I generally felt secure climbing easy rock (up to 5.6, say), and havenвЂ™t had any issues with breaking front points or dulling them beyond what could be expected. Toproping some Tahoe ice in the Petzl Irvis Hybrid.ДЇrom time to time, IвЂ™ve needed to use these crampons on rock, either topping out a line, or on harder pitches. IвЂ™ve even top roped quasi-vertical ice with the Petzl Irvis Hybrids, and have been pleasantly surprised to find that they performed relatively well. When I skied the left North Peak Couloir outside of Yosemite in late July, the snow felt barely edgeable on skis, but fairly comfortable in the Irvis Hybrids. That said, the performance begins to drop as you get to harder firn and water ice, but stays (in my opinion) more than acceptable for any ski mountaineering purposes. Simply put, IвЂ™ve been very happy with this cramponвЂ™s performance on any snow that IвЂ™d consider skiing. When the slope angle increases, the Petzl Irvis Hybrid continues to perform very well, and keeps on chugging up harder snow and neve (like the U-Notch Couloir on North Palisade). Shasta) very well, and is by no means overkill for more mellow climbs. The crampon handled easy snow (such as Avalanche Gulch on Mt. Adams, to ice cragging around Tahoe, to scrambling on Sierra granite. IвЂ™ve used this crampon in a large variety of conditions, from easy soft snow walk-ups like Mt. The crampon packed in its included carrying case. With a more bulky crampon, this would likely have been impossible. Tyndal (including avy gear, snacks, layers, etc.). Thanks to this crampon, I was able to use a 6L bag on a 10k foot day to climb an Eastern Sierra 14er, Mt. As someone who loves small packs, this is crucial. It feels like the crampon packs down to half the size of a вЂњnormalвЂќ crampon.

While the cord system does save some weight, IвЂ™ve been most impressed by how much the system improves the cramponsвЂ™ packability. Different boot sole lengths can be accommodated by changing which hook the cord interfaces with in the heel, effectively shortening or lengthening the cord between the toe and heel piece. The cord effectively tensions the toe and heel piece of the crampon against the toe and heel bail of the boot, creating a rigid boot-crampon interface. In a somewhat unique twist on the traditional crampon, the Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampon ditches the standard steel spring bars connecting the cramponвЂ™s toe and heel pieces in favor of dyneema cord (which Petzl calls the вЂњCORD-TECвЂќ system).

They can also be modified to work in вЂњsemi-automatic modeвЂќ by switching out the pre-installed вЂњfull autoвЂќ toe bail to a вЂњsemi autoвЂќ toe bail included with the crampon. These are вЂњfully automaticвЂќ crampons, meaning that they lock onto the toe and heel lug of a ski boot like an alpine binding. Ideally, the steel toes give most of the hard snow and ice performance of a fully steel crampon, while the aluminum heels (which see comparatively little action) help cut weight. Like a few other ski mountaineering oriented crampons on the market, itвЂ™s made with a steel toe piece and an aluminum heel. The Petzl Irvis Hybrid is a crampon designed to be packable and light, but still capable enough to climb some of the harder ice and rock that we might find on ski mountaineering routes. While the search for the perfect crampon continues, the Petzl Irvis Hybrid ticks a number of boxes and has left me very satisfied. With that exacting rubric in mind, IвЂ™ve spent the last four years testing the Petzl Irvis Hybrid crampon on ski mountaineering lines in the Sierra and beyond. I want my gear to weigh nothing, climb and ski everything, and outlast a Nokia phone. Like many ski mountaineers, IвЂ™m simultaneously a gram weenie and a gear destroyer.

Petz 5 modify carrying case