Pro Review – Grivel Haute Route and Camp Race 290 Crampons

Pro Reviewer

The camp race 290 crampons really are ridiculously light. The Dynafit rear buckle attachment is a genius design, and makes getting the crampons on and off very, very fast, which is obviously the entire point of these crampons. I bought these crampons specifically for racing, for which they excel. Super quick and so light that you forget they are in your rucksack.

I have used them getting down the Aiguille du Midi arete a couple of times, but I certainly wouldn’t want to use them in a “climbing situation” or on hard ice. For that, I would definitely want a beefier crampon.

Grivel Haute Route Crampon

The Grivel Haute route crampons are a fantastic compromise between lightness and strength. The steel front section fits a ski boot extremely well and are tough enough to climb hard neve or short icy sections. For me, this added strength is worth sacrificing some weight for. Some full alloy crampons are obviously lighter, but feel less secure when on hard snow or ice. Grivels design of combing a steel front section with a alloy rear section is perfect for most ski tours, and the anti-balling plates work well in all but the most soggy of snow (when all anti-balling plates would fail anyway). Light enough to always be in your rucksack, but tough enough to keep you secure when it matters.

You can find out more about Ben on his Mountain Guides page.