Gear Review

Grivel Air Tech Light Crampons

One of the lightest crampons
stiff, slick straps an issue
sharp but short teeth
better durability

Here's a new addition to the SierraDescents.com gear closet: Grivel's Air Tech Light Crampons, a 12-point strap-on model which features a removable anti-bot system (to keep snow from sticking to your boot soles and balling up over the crampon teeth).

Aluminum crampons are not intended for use on technical ice or mixed routes. However, ski mountaineers, who will presumably be spending most of their time on snow instead of rock, may find the Grivel Air Tech Light a fine choice when crampons are necessary.

Minus the antibot, the Air Tech Light crampons weigh an astonishingly light one pound, 0.3 ounces on my scale. With a little careful trimming, you could probably shave that down even more, making the Air Tech Light easily five or more ounces lighter than its closest competition, Stubai's 10-point Ultralight Universal crampons.

Climbing the Bairs Creek Cirque headwall

Shorter points for better durability

Compared to most other brands of aluminum crampons, the Grivel Air Tech Light has noticeably shorter teeth, as well as weight-saving cutouts.

Grivel has drilled holes here and there to shed weight at every possible opportunity.

Despite their shorter stature, the Air Tech's points are aggressive and sharp.

At the time of its release, the Air Tech Light Classic was the lightest crampon available, making it a favorite of adventure racers.

Even today, the Air Tech Light remains lighter than most of its peers—and the included antibot plates make this an attractive package.

On the Hill, I found the Grivel's shorter teeth to be less effective for French Technique (flat-footing and/or traversing).

The alignment of the points favors a head-on approach.

And you'll definitely want to use the anti-bot in sticky conditions, as snow balling is a bigger factor with short teeth.

The Air Tech Light's zytel binding (in the New Classic version) is a strap-on system. Also available is the New-Matic, with an automatic binding (and a few ounces heavier).

The Zytel Classic moved arount a bit too much for comfort on my hard plastic ski boots—at one point, the crampon actually rotated sideways along the long axis. Security is therefore an issue in the strap version. I would not recommend these for snowboarders, or hikers in soft boots.

That said, the Air Tech Light is a top seller in both strap and automatic versions. And, on hard snow, the Grivel's aggressive front points make the Air Tech Light a sturdy, reliable climber. Now that lighter options exist, these aren't my first choice, but they remain a worthy ultralight contender.