Types of Crampons for Alpine trips

black diamond seracs. otherwise you can get half crampons, instep crampons that will fit onto just about anything, they dont have front points though

Microspikes are also an option. Good for flexible sole boots on ice, but like insteps they lack front points.

I tend not to mind about the lack of front points. I just want something that stays on the boot when walking across a slope. How much sideways pressure can you put on microspikes? They might be great for walking on the flat but do they come off if traversing a slope? I would have thought the Serac are for a more technical boot with the metal bar at the front and the lock down heel

microspikes are really for ice, or very hard snow... the seracs can be set up to allow them to pivot at the front end of the bar so they will work with a flexible boot.

How much sideways pressure can you put on microspikes? I don't know, sorry. Mine have never come off and I've been on some pretty steep slopes. If you're going into a lot of snow they probably aren't what you're after.

@ nzpixie I might be stating the obvious but the older style of crampon were originally designed for stiffer leather boots and had multiple buckle up straps so you could tighten them across and around the boots to bind them to the boot. If they flexed excessively then you could individually tension each buckle across the boot without cutting off the circulation to your foot(hopefully). The universal binding has done away with this, but most tramping boots still need to have measure of stiffness in their sole to support correct crampon tension because the universal binding relies on the heel and toe baskets being pulled together through a common strap. If your son’s boots are super flexible then I would suggest that his boots are not suitable for a universal binding and shouldn’t really be used for alpine passes or step slopes anyway. If crampons flex loose on icy slopes then you’ll find yourself in a whole mess of trouble trying to tighten them on the move. If you just want to give your son a measure of safety without the need for front points then I would use something like the Kovea X-Cross. These are an adjustable one-piece crampon that focuses around the heel & mid sole and would give his boots a better degree of stiffness.

The BD Serac (as well as most crampons) also come as a full strap option for more flexible boots. The best thing you can do is go into a good store with the boots and try the crampons on so you feel how they fit - nothing worse than an ill-fitting crampon popping loose on the side of a mountain or alpine pass!

Don't know how steep NZpixie intends for his son to go but if not too alpine how about the new trail crampons which have recently surfaced? I used a cheap pair last winter and found them fantastic for soft, slippery snow conditions on quite steep trails (my companion was slipping all over the place)( but the points bent on rocks - don't buy Trade Me cheap ones!). Unfortunately (fortunately? lol ) I didn't find any ice which I had hoped to try them out on. Have now invested in some more expensive Hillsound Trail Crampons from MacPac. Someone mentioned some cheaper ones on one of these forums a few months ago.

Thanks 1strider about your comments on the universal bindings. Last year we did some stuff on Ruapehu but at that stage he had leather boots and we used an old pair of multi buckle straps. I find these fit really well and give a nice secure feel. He now has a Salomon full height boot but it is a lot more flexible in the toe, sideways is still good. The universal binding just does not look as secure, as you say it relies on pulling the toe and heal together and does not have the side crossovers. I have thought about the Kovea X-cross or the hillsound as they actually look quite secure. There must be a reason for the move to the universal binding and away from the side post attachments even though more people are using lightweight boots. HarleyJ did not realise you could get full strap options. That would make me a lot happier.