AllOutdoor Review – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
Patrik Orcutt 02.23.23
Black Diamond is a company that needs no introduction in the outdoor space, but here is a quick rundown for those who are uninformed or new to the outdoor industry/community. Black Diamond was born from Chouinard Equipment and was a natural continuation of the passion and ethos that Yvon Chouinard and his friends started in 1965. Peter Metcalf and the employees of Chouinard Equipment took over in 1989, changed the name to Black Diamond, and moved to Salt Lake City to be at the base of the Wasatch mountains. Today, they are a massive outdoor brand that focuses its products in the alpinism-sphere while offering everything from trekking poles to tents. I tested the Black Diamond Serac Crampons over the course of the past 3 years with all of my testing taking place in the European Alps in the winter months. I have used them on over a dozen separate snowy/icy hikes.
The Black Diamond Serac Crampons were independently purchased and reviewed by myself, and Black Diamond has not been allowed to preview this review.
Back in the winter of 2019, I decided I wanted to get into mountaineering and winter hiking as I had just moved to Germany and was only a few hours from the Alps. When looking into getting a set of Crampons I noticed that many types offered had a binding system that would only work with a specific style of boot. Those boots were predominantly mountaineering boots and they were all incredibly expensive. I eventually found a subset of crampons (universal) that were designed to be used with any boot or strap style of bindings. After scouring the internet for hours, I landed on the Black Diamond Serac Crampons to be my new ice cleats of choice.
Specs – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
- Best Use: Mountaineering
- Compatible Shoe Sizes: US 4 – 12 | EU 34 – 46
- Bindings: Straps
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Weight: 1 Lb 15 Oz
- Country of Origin: USA
- MSRP: $145 – $175
Construction and Materials – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
Being constructed of stainless steel, you really ride them out and away wet – if needed – without worrying about any rust accumulating on the spikes. How do I know this?… Well, I did this every time I used them in snowy conditions. All of the plastic incorporated in the design has also held up really well and only shows minor signs of wear. Overall, everything on these crampons is overbuilt – and that’s a good thing – because it means they will last a long time and have minimal parts breakage. The only downside of this design philosophy is that these are not the lightest crampons on the market.
Performance – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
Being universal crampons, the Seracs can fit into most any boot without much difficulty. I primarily used them on my pair of Soloman Quest 4D hiking boots and found that they binded well. To bind the crampons to your boot of choice is as simple as adjusting the sizing lever on the bottom of the crampons and strapping in. I found that to get the best performance out of the crampons, you will need to really tighten them as much as possible to your boot and eliminate any slack. Thankfully the straps are easy to tighten and untighten.
The Seracs feature 12-point spikes and a design with a rocker in the front rail to accommodate modern mountain boots. Horizontal front points provide secure bite in icy steps while the classic secondary points and substantial rear points offer stability on descents and low-angle terrain. The bottom of the crampons features dual-density ABS footboards that prevent snow from building up on the bottoms of the foot.
Whenever I was hiking in snow and ice I could count on the Seracs to elevate traction and keep me moving at a solid pace. They certainly work as advertised and keep your feet planted and provide great stability on not-so-great trails. When not in use, the Seracs can be collapsed inward reducing their size to about half. One ding I will give Black Dimond is for not including a storage bag for these crampons in the box.
Likes
- Easy and precise fit
- Well-made and durable
- Available in strap, semi-auto or fully automatic step-in bindings
Dislikes
- Middling in terms of weight
- Supplied link bars only fit boots up to a UK 11 / US 12
- For larger sizes, you’ll need longer-length bars (sold separately)
Competitive Options – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
- C.A.M.P. XLC 490 Universal Aluminum Crampons – $169.95
- Grivel G10 New-Classic EVO Crampons – $159.95
- Petzl Irvis Flexlock Crampons – $149.95
Wrap up – Black Diamond Serac Crampons
If you’re in a similar situation to me and want to get into a set of crampons while not committing on a specific pair of mountaineering boots, then the Black Diamond Serac Crampons are a great option. They are pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of weight and pricing, but offer great usability and are made in the good ol’ U.S.A.
Black Diamond Serac Crampons
Built for the variable, moderate terrain of classic mountaineering routes in places like the Tetons, the Alps and the Cascades, the Black Diamond Serac Crampon is a lightweight, 12-point crampon available in three different configurations to be compatible with any kind of mountain boot. The Serac’s redesigned stainless steel construction incorporates a strong, yet light design with rocker in the front rail to accommodate modern mountain boots. Horizontal frontpoints provide secure bite in icy steps, while the classic secondary points and substantial rear points offer stability on descents and low-angle terrain.
- Redesigned stainless steel construction is durable, resists snowballing and won’t rust
- Versatile horizontal frontpoints with classic secondary points and stable rear points
- Low-profile micro-adjust heel bail offers precision fit
- Pro version is for technical boots; Clip version is for mountain boots without a toe welt; Strap version is for non-technical footwear
- For use on a ski boot, you will want to order wide toe bails sold separately
- Includes front and rear dual-density ABS
