Recommendations for crampons for beginner ice climber

I'm going to learn how to climb water ice down here in Durango.

I'm a total noob, but I'm also a big ol nerd; I have watched a lot of videos and read a lot.  I also have been climbing rock a lot lately and feeling good

I'm trying to get the gear together, which I understand is dumb in its own right cause I haven't ever done it.  But screw it, I'm gonna learn it this year and if I have to sell it used cause I suck or it sucks, that's a thing I am okay with.

Right now I have some LS Nepal's, and some used petzl quarks in the mail... but I am still not sure what to be looking for as far as crampons.  I have a general idea

- automatic or hybrid,
- used
- I have long feet (size 48) and so I need to be able to get the longer version of whatever that middle part is
- dual vertical points

Does that all make sense?

What specific models should I be looking for and how much should I expect to pay for your suggestions?

Snaggletooths with an extension bar.
The wide horizontal monopoint is a lot more forgiving than a vertical mono.

Something modular (you might like monopoints, who knows) if you're only going to have one pair for the near future. Petzl Lynx can do it all pretty well, obviously a bit heavier than more specialized tools with aluminum bits or non removable front points. 

Petzl Sarkens are a good bet.

Whatever you get, bring your boots with you to try them on. I have small feet, and have a hard time getting crampons to fit properly. Kind of hit or miss...

I wear a size 48 Nepal and I use the Petzl Lynx, but you have to get the extending linking bars for them to fit... I also found with the extended linking bar, the front points toe in a little bit too much for my liking. On smaller boots, its not as noticeable, but with the extension, they are toed in pretty hard, but they are supposed to be that way to an extent... I found that swapping the linking bar (left on right crampon, right on left crampon), straightens the front points out a little bit, however they are still toed in pretty good. I personally like that configuration a little bit better.

 G12's fit the Nepal Evo in 48 also with the stock linking bar, probably not your best bet for waterfall ice with the horizontal front points though. 

Thanks for the tips on the linking bar!

G20+

The most important thing is that the crampon fits your boot properly, you should be able to adjust it to snugly hold onto your boot *BEFORE* locking down the lever on the heel. IE put the boot on the pon, lift it in the air and the crampon should stay attached. If you go full auto make sure the toe bail profile matches the curve of your boot so they don't shift laterally.

Second to the fit on the boot, for waterfall ice you want to make sure that the secondary points will be even with the front of your boot. Do not get dual horizontal front point pons which are geared toward technical mountaineering (G12, vasak, etc.) as the secondary points on these can never be adjusted to be even with the toe of your boot. They will never afford you a stable confident platform on the vertical bumps of a WI4 and above.
Thoughts on this from someone who has a boatload of experience: willgadd.com/a-simple-fix-f…

If you never want to do more than WI3 a tech mountaineering pon works ok, I use vasaks once in a while on easy gulley routes. However my G20s get used 98% of the time, they climb lower angle terrain just fine, but really inspire confidence when it gets steep. The vasaks and similar flat out don't work when it gets vertical.  

I use LS Nepal Evo's with Cassin Alpinist Pros. However the Alpinist Pro's heel/linking bar is one piece. Not sure if you can extend it but they can fit pretty big boots out of the box. 

I ended up with some Petzl Lynx off ebay.  They were very easy to adjust.  I had to get the longer bar to make them work with my size 48 nepals.

I went climbing an toproped some ice in cascade creek near durango today.  I was feeling a bit dumb for buying all this crap never having been on an ice climb, but I feel a lot less dumb now.  It was totally worth it and I'm looking for more stuff to do.  We rapped down into the canyon and climbed a pillar back out.  Very vertical ice, very fun.

FWIW, I'm looking for folks here in SW CO who don't mind climbing with noobs... I lead 5.9+ on trad, but no ice/snow experience.  I have one partner but I think it's good to learn from multiple people.  PM me if you're looking for a partner who wants to learn and practice.

Nice!  I started last year with the Lynx with the duel point on them.  I have been really happy with them.  Started dry tooling this season and changed over to mono points.  Still very happy with them.  Enjoy.

Did the new (2019) Darts replace the Lynx?  

Matt S wrote: Did the new (2019) Darts replace the Lynx?  

Both seem to be for sale. There are different front sections between the two and the Lynx includes multiple boot attachment options.

have had great luck with, cassin alpinist, Petzl Lynx and BD Cyborg. BD Cyborg is the lightest of those 3. They will all climb better than you will over the time it will take you to wear them out. go with whatever is on sale. .

"They will all climb better than you will over the time it will take you to wear them out. go with whatever is on sale. ."

That's often pretty good advice for a lot of things.