CAMP Race 290 Crampons

On Snow

My best experiences with the Race 290 crampon have been on steep, spring snow. When bootpacking up a 40-degree couloir filled with sun-cupped and slightly icy snow in early July in Juneau, AK, these crampons were enough to bite down to solid snow and afford purchase. They did not ball up (get balls of wet snow stuck to the bottoms) without anti-balling plates, although they probably would have if the snow was wetter.

Rubber anti-balling plates are sold separately for the Race 290’s, but I was not able to test their ability to reduce clumping snow on the crampons. There was some side-to-side play since I was using the dyneema strap, and this was a little unnerving initially as I had only ever used secure steel crampons designed for technical ice climbing. With more time in the crampons to get used to the play, I became more and more confident in their abilities. With the aluminum bar and more familiarity with the crampon I have gained even more trust in them. I think that this type of snow and terrain is the ideal environment for the Race 290 crampon.

Easy Mixed Terrain in Snow

Adventures necessitating crampons often take you over a rock step somewhere along the way. I have kept these crampons on over rocks (using the aluminum bar both times) during two occasions. I felt comfortable enough both times to work my way through no-fall terrain when on snow and rock. I would have been more comfortable using my steel Black Diamond Sabretooth crampons in these situations because of their strong steel front-points and their more precise fit. However, the Race 290 crampons got the job done. In most mixed terrain cases I would expect to prefer steel crampons. The ability to use the Race 290s for short sections of scary climbing increases their versatility, but they’re definitely still designed for that hard spring snow.

On Ice

Ice is a major no-go for these crampons. Constructed with lightweight aluminum metal and rather blunt front-points, they barely penetrate hard, thick ice. When I attempted to boulder on glacier ice in British Columbia I managed only quarter-inch dents in the ice that soon spit my front-points back out and ended in a lot of skittering feet and cursing. Although glacier ice is probably the densest ice possible in the mountains, I would still not want to be in the position to rely on these crampons on most steep water ice sections anywhere in the mountains during a climb. This was not a realm that these tools were designed for, and it is not a realm that they can even begin to tackle. If your proposed route might encounter a section of steepish water ice, bring along the heftier steel crampons.

Bottom Line

The CAMP Race 290 is a super lightweight crampon that will be perfect for steep, hard-snow climbs that require no off-snow travel. Their packability when using the Dyneema strap is excellent, and they offer decent versatility. Since they were designed for snow climbs, they do not fit as snugly as a technical crampon, and they definitely do not perform on ice. However, I recommend them to ski mountaineers who plans on tackling spring or winter routes that throw the challenge of steep snow and exposure their way, and maybe a long, dry approach to tire you out.