crampons

The type of crampons to get would depend on what sort of terrain you expect to cover with them most of the time. For eg. walking on glaciers on relatively flat surfaces could be done with a simple 4 point instep crampon or a 10 point crampon for general glacier walking.These do not have the more agressive front points (often on 12 pt crampons) which you would use on steeper terrain. Usually, the type you start with will be those best suited for the boots you are currently using. In other words, if your not going to buy new boots and want to use your existing tramping boots, then you might go for an articulated pair which will flex with the boot. Most crampons are for boots with a thicker and more rigid midsole to avoid the flex. A flex in the boot is not reassuring when on steeper terrain. I use a bigger boot which is still leather and very rigid to start with. After a couple of seasons it will be less suited to ice climbing and ready for many more seasons as a tramping boot.It has a fair bit of flex after a couple of seasons.

The articulated pair that my partner has used in the past was a Charlet Moser with a two strap system. These did not require the boots to have any particular features. The only down side was that they took longer to put on than some of the Rapid fix variety. Your axe probably should be a walking axe as opposed to anything technical. When your standing up straight with your arm by your side the tip of the axe should just reach the top of a block of 4 x 2 on the ground beside you. I'm 5' 7" and i would use a 65cm axe. If you focus on lightweight you won't necessarily get strength and durability.