Petzl Leopard LLF Crampons
LLF Hard-boot option
What we liked …
Small in the bag and ultra-lightweight
What we didn’t
Not 100% sure they won’t fall off…
The Verdict
OUR RATING
3 out of 5
THE SHORT READ…
The Petzl Leopard LLF Crampons, designed for boots with toe and heel welts, are perfect for sticking in the bottom of the bag and forgetting about, as they come in at only 330g a pair, yet when called upon will dig deep into the steep hardpack and get you to where you want to be. Good for steep névé but not a replacement for a much stronger technical mountaineering or climbing crampon. We had some fit/security issues though…
THE LONG READ …
I recently switched to a set of Key Equipment hardboots and thus changed from my previous Leopard FL’s (the soft boot version) for a new set of LLF’s, which are designed for glacier travel and ski mountaineering and feel it’s a recommendation in itself that I stuck with the same crampon as I’d used on my softboots - the Leopard FL, at 384g a pair. “LLF” stands for “LEVERLOCK FIL”, apparently, but no, we’re not sure what the FIL bit means either.
As with any product that is Ultra-lightweight there is always a compromise and the compromises with these bad boys comes in two forms -
Firstly, they’re made of aluminium so ridiculously light, but nowhere near as strong as steel. Having said that my soft-boot version of the Leopard’s have always performed well for me, but I’ve not scrambled across too much rock or stood up on the front points only multiple times, and I’m only 66kg in my birthday suit.
FL soft boot option
Secondly, and more crucially, the string between the front and back points, while easily adjustable, is a little difficult to get right first time and it’s always in the back of my mind that they may just pop off my boot.
It’s vital therefore, before you simply pop these in your bag, that you get them onto your boots and give them a good work out. If you try to set them up on the fly or in your kitchen I’ll more or less guarantee that you won’t set them tight enough and they’ll come off your boot, most likely when you least want them too. I’m not sure if it’s the string stretching when first used, but I cranked them really tight and after a few steps they needed to be readjusted, once I’d found the sweet spot they mostly stayed on just fine, but doubts remained.
In the Picos de Europa this last season I climbed a wide but steep névé chute for well over an hour, in these LLF’s, and they didn’t cause me any issues when heading straight up, but did move around a little when traversing a steep sided wall.
LLF
SUMMARY…
I have a set of Grivel crampons too, with the more traditionally designed metal bar underfoot and steel points, and while being absolutely bullet-proof I do find them to be heavy and take up too much space in my bag. So I guess it’s really down to how much you’re going to ask of your crampons. If it’s just for sticking in your bag to get past a dicey section, or a short push to a summit then the Leopards will most likely do, if you’re pushing it and bordering on climbing then they won’t be up for job.
One other option, that I haven’t used, is the Petzl Irvis Hybrid (540g a pair) which is more or less a Leopard but with a steel front plate and aluminium back one - might be worth checking out too.
FL