Bolts on ice tools and crampons wear out and fail. Unfortunately, it can be a pain to replace them. I’ve taken calipers and a thread checker to my collection of tools and crampons to try to help with sizing. Sourcing them is another challenge. If you’re in a city, try to find a store dedicated to fasteners, or check big box home improvement stores. In a smaller town your best bet might be buying a box of a hundred off of Amazon and sharing with friends.
A note on materials
You may be surprised that manufacturers often don’t use stainless in these applications. There is actually a reason for it, which is that stainless can be more susceptible to ‘galling’, where the threads on both sides essentially weld together.
This is a broad generalization, but you’re probably better off sticking with non-stainless components and swapping them out as they corrode.
My bolt is stripped and I can’t get it out
The easiest thing to do is buy a ‘Cobalt Drill Bit’ that matches the size of the bolt. Start drilling in the head of the bolt. When you reach the shaft the bolt, the head and the shaft will fall apart.
I can only find bolts that are too long
Buy a long bolt. Thread a nut onto it FIRST, before cutting. Then, cut it to length with a hacksaw, dremmel, or angle grinder. Be careful. Try to deburr the edges gently with a file if possible (or a ‘deburring chamfer tool’ if you want to be fancy). Then, unscrew the nut. As you take the nut off, it will fix the damaged threads from your cut, and you should be good to go.
One final tip
If you find yourself swapping picks or front points a lot, consider getting a socket wrench and the appropriate hex sockets, especially for pick bolts. The added mechanical advantage will actually make you less likely to strip the bolts. Always make sure your wrenches are seated full depth inside the bolt, and don’t go too crazy cranking them down. I also bought a ‘nut driver’ for the nut side of my crampons.
Bolt size format
M<Diameter>-<Thread Pitch>, <Length>, <Type>
as in:
M8-1.25, 25mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw
Diameter: 8mm
Thread Pitch: 1.25mm
Length: 25mm
Type: Low Head Socket Cap Screw
Black Diamond Ice Tool Head Bolt
- Long Bolt - M8-1.25, 25mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw
- Short Bolt - M8-1.25, 21mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw
- 5mm wrench for bolt
Black Diamond Ice Tool Pommel Bolt
- M5-0.8, 35mm, Socket Head Cap Screw (9mm head diameter)
- Serrated safety washer
- 4mm wrench for bolt
- Note that the handle spacers are 7mm each, so if you are using only one you could use a 28mm bolt, and if you’re using none, 21mm.
Black Diamond Cyborg Crampons
- M5-0.8, 55mm, Socket Head Cap Screw
- 4mm wrench for bolt
- 8mm wrench for nut
- If you wan a bolt just for mono-point configuration, it can be 45mm.
Petzl Pick Weights
- M5-0.8, 16mm, Socket Flat/Countersunk Head Cap Screw
- 3mm wrench for bolt
Petzl Crampon Front Point Bolt
- M5-0.8, 60mm, Socket Head Cap Screw
- 4mm wrench for bolt
- 8mm wrench for nut
- The spacers are ‘M5 Aluminum Spacer’, ID 5mm, OD 10mm. Short is 16mm, long is 21mm
Petzl Ice Tool Head Bolt
- M8-1.25, 25mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw (13mm head diameter)
- Serrated safety washer
- 5mm wrench for bolt
- 13mm wrench for nut
Petzl Ice Tool Pommel Bolt
- m5-0.8, 20mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw
- 3mm wrench for bolt
ICT Ice Tool Head Bolt
- M8-1.25, 16mm, Button Head Screw (14mm head diameter)
- 5mm wrench for bolt
ICT Ice Tool Stein Bolt
- M4-0.7, 8mm Socket Flat/Countersunk Head Cap Screw
- 2.5mm wrench for bolt
Camp crampons, Blade Runner, Dry, T-Dry
- M5-0.8, 14mm, Low Head Socket Cap Screw
- ‘Wedge’ style lock washer
- 3mm wrench for bolt
