Monday, February 13, 2012

Weekly Monday Gear Review - Black Diamond Stinger


The Black Diamond Stinger crampon is the latest entry to the lightweight, steep ice and mixed category from our friends at BD.

This crampon is designed for anything and everything from steep waterfalls to mixed, roadside or alpine.

Stainless steel construction keeps the weight at 2 lbs. and the asymmetric platform fits my low-volume, modern ice boots perfectly. The hooded monopoints and aggressive secondary points guarantee security on any type of ice.

For me, as someone who has used BD crampons for years, one specific improvement stood out. They managed to significantly improve the fit of both the toe bails and heel wires by decreasing the profile of each. This makes a huuuge difference when you’ve got your feet jammed into cracks or when shuffling foot placements in tight quarters.

Also worth mentioning are the durable anti-bots that are included as well as the ability to easily change out the monopoint once it wears down.
For the alpinists out there….all hardware is easily replaceable and these crampons are some of the quickest to adjust or repair out of any that I’ve tried.

If you’re looking for a crampon to take you through the rest of the water ice season here in Colorado and continue well into spring alpine climbing here in the Park or abroad, look no further.

-Mike Soucy
Colorado Mountain School Guide
800-836-4008 x3

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