I’m in the market for a pair of new B3s, and wondered how do the lighter weight offerings from Scapa and La Sportiva (or other manufactures) measure up versus the Nepals and Mont Blancs?
I’ll be using them for Scottish winter (up to VI), water ice (up to WI5) and summer alpine (Up to D), so don’t need anything for high altitude. I like the look of the Phantom Techs, Trango Ice Cube GTXs, Trango Tower Extreeme GTXs and G5s, or more accurately, like like half kilo of weight saving these offer.
Fit will be the ultimate decider, but wondered if anyone had had any issues with any of the light weight options that are worth bearing in mind. Particularly any issues related to
- Durability
- Abrasion resistance [READ: ability to withstand me being a numpty and kicking myself with a front-point]
- Crampon compatibility (I’m using Grivel G12s or Rambos IVs).