Mountaineers are like dodo birds, easy to drive to extinction should anyone care enough to try. Just leave something shiny in the middle of a busy intersection. "Ooh, shiny!" Smack! Black Diamond plays both sides in this evolutionary dance with the classic Sabretooth Pro crampons in light, shiny stainless steel.
More than just a pretty facelift, stainless steel resists rust better and sheds snow more efficiently, while still putting up with the kind of mixed-terrain abuse that shreds aluminum crampons. There's a lot more to the new design than the finish, however. The new Sabretooth is much more streamlined, including a lower profile heel adjustment assembly. The wonderful strap buckle is unchanged, as are the front points. If you put it next to the old version, the whole crampon sits a full quarter inch lower due to shorter bottom points. The frames are narrower and use less material, weighing in at 3.5oz less per side. That's almost half a pound per pair, which is real weight off your feet. It's much easier to read the markings on the new stainless spreader bar than the old colored ones. Note that you'll need the optional extended size bar if you're packing a size 12 or larger hoof.
Gone are the old optional screw-in anti balling plates; the new tool-free dual density ABS plates are standard. Both bails are redesigned. The toe bail is slightly wider, and down to two adjustment holes per side from three. The Sabretooth has always been one of the best crampons for fitting around fat toe rands on boots, especially with overboots, which some crampons simply won't fit around. The heel bail is actually a tad narrower, although it still fit on a pair of Oly Mons, if snugly. The performance is unchanged, or perhaps improved, by the slightly shorter bottom points. The shorter platform is theoretically more stable, but more importantly it feels more nimble and less likely to result in spearing yourself in the calf. Funny when it happens to your partner, not so much when it's on you. A great crampon significantly improved; good on ya, BD!
Its a pity we, enthusiasts in India do not get such high-tech equipment. And even though there are so many clubs and so many terrains to be conquered, there is still a lack of good equipment.
Hope it improves some day.
Rajiv.
Posted by: Rajiv Gadra | May 04, 2010 at 11:07 PM