I have an embarrassing secret: I used to do all my vertical ice with dual horizontal frontpoints. (Pause for gasps of disbelief) In my own defense, none other than Will Gadd recommends this approach.
Then I noticed that young wanker master Gadd is never, ever wearing horizontals in any pics I've seen. You bastard! I went right out and bought the scariest looking teeth I could find, the Grivel Rambo 4.
These monster fangs have a big-ass monopoint and removable heelspur, plus a second half-size frontpoint outboard from the mono and a third vestigial mini-point inboard. Length and points are single-screw adjustable, and the asymmetric footprint that seems too extreme nonetheless matches most boots. Integrated anti-balling plates and a simple yet solid clip system, with little shock-absorber coils in the front bail, round out the package.
So how do they climb? In a word, OMFG. They sink like an Argentine battleship, and with a little toe-up kick the aggressive splayed secondary points seat firmly. The most amazing thing is the feedback; with a suitably sensitive boot it actually feels like climbing rock. I could go on, but I'm too lazy. Suffice it to say the Rambos are at the top of food chain for climbing ice and mixed, and I'm never going back to horizontal frontpoints again. I don't care what Gadd says.
You are totally right! They are amazing, best thing I've tried so far. Just a little kick and they are in with an amazing stability. They only drawbakc I have, i doesn't affect the climbing realy is that after one use my antibot (made out of rigid plastic) crack at the heil. So I do not have any red accordeon between the front and the back of the crampon. None the less, these are amazing and not that expensive!
Alex
Posted by: Alex | January 03, 2010 at 05:54 AM