Grivel Air Tech Light EVO Wide Climbing Crampons

Curated from 74 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: January 29, 2025

Grivel Air Tech Light EVO Wide Climbing Crampons

Brand: Grivel
Price: $194
Snoop Score:
6.0
Sentiment
6.9
Popularity
2.7
Technical
6.4

Snoop's Take

The Grivel GVRAATLWNCEF Air Tech Light EVO Wide New Classic Climbing Crampons are designed for alpine climbers seeking a lightweight and reliable option for tackling challenging terrains. Weighing only 19.7 oz (556 g) per pair, these crampons are praised for their performance and comfort, with users noting, "they fit well if you have the 'new-matic' or 'new classic' type." Feedback highlights the crampons' lightweight design, making them ideal for glacier travel, as well as the brand's stellar reputation for quality and customer service. While some users expressed concerns over durability and fitting issues, the overall sentiment leans positively toward recommending these crampons for alpine adventures.

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I wanted a lighter pair than my Lynx!

Positive Feedback

Once its gone thru its initial stretch, its pretty solid and I don't worry about it loosening.

Negative Feedback
Product
6.0
Grivel Air Tech Light EVO Wide Climbing Crampons
Technical Ice Climbing
9 / 10
Glacier Travel
9 / 10
Ski Mountaineering
10 / 10
Winter Hiking and Trail Walking
3 / 10
See how this compares to all Crampons

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Lightweight for alpine routes
I wanted a lighter pair than my Lynx!
Reliable performance from Grivel gear
they’ve never let me down.
Reputable brand for climbing gear
Just get a reputable brand like Grivel, black diamond, CAMP etc.
Good customer service from Grivel
they actually have pretty great customer service.
Grivel crampons are considered great and reliable
Looks good. Grivels are great.
Grivel crampons are highly reliable
Always Grivel. They're fantastic, have never let me down.
I will go Grivel all the way. The g12s are great crampons.
Good fit with new-matic or new classic bindings
they fit well if you have the 'new-matic' or 'new classic' type.
G12 suitable for alpinism and soft snow
The g12 are better for alpinism and soft snow, the g14 are more suited if you do dry tooling and ice climbing.
Multi-matic binding expected soon for better compatibility
Depending on how much of a hurry you’re in, grivel has a new binding (multi-matic) coming that can work in both semi-auto and fully-auto modes.
Lightweight for glacier travel
On paper, the air techs seem to be perfect, they are lighter, and can handle the same terrain as the G12.
they are very compact when stowed as the pointed slide into slots in the opposite crampon.
the air tech is essentially the G12 with slightly shorter points all around, so they are quite a bit lighter too.
Comfortable for walking
this can be useful for steep climbing or ice, but actually makes walking more of a pain.

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Strap loosening issue
Once its gone thru its initial stretch, its pretty solid and I don't worry about it loosening.
They usually only happen in deep and soft snow, where they probably aren't as necessary.
Durability concerns compared to other models
I have them and am very content.
Quality control issues with the crampon
Check out the photos. The steel bar holding the front points on literally snapped in two places.
I am simply baffled. I would say this crampon took a huge impact from the side for the metal to break like that.
It looks like it took a significant impact from the side. Maybe something was off with the tempering because normally grivel holds up whereas petzl fail.
Difficulty in fitting crampons properly
I think I managed to fit them, but I am not sure if I did it correctly.
Toe appears way forward over front points.
Sometimes you slap your crampons on a new boot or vice-versa and think they fit quite nicely, but at a closer look they do not match the curvature of the sole at all.
I moved it to the rear hole, but it seems this would be the permanent configuration from now on since I cannot get the toe bail out of the hole again for the life of me.
Lack of anti-snow plates
They don't have the anti-snow plates, so snow and ice will get stuck under the crampons, making them unsafe.
Difficulty fitting crampons properly
I'm a uk size 6 so the toe fitting isn't an issue at all.
Can you not shorten the adjustment bar any more?
You just need to angle the toe of the boot in first and keep it flush with the bottom plate beneath the ball of the foot.
It looks like the front of your boot is very far forward on the crampon.

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

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Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion on modularity of crampons
I don’t understand how these are modular. It seems like completely different components.
Yes, the entire front pieces can be changed.
I understand that between the sarken, irvis, and vasak can all be interchangeable.
Discussion on soft boot compatibility with crampons
Not really interested in hard boots at the moment.
Camp stalker was wide enough for my soft boots and has performed well on many easier pitches.
They have a semi auto(if you have a heel welt) and a full strap version.
You can‘t use automatic or semi auto crampones, so go for some with a classical basked and straps.

Hidden Hero Hacks

Unexpected tricks and side‑door uses you’ll love.
Discussion on using old models for simple snow travel
since I only use them like 2-3 times a year I don't feel like I've made a poor choice.

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Discussion about alternative crampon options
Why not petzl leopard or irvis hybrid. Super convenient that all petzl bails are interchangeable.
I think from the responses of Jalpp and tit4tat04 that there was indeed a confusion on the use case.
Preference for Petzl over Grivel
I have used Grivel before and I'm still team Petzl for crampons, but it's a personal preference.
Start with something from Petzl - their crampons are really modular, so you can always just buy a different front piece if you want to upgrade.
Discussion on the compatibility of crampons with trail runners
Universal crampon recommendations I am looking to get a pair of crampons that can be used with trail runners or hiking boots and wanted to see which ones people prefer.
Imho if you use them regularly enough buy proper boots and semi crampons.
I think crampons and trail runners would be a bad combo? I could be wrong but I think the lack of a shank on running shoes makes them too flimsy to work well with crampons.
I do have a pair of mountaineering boots and automatic crampons, but I wanted to see if I could get something inbetween that and microspikes.
Mention of alternative crampon options
Maybe something like [https://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Climbing-Running/Winter-Alpine-Expedition/Crampons/KAH-KTSST-KAH-KTSST](https://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Climbing-Running/Winter-Alpine-Expedition/Crampons/KAH-KTSST-KAH-KTSST) ?
Discussion on climbing locations and crampon suitability
Just got a pair of la sportiva batura and looking for the best crampons.
Grivel G12s would be a good match for those boots and will work great on Mt Hood and Rainier.
Recommendations for sock choices for climbing
Built in blister protection.
Discussion on fitting crampons to various boot designs
both of my pairs of boots I plan to use it on have toe welts
Go into the store and try it. Fitting metal toe bails onto ski boots that are designed for mountain boots can get weird and not work well with stock automatic toe bails.
Discussion about boot compatibility with crampons
They're amazing. I prefer them to the grivels I've used.
Discussion about fitting Grivel crampons to Scarpa Ribbelle boots
So does anyone know how grivel crampons fit Scarpa Ribelles?
Comparison of Airtech and G12 crampons
A classic 10-point crampon like the G10 is right up the alley of what you're looking for, and may be more cost effective.
Debate about crampon choice for specific terrains
Are the air techs really that more comfortable on walking or is it marginal.

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Preference for Petzl crampons due to modularity
personally a big fan of petzl crampons because they are so modular.
Discussion about crampon failures across brands
Shit happens in ice climbing. It's so gear dependent.
Debate about must-have technology in newer models
Would you use it for general alpinism (mostly snow and firn, no planned ice climbing) as a beginner?

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