CRAMPONS
SWITCHBLADE CRAMPONS
Although Switchblade Crampons are designed for steep, technical ice climbing, they are versatile enough to be used for general mountaineering as well. They come equipped with dualpoints but can be converted easily to monopoint crampons with the Monopoint Kit.
Switchblade crampons are available in two sizes. Small/medium crampons fit approximately sizes 3 to 8. Medium/large fits approximately from size 7 to 13. If you are unable to properly adjust the Switchblade to your boots following the instructions here, do not attempt to use them. It is unsafe to use crampons that are not fitted to your boots properly.
Sizing Switchblades to Fit Your Boots
1. Holding the right boot upside down, put the right crampon on the sole of the boot and slip the toe bail into place. You will notice that there are two adjustment holes for the front bail. Pick the hole that positions your boot slightly in front of the footplate. Most people prefer to have 2.5 to 3 cm of frontpoint in front of their boot.
2. Set the rear rail on the boot sole to determine which holes you will use to bolt it to the footplate. Important: The back sole of your boot should not overhang the rear edge of the crampon by more than 1 cm.
3. Once you have chosen your hole settings, insert the 21/2” allen-head cap bolts through the rear rail and footplate and tighten the Nylock nuts. Check the tightness of these nuts often.
4. Assemble the heel bail onto the rear rail. There are five holes on the rear rail for the heel bail to go into. Try one of the middle slots first. Put the crampon on your boot with the heel lever over the edge of the heel welt and throw the lever. It should come tight with a solid “whack,” but not so tight that you crunch your fingers in the process. If it’s not right, try another slot in the rear rail. If you seem to be between settings, you can remove the bail keeper from the back of the heel lever, turn it upside down so the tab goes into the lower hole and the bolt goes through the upper hole.
5. Repeat with the other crampon.
6. Lastly, try the kick test — can your Switchblades be kicked off easily? If so, they need to be sized smaller.
7. Don’t forget to tighten the bolts on your Switchblades. Check them every time you use the crampons.
THE ANKLE STRAP
1. Thread the ankle strap through the two vertical slots on the heel lever, positioning the metal buckle of the ankle strap on the “inside” of the crampon.
2. Slide the friction slider back onto the ankle strap.
3. Pass the ankle strap through the metal buckle until strap is snug, push the strap onto the buckle post, and thread the extra strap through the friction slider. After fastening the ankle strap, make sure the extra material is on the outside of your foot, not on the inside, where it might interfere with walking and climbing.
SWITCHING FROM DUAL POINTS TO MONO POINTS
1. Loosen and remove the two bolts that hold the dual points in place. Remove the dual points.
2. Slide the mono point into the center slot at the front of the footplate. Add the two spacers to the remaining slots and insert the bolts. Tighten the bolts and check them every time you use the crampons.
SABRETOOTH CRAMPONS
The Sabretooth Crampon is a semi-rigid crampon designed for the alpine environment--a world of variable conditions that can range from hard gully ice and nevé to glaciers and old frozen snow. The Sabretooth also excels at steep, technical ice and mixed climbing, making it a perfect all-condition crampon.
Sabretooth crampons are available in two sizes. Small/medium crampons fit approximately sizes 41/2 to 10. Medium/large fits approximately from size 7 to 14. If you are unable to properly adjust the Sabretooth to your boots following the instructions here, do not attempt to use them. It is unsafe to use crampons that are not fitted to your boots properly.
Sizing the Sabretooth to Fit Your Boots
1. On the right crampon loosen and remove the bolt and nut which hold together the center strap and rear rail.
2. Holding your right boot with the sole facing up, slip the toe bail into place over the welt of the boot. You will notice two adjustment holes for the toe bail. By placing the bail in the holes closest to the frontpoints, you decrease the length of frontpoint protruding beyond the boot. This is the preferred position for steep ice climbing. Most people use the second hole for snow climbing. Please Note: When changing the position of the toe bail after final adjustment of the crampon, you may have to readjust the fit of the entire crampon.
3. Set the rear rail of the crampon on the heel of the boot to determine which hole on the center strap you will use. Ideally, the edge of the heel on your boot should line up with the edge of the crampon. When in doubt, have the crampon slightly smaller than the sole of the boot. A gap between your boot heel and the two vertical tabs on the crampon is normal.
4. Reinsert the allen-head bolt through the rear rail and center strap, with the nut and locknut retainer on the underside of the crampon, and tighten the bolt. Check the tightness of the bolts often!
5. Put the heel lever over the edge of the heel welt and throw the lever. It should come tight with a solid “whack,” but not so tight that you crunch your fingers. (About 15 to 20 pounds of force.) Make sure the toe bail is seated firmly in the toe welt.
6. If you are between sizes—one hole setting makes the heel lever too tight and the next hole makes the heel lever too loose, you can use the included “oval spacer” to create a half size. This is accomplished by removing the center strap from the front rail and sliding the “oval spacer” onto the center strap. Then reassemble the center strap with the front and rear rail and follow the directions above for a correct fit.
7. If you still feel you are between settings, you can remove the bail keeper from the back of the heel lever, turn it upside down so the tab goes into the upper hole and the bolt goes through the lower hole. This will give you a half size setting. Most boots, however, fit best when the bolt goes through the upper hole of the bail keeper.
8. Repeat with the other crampon.
9. Lastly, try the kick test–can your Sabretooths be kicked off easily? If so, they need to be sized smaller.
10. Don’t forget to tighten the bolts on your Sabretooths. Check them every time you use the crampons.
THE ANKLE STRAP
1. Thread the ankle strap through the two vertical slots on the heel lever, positioning the metal buckle of the ankle strap on the “inside” of the crampon.
2. Slide the friction slider back onto the ankle strap.
3. Pass the ankle strap through the metal buckle until strap is snug, push strap onto buckle post, and thread the extra strap through friction slider. Make sure the extra material after fastening the ankle strap is on the outside of your foot, not on the inside, where it might interfere with walking and climbing.
FITTING THE SABRETOOTH TO TERMINATOR SKI BOOTS
1. Make sure you have the toe bail in the rear hole. This will provide the longest possible frontpoints, to compensate for the front tab on the boot’s sole.
2. Follow the previous fitting instructions.
WARNING
Important: Black Diamond Crampons are designed for use on boots with well-defined welts at the toe and heel. This includes most plastic mountaineering boots, Terminator Ski Boots and leather boots with Norwegian welts. Never use Black Diamond Crampons on boots that lack adequately-sized welts–the bails will not get proper purchase, and the crampons cannot be expected to stay in place.
In addition to a large Norwegian welt, leather boots must have a full-length reinforced shank in order to safely accommodate BD Crampons. Leather boots without reinforced shanks could conceivably flex enough to pop out of the bails.
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Keep your crampon points sharp. Sharpen the points by hand with a fine file. Sharpening with a grinder can overheat and weaken the metal. Do not modify any other part of your crampons.
Check the bolts and nuts before and after each use. Do not over tighten.
Replace any bolt which is cracked, stripped, or bent before using your crampons. It’s a good idea to carry spare bolts, nuts, a fine file and an allen wrench with you in the field at all times. Spares are available from Black Diamond at the address below. We recommend you use hardware from Black Diamond as this will ensure high quality and durability.
Important: Because Black Diamond grade 8 bolts and nuts are subject to considerable stress and fatigue during use, we recommend you replace them after every 30 days of hard use, even if they show no obvious signs of damage or wear.
Extremely cold temperatures (below -40º) can cause the 4130 CrMo steel on your crampons to become brittle and increase the chance of the metal cracking or breaking. Check your crampons often when climbing in very cold temperatures.
Crampons must not come into contact with corrosives such as battery acid or solvents.
In the unlikely event that your crampons need to be disinfected, we recommend retirement of the crampon, rather than subjecting the metal to the corrosive agents found in many disinfectants.
After using your crampons, allow them to dry thoroughly before storing. To minimize rust, lightly lubricate all parts with a rust inhibitor.
Retirement
The life span of your crampons depends on how frequently you use them and where. Inspect them routinely for damage and wear. Do not use your crampons if any part is cracked, bent, broken, or chipped. When you retire your Black Diamond Crampons destroy them to prevent future use.
MARKINGS
The following marks are found on Black Diamond Crampons.
CE 0082: This mark indicates that the crampon passes the CEN standard (EN 893) for crampons.
BLACK DIAMOND: Name of the manufacturer.
DIAMOND: Black Diamond’s logo.
DATE CODE: As an example, the number 7134 may appear, which indicates that the crampon was manufactured on the 134th day of 1997.
L or R: Indicates whether the crampon is a left crampon or a right crampon.
Conforms with EN 893 standards.