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[neiceclimber]

Tradman, I never really liked the original sarkens for pure water ice. Always felt like the front points were too long and I couldn't get my heels down to engage the secondary points. They were fine for things like Yale or shoestring, but my foot always felt about a mile away from the ice on steeper lines like the black dike. The other thing that kind of annoyed me is not being able to change just the front points without having to buy the whole toe attachment.

Leashes, gheesh those things are for dogs and weird people who walk their cats. Pappy are you a cat walker?

[Admin Al]

Leashes, gheesh those things are for dogs and weird people who walk their cats. Pappy are you a cat walker?

LOL

[triguy]

Thanks guys, I will try mono's out and see what I like better.

As far as leashes, I kicked that habit years ago and haven't looked back. I was out west a few years ago with Craig van Hoy and he told me "if you need a leash to hold an axe, you shouldn't be holding an axe"! 'Nuff said!

[DLottmann]

..."if you need a leash to hold an axe, you shouldn't be holding an axe"! 'Nuff said!

+1

[pappy]

..."if you need a leash to hold an axe, you shouldn't be holding an axe"! 'Nuff said!

+1

Far from a +1, that's actually kind of mindless. No one needs a leash to hold onto an axe, nor does anyone (who knows what they're doing) actually hang from leashes. Basically, all the leash does for me--besides the all important securing the axe to you so that you don't lose it--is provide a kind of mental prop so that you relax and don't overgrip (I don't even cinch mine). In that sense, it's no different than that little hook thingy on your leashless tools, although I would argue that if you are resting significant weight on that hook then you're just another aid weenie. If you want to be a hard ass, then go back to the early days of steep water ice when they climbed using straight shafted axes and no leashes (I think the Designator was first done like that). Climb the way you want, but if you sneer at others using leashes then you are just a f%$king poser.

[DLottmann]

Relax Pappy, I didn't sneer at anyone... it's all f'in opinions isn't it? I thought the comment was funny, and a bit over the top... plenty of good climbers still using leashes.... just no really good climbers...

I must have been using my leashes wrong the first 3-4 years I started climbing because I definitely adjusted them to support the wrist, which does allow a less focused grip IMO, at the cost of bloodflow and options I would later find out...

Bloodflow, because it's a leash around your wrist... AND it isn't as easy to shake out whenever...

Options, because switching hands has helped me a lot in the last 6 years of leash-less climbing...

This is the chink in your armor IMO:

"a kind of mental prop so that you relax and don't overgrip"

You just said it... it's all MENTAL... and if you can learn to relax and not overgrip without a leash, then you will climb better.

That's truth in my book, and strongly supported by the best ice climbers in the world...

But meh, climb with leashes/tetheres smoking and pissing all over my frozen winter wonderland just don't solo past me without stopping to chat first...

[Mike_R]

Thread revival...  I'd recommend that you cut that thin metal band off your toe bail.  It won't prevent your crampon from falling off; all it really does is make the loop of the ankle strap large enough so that when the 'poon DOES fall off the boot, it drops completely off the foot.  Better IMO to have a tighter loop so the thing dangles on your boot where you can reach it.

[carp]

Thread revival...  I'd recommend that you cut that thin metal band off your toe bail.  It won't prevent your crampon from falling off; all it really does is make the loop of the ankle strap large enough so that when the 'poon DOES fall off the boot, it drops completely off the foot.  Better IMO to have a tighter loop so the thing dangles on your boot where you can reach it.

+1

Learned this the hard way with my Cyborgs.

[triguy]

So I got the opportunity to do a bit of thin ice and mixed climbing last weekend and used my cyborgs in mono and have to say I was really impressed with the difference....at least in those conditions. I was surprised at how stable the mono was on small holds and in thin ice as well.

Can't wait to see the difference on pure ice.....

I think I will cut the metal strap off and see what happens....they seem pretty solid on my Nepals.

[ELM]

I've left the metal strap on an I did have a crampon come loose and it stayed on my ankle for 20' of hopping and swearing. I have two sets of boots. One set the toe bail fits perfectly; the other it has a mild gap and without tension it moves. The strap pulls the bail up and back and once on it's rock solid.