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The New Petzl Dart Crampon is Made for Hard Routes

The new Dart is an amazing upgrade that works best on steep and technical terrain

Petzl recently replaced their old Dart and Dartwin crampons with a new ice and mixed climbing crampon called the Dart. The new Dart combines the best features from the older models along with the Lynx crampon into a lightweight 12-point hybrid that climbs great on steep terrain.

The new front section has eight main points instead of 10 and both mono and dual front point set-ups are possible. The front points also have two length options. They can be set forward for deeper penetration into ice or shorter for more stability.

The aggressive secondary points provide a solid base to swing your tools from. Petzl added a few small tertiary points for additional security that provide good security when standing on bulges.

The front bail and rear lever have three connection location options, which allows the crampon to fit quite well on a wide range of boots. The new Dart comes with anti-balling plates already installed. The new Dart is also lighter than the older models, despite the upgrades.

The lightweight design of the new Darts make them quite nimble, but very stable. Given their lightweight design, these are best save for vertical moves and not so much for long icy approaches where you’re walking along frozen river or glacier.

Drytooling with the new Petzl Dart (with the front point in extended position)

They work great for drytooling and mixed climbing and give a precise foot placement every time. Thanks to their weight, they don’t feel like heavy blocks pulling your feet down on overhanging terrain. The angle of the shortened mono-point make torquing and toeing-in feel secure.

The new Darts are designed for steep and difficult ice and mixed climbs and that’s where they dominate. They’re a big step up from the older models and any serious winter climber should own a pair.

You can find them at MEC here and read more about the Dart at Petzl here.

The Petzl Dart in action

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