[Walkinaround]

Anyone have any insight/opinions/recommendations on any of these? -Salewa Alpinist 12pt Aluminum or Steel (reputable brand I know, not many reviews though) -Singing Rock Fakir 12pt (lesser know brand, cant find many reviews..) -Grivel G1 New Classic 10pt (would work, good reviews) Wondering if the flex bar in the Salewas or Singing rocks is flexible enough for wear on a pair of regular non alpinist boots? Ill be using them for general mountaineering, glacier/snow travel this winter and coming spring/summer. Anythings appreciated!

[Walkinaround]

Forgot to add, Ive found them all for pretty cheap and in the same price range, which is why I'm considering these 3 options....not rolling in the $$ right now and dont have $130+ to spend.

[mike]

If you would consider used in good condition cheap then PM me

[cartman]

CAMP Stalker steel crampons are $99 at REI and other places. Universal binding strap on crampons so they will go on any footwear as long as the boot isn't too wide.

[christensent]

You mentioned aluminum crampons as a possibility, I highly recommend steel for general Washington mountaineering. You travel on a lot of rock when climbing most peaks in Washington, and aluminum crampons will be destroyed almost immediately. Steel holds up well for a long time on rock. You should only get aluminum as a second pair of crampons dedicated to ultra light weight trips where you can be very sure it will only ever be on ice or snow.

[DIYSteve]

[Schenk]

One of the most important things is to check the fit, and for general glacier travel any of the mentioned crampons will work fine...go for the best fit on your boot.

[Randito]

^^^ This Properly fitting crampons and attachment systems in good repair and secured is very important. There have been fatal accidents in the cascades when improperly fitted crampons came loose while travelling on steep and hard conditions.

[pcg]

[Walkinaround]

[pcg]

I now use AL strap-on when I can simply because they're lighter. The points do wear faster if you're on dirt/rock a lot, however, and If I'm on hard ice I prefer the steel. Neither will work well if you don't keep the front points sharp so learn how to sharpen them and don't neglect it - it's a safety issue.

[Walkinaround]

[Walkinaround]

[pcg]

[DIYSteve]

AFAICT the Salewa Alpinist Alu Walk is the new name for the Ultralight, which I have used for hundreds of days on a dozen different boots. The pic of the Alpinist Alu Walk on Salewa's site looks identical to my Ultralights (except for the anti-balling plate color). If the above is so, the flex bar (steel) will bow sufficiently to work well with most boots marketed in the U.S. as "backpacking" boots, e.g., Asolo 520. Easier to answer using UK boot/crampon standards: Salewa Alpinist are C-1 crampons and thus will work well with B-1 boots, sometimes marketed as "hillwalking" boots in UK (usually marketed as "backpacking" boots in the US). A floppy B-0 trail boot (e.g., Keen) will likely pop out. Not sure what you mean by "regular non alpinist boots." ETA: IME the Salewa flex bar works very well with the roundish flex of modern B-1 boots with synthetic midsoles (vs. old school 3/4 shank boots which tended to develop a kink at the ball of foot). Also, modern synthetic midsole B-1 boots tend to have quite a bit more torsional rigidity, which also compliments use with C-1 crampons v. old tech steel shank boots, which tended to lose torsional rigidity with use.