Grivel Spider Crampon

At first these looked as if they would work well but after closer inspection I noticed the weak points in the plastic. I used them for a short walk across some ice/snow and they were broken after that. They broke right where I expected them to. The plastic part that curls up around the side of the boot from the base plate is stiff plastic and broke rendering them useless. I would not recommend these at all.

First, I have experience with crampons and mountain climbing in winter and summer seasons. These are not crampons, nor a substitute for them. However, these are a handy, lightweight (4.6 oz) tool to get some traction on slippery terrain. I found them useful on Mt. Washington in winter on the approach trails, Mt. Rainier on the way to Camp Muir and Pike's Peak. The plastic is showing no signs of weakening. I wear about 11.5-12 size Sportiva mountain boots (45 euro size), so these will fit big boots if you put them on right. You will want real crampons for a glacier or if you are expecting stretches of water ice where a fall is not acceptable.PROs: lightweight, fairly durable. Very easy to walk in (much faster than crampons if you don't need them). If you are doing the Lion Head route on Mt. Washington, these would likely be sufficient.CONs: The binding comes loose from time to time and needs to be re-tightened, but it easy to do with thick gloves on. You might have to re-thread the strap to get it to fit your boots right the first time. I'd suggest doing that ahead of time and not in the field. I did wear down the screw tips after a long stretch rocky mixed area with no snow; I probably should have taken them off. Its not clear you can buy replacement screws, which come out easily here, which is irritating (couldn't find the type at Home Depot). Anyone with suggestions here, please comment.People use Kahtoola Microspikes a lot. They seem easier to put on and off compared to these, but weigh a lot more 14.4 oz for large, vs. 4.6 oz for these.Summary: if you are already carrying crampons and want something for the approach, these are worth the miniscule weight. They probably aren't for any terrain you couldn't do in mountain boots alone, but will significantly speed your progress. These have less bite than "microspikes", which weigh a lot more and are themselves no substitute for crampons. And anything less than a Grivel G10 is questionable as a true crampon.

They work well enough when they are on but they have a tendency to come loose. Either the strap on the heel of the boot will come all the way down and slip off or, sometimes, the buckle will open. If you are expecting spikes to bite in hard snow and one of them comes off without you noticing it is more dangerous than if you were not wearing them at all and were walking appropriately.

Just used these crampons to hike snowy, icy trails in the Grand Canyon. Product worked great for me, but not so well for my husband. The straps were not long enough to allow for secure attachment to his larger hiking boots.