How to Sharpen Crampons

Naomi Judd

Once you've used your crampons several times, they can get worn down. Using your crampons on mixed terrain with rocks, dirt and ice can wear down the original sharpness of your points. Sharpening your points can help keep your points even, ready for climbing and prolong use. Sharpening is a simple process that anyone can do at home with a hand file.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Hand file
Hand file

Step 1

Clean and dry the crampons. Towel off each crampon point so that there are no spots of dirt to get in the way of sharpening.

Step 2

Hold one crampon with points facing down and start with a front point. Hold the file in the other hand and slowly file in the direction of the point. Because the crampon's points should be pointing down, you should be filing down only.

Step 3

Work the file in downward strokes on one side of a point, then file the other side of the point. Work the file at an angle so that you create a sharp tip on each point. Do not scrape the file against the full surface of a point.

Step 4

Look at the point from the front to see if it looks as if it has been filed evenly on each side. Don't over-file. Make it sharp again with as few strokes of the file as possible.

Step 5

Move on to the other points and file in the same way. Then do the points on the other crampon. Your front points are the ones that will need the most filing if you use them to climb a lot.

Article Written By Naomi Judd

Naomi M. Judd is a naturalist, artist and writer. Her work has been published in various literary journals, newspapers and websites. Judd holds a self-designed Bachelor of Arts in adventure writing from Plymouth State University and is earning a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.

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