ISPO Award Winner 2022: Blue Ice Harfang Alpine

The Blue Ice Harfang Alpine crampon is one of the lightest and most compact 12-point crampons for technical alpine climbing and mountaineering as of today. Paul Oddou, Blue Ice Hardgoods Designer, sums up what is unique about their new Harfang crampon:

"Not only is it the lightest in class, but it is also easily the most compact. Could we have gone even lighter? Sure, but we did not want that to come at the expense of confidence and durability. This crampon performs well in most conditions and terrain, and is built to last."

It features a Chromoly front and rear rail, both equipped with a TPU anti-balling system, so snow won't get caught under your crampons. The front rail is asymmetrical to give maximum performance. As in the previous models of the Harfang line, Blue Ice also uses the patented wide textile strap known to minimize bulk and offer an incredibly compact packing option. Especially, when you think about the way rigid crampons in this category are normally build or at least used to be built, these pack incredibly small. They are around 30 percent lighter than the market average and can be set up as auto and semi-auto depending on the boots in use.

When heading into terrain with technical alpine conditions, say ice and mixed conditions, the Harfang Alpine is your new go-to-companion from Blue Ice. It is one of the lightest on the market, coming in at 623g with the TPU antibott system and with 571 grams even lighter, if you take it out. Compared to the Harfang, the front rail has been elongated to increase rigidity. Everything else is also more aggressive.

Instead of a three section crampon, like the other Harfang models, the front of the crampon comes with six points, including dual horizontal front points. An asymmetric design, which takes the shape of left and right boots into account, leads to the best possible performance. This way, the points could be set exactly where they need to be for more precision when climbing mixed terrain. The different points of the crampon have also been individually adapted for even better traction, better support on steeper climbs but also when traversing.

"I was surprised by the climbing capabilities of such a light and compact package. You could climb quite hard with it", says Bill Belcourt, Blue Ice Hardgoods Director and General Manager North America. His colleague Paul Oddou adds from his own experience: "They are the lightest, but without having to be babied. They also have an excellent fit—on your boot and in your pack."

The toe bail comes with three adjustable positions to make sure that it fits a wide variety of mountaineering and ski-touring boots. They are also designed to fit any boot with heel welt and include two front bail systems: fully auto and semi-auto, which are easily interchangeable. The back piece of this crampon can also easily be changed for an aluminum version for an even lighter experience. Overall, their compact and light design along with great performance convinced the ISPO Award jury.

• Great precision when climbing thanks to 
• Tiny pack size that does not get in the way even when attached to your harness
• Numerous options for fine adjustment and precise fitting to the boot or ski boot
• Innovative construction with textile strap
• Lightweight