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Petzl Sarken and lynx thoughts?

Nick Sweeney · · Spokane, WA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 969
Blake Bolton wrote:

So I've seen a few recommendations now for the g12 in this thread. However if I get the lynx, it would make more sense to get something like the vasaks since I could just buy the front section. 

Anybody have any experience with the vasaks for general climbing? Any comparison to the g12?

I don't think the secondary points are aggressive enough for steep water ice on the Vasaks, but I'm only looking at photos.  

Beean · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 0

I had lynx's and found them to be pretty average in snow. The front points really do seem to cut through snow.

I have sabretooths now but I would recommend the snaggletooth for your use. Monos are dreamy on ice and they seem like a happy compromise. 

Chris C · · Seattle, WA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 396

The Vasaks are definitely not ideal for anything steep.  I have a pair that I bought a while back and I really do not like them.  In photos they look like they have similar angled and sized front points to the Sarkens, but in actuality they are much less aggressive.  I don't even like them for steep snow.  In fact, I would never recommend somebody to buy Vasaks.  Don't buy Vasaks.

Blake Bolton · · Boise · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
Chris C. wrote:

The Vasaks are definitely not ideal for anything steep.  I have a pair that I bought a while back and I really do not like them.  In photos they look like they have similar angled and sized front points to the Sarkens, but in actuality they are much less aggressive.  I don't even like them for steep snow.  In fact, I would never recommend somebody to buy Vasaks.  Don't buy Vasaks.

That's good to know. Thanks for the heads up. If I just wanted to buy a petzl front section for steep snow would you recommend the sarken? Or should I just go with the g12 like everyone has been saying?

Blake Bolton · · Boise · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
Beean wrote:

I had lynx's and found them to be pretty average in snow. The front points really do seem to cut through snow.

I have sabretooths now but I would recommend the snaggletooth for your use. Monos are dreamy on ice and they seem like a happy compromise. 

That's exactly what I was concerned about. Thanks for your insight. Have you used your sabretooths for WI at all? 

I've been looking into the snaggletooth and they seem like an interesting compromise. 

I wish there was a place to rent crampons to test out near me but unfortunately there's not. So I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

Beean · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 0
Blake Bolton wrote:

That's exactly what I was concerned about. Thanks for your insight. Have you used your sabretooths for WI at all? 

I've been looking into the snaggletooth and they seem like an interesting compromise. 

I wish there was a place to rent crampons to test out near me but unfortunately there's not. So I greatly appreciate everyone's input.

Very easy WI and mixed. They're ok, nothing special, lynxes climb way better especially on monos. I've heard sabretooths are great for rotten ice but have no personal experience in that regard. 

Chris C · · Seattle, WA · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 396
Blake Bolton wrote:

That's good to know. Thanks for the heads up. If I just wanted to buy a petzl front section for steep snow would you recommend the sarken? Or should I just go with the g12 like everyone has been saying?

I really like the Sarken for steep snow with random bits of mixed and alpine ice sections. I think the T-point makes it easier to move on rock than just the standard horizontal points.  I have used them on WI as well, but they do take a little more battering to get what are really solid feeling sticks.  (They did teach me that a solid stick on WI doesnt need to be super battered in though...so that's a plus.)   I haven't used the G12s so I can't say which is better or worse for your use. For climbing WI, vertical monos really cannot be beat.

Kind of like most things in the alpine, you're probably not going to have one crampon that is perfect for all situations.  Every route leans a little more heavily in a particular kind of climbing, and often you don't exactly know what you'll encounter.  For example, you may be climbing what you thought was a steep snow route and find yourself under a section of near 80 degree bullet hard ice.  Unless you happened to stash an extra pair of monos in your backpack (don't do that), you'll just have to make due with what are on your feet.   That goes for ice axes, layers, etc...

So basically what I am saying is that either is probably a reasonable choice for your goals.  You'll certainly find yourself in situations where you love them, but also in situations where you wish you had the others.  None of us carry an arsenal of gear while we climb, so in my opinion it kind of doesn't really matter.  Just don't get the Vasaks because they suck for everything.

Blake Bolton · · Boise · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 0
Chris C. wrote:

I really like the Sarken for steep snow with random bits of mixed and alpine ice sections. I think the T-point makes it easier to move on rock than just the standard horizontal points.  I have used them on WI as well, but they do take a little more battering to get what are really solid feeling sticks.  (They did teach me that a solid stick on WI doesnt need to be super battered in though...so that's a plus.)   I haven't used the G12s so I can't say which is better or worse for your use. For climbing WI, vertical monos really cannot be beat.

Kind of like most things in the alpine, you're probably not going to have one crampon that is perfect for all situations.  Every route leans a little more heavily in a particular kind of climbing, and often you don't exactly know what you'll encounter.  For example, you may be climbing what you thought was a steep snow route and find yourself under a section of near 80 degree bullet hard ice.  Unless you happened to stash an extra pair of monos in your backpack (don't do that), you'll just have to make due with what are on your feet.   That goes for ice axes, layers, etc...

So basically what I am saying is that either is probably a reasonable choice for your goals.  You'll certainly find yourself in situations where you love them, but also in situations where you wish you had the others.  None of us carry an arsenal of gear while we climb, so in my opinion it kind of doesn't really matter.  Just don't get the Vasaks because they suck for everything.

Some of the best advice yet. Thanks Chris!

Jesse Coonce · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2016 · Points: 5

I have the Lynx and have used them for a few years now on mostly waterfall ice, they work great there.  With the different front point configurations they give a lot of options for ice/mixed/drytooling.  I haven't used them much in snow but they have done what I needed them to do in the pretty limited usage they've seen there.

One big drawback to these is the cost of replacement front points compared to competitors, it is ghastly(much like replacement picks for Petzl tools, hopefully the front points wear as well as the picks vs. most of the competition to help justify the price because it is a sizable gap).  I got mine used but in near N.I.B. condition for $40 CAD so I can justify buying a set of replacement front points for $90 but otherwise....I dunno, that seems really excessive to me for what you are getting.

That single drawback aside, I really like mine and they work well for me and the toe bail fits the toe welt on my Mont Blancs pretty well too.

Joel - · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2018 · Points: 0

Borrowing this thread of Sarkens. Has anyone tried pairing the Sarken toe parts with Leopard heel? I´m looking for a new crampons for ski mountaineering out of which 90% happens on snow and therefore I´m going with Leopards. Rest of the time will be on ice or mixed and for those days I was wondering if I could replace the fronts with something beefier. Obviously Irvis toes fits Leopard since they also sell Irvis Hybrid but I would like to go with more technical Sarken. Petzl says on their site that these toe pieces fits all their crampon models but in one technical pdf it is said that this applies only to steel crampons. On the Irvis toe pieces it looks like there are these holes for the connection cord but I can´t see them on Sarken or any other model. All input appreciated!

that guy named seb · · Britland · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 236

Has anybody taken an angle grinder to some g12's and turning them into snaggle tooths?

Nick Sweeney · · Spokane, WA · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 969
that guy named seb wrote: Has anybody taken an angle grinder to some g12's and turning them into snaggle tooths?

Grivel manufactures a “snaggletooth” style crampon called the G12 Dahu.

Karl Henize · · Boulder, CO · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 643

I like the Cassin Blade Runners set up as a horizontal mono-points for steep alpine mixed (snow, ice, and rock climbing).  The mono-point can be more centered than the Snaggletooth or G12 Dahu.  That being said, the secondary points are so far forward that they would be less efficient for low angle walking than the Snaggletooth, Lynx, or Sarken.  

Kip Kasper · · Bozeman, MT · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 200
Jared Casper wrote:

I came across this post from Steve House researching crampons recently: https://www.uphillathlete.com/forums/topic/best-crampons-for-alpine-climbing/

He is sponsored by Grivel, so there's that, but he does make some interesting points in favor of his sponsor.

G20s are great crampons, I’ve been climbing with them for years. However, I’ve broken one personally, and a pair that I sold to a buddy broke in half on him. I have friends that have broken the frames on darts, stingers, G14s. I’ve snapped the bolt on cyborgs several times (more than 5). 


Point being, no crampon is perfect, gear breaks, and don’t be surprised when it does. If you’re going on a big trip it’s not a bad idea to buy new gear beforehand and be prepared to throw it in the trash when you’re done. 
You’re new, whatever you end up getting you’ll probably end up not liking as much once you figure things out and get a few years of experience under your belt. Buy something, go outside, use it. You’re gonna have a good time. 
Stever · · WA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 56
Kyle Tarry wrote:

I will be using the Snaggletooth for alpine missions this season as well, very interested to see how they perform.

So far I have only done drytooling with them, and they are definitely as good as a vertical mono for that, at least on the terrain where I used them.



How did you like them?
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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