I used the Contact Strap Crampons to bypass the switchbacks last year, but am curious about the offerings from Kahtoola. Some points I am thinking about:
• It seems the learning curve would be easier with the Kathoolas - less worry about hurting yourself and it seems you'd be able to walk with a 'normal' gait/stance, but I am unsure if they'd provide enough traction.
• The Black Diamonds are the most aggressive of the 3 products, but are the most dangerous in terms potentially injury yourself (kicking an ankle, catching clothing)
• I don't plan on doing anything technical. The Baldy Bowl or bypassing the switchbacks on Whitney are as steep as it will get for me.
• I think the Kahtoolas would cover a wider range of terrain.
I see HikingGeek laid out a table of specs for the KT models on his blog. Let us know when the reviews are posted for this gear. Not a great year for testing but he's sure getting out there.
As WB wrote, its more dangerous to take a fall because of the wrong gear on your feet than the danger of wearing sharp crampons. With proper boots and attention to loose clothing (light gaiters), the risk of hurting yourself with crampons is very low. For me, the reason to go with a "hiking crampon" is the large weight reduction vs a step-in climbing crampon (typically saving a pound or more). Sorry, WB, that's a lot of weight on a long approach hike for some. I bought the Stubai aluminium universal binding model many years ago, one of the first available in the "hiking crampon" category. They've done fine on steep Shasta slopes and other peaks - as long as I use a stiff sole boot. I made the mistake of using a semi-stiff sole boot with these and that combo is no fun on steep slopes let me tell you - just fine for hiking but you might as well us Micros for that. Now this class of traction gear has really evolved and there are so many choices out there. I think the adventure racing folks and ultra-lighters are driving this trend.
The other point I'd like to make is what KevinR brought up, that aluminum tends to dull on mixed rock/snow terrain where you can't be taking them on and off every few minutes. I learned this the "hard way" (pun intended) and now bring a small file for these conditions. The aluminum does sharpen up nicely, but a file is extra weight and a hassle.
To summarize my experience, I'd say this class of crampon is much better than Micros on steep slopes because of the secure bindings. But you have to wear stiff sole boots to get that advantage on steep slopes or the crampons will "roll over" on you just like Micros. For the kind of slopes we're discussing, these shorter front points are adequate unless you're on really hard ice. Lastly, go with steel - Chromoly, Stainless, etc - lots of options and very comparable to aluminum weight. Lots of binding options now too, but wear a stiff sole boot for steep slopes.
