, designed for mixed routes.  hope this helps. 

I don't remember those at all, though 1980 is a little before my time. I do remember Chouinard Rigids which had a flat frame and fairly short points, made or marketed by Salewa in Europe.

I had a pair of normal Salewa Hard Ice Classics, the points of which I sawed down short for mixed, to great effect.

Thanks guys. I'm not even sure if the ones I remember were rigid or flexible. The main thing that has stuck with me was the short tricouni-like down points. I wonder if they were a limited prototype that didn't go into production.

Your cut-downs were probably the reason they didn't catch on, 65....

Sorry Timy, I think I may have misunderstood your reply... Did the rigid Salewas you mention have the shortened down points as well? 

These were like this from the factory? My old Salewa Everests have points well less than an inch long. Just from repeated sharpening. They weren't even heavily used.

Yes -as I remember- not only short short, less than half an inch, but profiled like a VVV rather than a V point .

This is ringing a bell with me. I was an avid consumer of mail order catalogues around that time and have a mental image of what you are talking about. All those catalogues are long gone but perhaps someone has one squirrelled away and can have a look for you?