Carabiners & Crampons - Secure and Hook Your Way to the Top

     Carabiners and crampons are necessities in terms of rock climbing equipment.

     Carabiners are hooks that a climber uses when anchoring. Carabiners join the climber and the anchor. Many of these visually resemble a d-ring. There are different types you can purchase that will target different characteristics and needs that will vary with each individual class of rock climbing. Regardless of where you climb, it is necessary to have a good combination of carabiners with straight/bend gates and screw/snap gates. Sport climbing for example uses quick draws which are a short sling with a carabiner on each end.

     Crampons are hooks that are used mainly for ice climbing or perhaps for steep, difficult climbs. It's a piece of equipment that is a one piece fitting onto the bottom of your boot, latching onto the toe and heel.

     Ice climbing involves climbing vertical ice such as a frozen waterfall. Ice tools such as ice axes and crampons are two of the main tools that ice climbers use. This can be a dangerous form of climbing simply because ice undergoes daily and sometimes hourly mutations and changes.