Foot Fangs were the first step in crampons and the first fitted with integral anti-ballling plates. The original Foot Fangs appeared in 1976 and production contunued into the 1990s. They were developed for waterfall ice and mixed climbing, not for general mountaineering. Foot Fangs are incredibly rigid. They fit boots that have a slight rocker. Foot Fangs' fixed width and parallel sides prevent the points from aligning with the edges of the boot soles except by pure accident. This would be unsatisfactory for alpine crampons but is less of an issue on waterfall ice.