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Kit review: Tiso Monte Rosa Crampon

Written by Fiona

February 23 2017

I have been checking out the Tiso Monte Rosa Crampons for walking in snowy and icy hills and mountains.

A crampon like this attaches to the underside of a walking boot. The boot can be have a rigid or semi rigid sole, although they do work best on a rigid sole. You could probably fix these to a pair of trainers if you had to, but a pair of winter walking boots is the best match.

The crampons fold up into a zipped bag so they can be stowed in your rucksack for when you need them. In winter, I always carry crampons when walking in the mountains because you never know when you might need extra grip on snow or ice.

Until now I have used a straightforward Grivel crampon. The Tiso version is cheaper but similar. In fact, confusingly the Tiso Monte Rosa Crampons are made by Grivel but simply have Tiso branding.

Grivel-own crampons in yellow and the Tiso Grivel crampons in red.

Underside for the two crampons.

The features:

  • Adjustable flex bar to allow the crampons to be fitted to a wide range of boot sizes.
  • Durable plastic heel and toe casing.
  • Three-dimensional relief stamped front points to offer torsional rigidity.
  • Simple strap with a plastic cradle configuration for easy fitting.
  • Flex bar making then easy to adjust without the use of tools.
  • Price £95 (with discount card £85.50).
  • See Tiso crampons

On test: Tiso Monte Rosa Crampon

I tried the crampons at home before setting out into snowy hills. I wanted to make sure they would fit neatly and stay in place.

It’s fairly easy to adjust the flex bar to fit the length of your boot but be careful not to pull the front apart from the back of the crampon because it is not so easy to slot them back together.

Make sure the flex bar is fully lengthened and in place before fitting to boot.

Take strap and thread it through the plastic toe cup of the crampon.

Then pull the strap to the other side of the boot and through the side of the heel cup.

To fully fasten you need to use the two metal loop system. This allows for full tightening of the straps and also quick release.

Pull the straps through the metal loop securing system so they do not work loose while walking.

Use up spare strap by tying it off. You do not want to have loose straps flapping about when walking in crampons.

The crampon attaches neatly and securely to the boot.

Undoing the crampon.

The crampon folded into its smallest size for packing with its pair in your rucksack. There is a zipped case that comes with the crampons.

Walking in snow in crampons

Walking in Tiso crampons in snow.

The crampons feel solid and grippy. They tie neatly and securely to the boots. They are ideal for winter walking in Scotland. I can’t yet comment on the durability of the crampons but I have owned a similar pair of yellow Grivels for years and they are still in good working order. I do not imagine the Tiso Grivels will be any different.

 

See Tiso.

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