Thankfully that isn’t quite true as the sample pair they sent arrived with teeth pointing to the rear like everyone else. The only practical difference was how the crampon hooked on to the binding.
While simple, it isn’t so simple you can easily add these crampons on the fly without stepping out of the binding. In terms of ease of use, they aren’t as easy to engage as Freeride crampons but I don’t know of any pivoting tele-schiesen that can be put on without stepping out of the binding.
Like many other ski crampons, these pivot so the teeth lift up when you stride forward, reducing friction. They don’t cut in and hold unless your foot is flat and weighted. In use they are pretty invisible, except they make traversing an icy slope an exercise of confident control instead of angst driven steps of trepidation. It wasn’t that bad when I took them out for a spin, but they certainly made traversing any angled slope far easier since there was zero sideways slippage. Of course, they also did a great job of making steep ascents straight up firm snow a simple task as well, requiring less effort to make the skins hold.If you’ve been enjoying the free pivot touring freedom and Hammerhead turning power of AXL you can now add skinning confidence in sketchy conditions. The only thing still missing is a sensor that can accurately tell you when to bring ’em along, or leave ’em behind.
22 Designs
AXL Ski Crampon
MSRP: $75
Sizes (weight/pr.): 92mm • 110mm (10 oz.)
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