Best ice axe for mountaineering reddit See full list on outdoorgearlab. The patina built up over the years is the physical manifestation of the time an item has sat somewhere. However, wanting to know how they will do for general mountaineering? Mostly the crampons as I also just got a used mountaineering axe. As I have never been in the higher mountains in the winter before, this will be my first experience with snow and more technical routes. It was a non technical but heavily exposed route on Everest. The John Muir Trail passes through what many backpackers say is the finest mountain scenery in the United States. Petzl glacier ice axe 13 oz. I climb in the Cascades with a mountaineering organization, and they usually lend me gear, but now I think I'm ready to purchase my own ice axe. Most people aren’t doing sustained ice climbing on lines that they want to ski down. If you start climbing steep stuff, then look at the venom. I'm from Switzerland and I want to start with easy high mountain tours, such as the Breitenhorn or Sustenhorn via the normal routes. Reverse curve picks are designed for sustained climbing on steep ice. Keep these ice tools for pure ice climbing and get an ice axe for alpine climbing. Whatever long axe you can afford will serve you well. The route requires both a general mountaineering ice axe and an ice tool, but having trouble thinking through which tool to grab. I just bought a set of used ice climbing axes/crampons just because Ice Climbing is what I have more of in the Midwest. My suggestion would be to buy a walking/mountaineering axe to get you started, as these can be had for quite cheap, and then top that up with a pair of tools when you're more certain what you'll use them for. It thus requires greater skill of its user to give the similar results. I love the external crampon pouch, and use it for big water bottles in the summer climbing season. Outside will go: Black diamond helmet 12. I want to use them both on ice and mixed climbing in lower grades and also as single ice axe for skitouring, i prefer something lighter even at the cost of durability, since i wont be using them that many times in a sesons, alason something less curved and technical than nomics. I think it's a combination of a few things. If you are willing to buy more stuff and want to do actual mountaineering and ice, like water ice. I own one. That's genuinely the full spectrum. The major drawback from using a leash is that you need to change your leash hand every time your ice axe changes hands. The Black Diamond Raven ice axe with Grip is an update on Black Diamond’s classic single axe for mountaineering. We thought it would be fun to see what you all think is "essential" and made your crevasse rescue gear list. It has a straight shaft and head with a very sharp triangular point at the tip. Any light axe is going to struggle when you have to swing it, dig with it, etc. Here is our list for general glacier travel (per person): Obviously ice axe, crampons, harness A hybrid axe like the sum’tec doesn’t climb ice as well as dedicated tools and doesn’t arrest as well as a general axe. I've searched extensively on Reddit and the internet about ice axes and found a variety of opinions. My crampons (strap-on) work with snowboarding boots as well as my regular winter hiking boots. Now, I want to start mountaineering, and for my beginner tours, I believe I need an ice axe. There are lighter options out there but if you’re already carrying an axe this means one less tube to carry. Just use your imagination and move your body around the axe manually. Based on my limited findings, I have made assumptions about the steel company previously making ice axe heads or thinking that a North Korean dictator forged this axe on a trip to the mountains but I don't think either is correct (especially the second thought). However, whenever I look online for recommendations, they always say that certain axes are good for general mountaineering, but some are much better (but also more expensive). But for a walk up, I'd stick with a straight axe with no grip. I currently have a Petzl Glacier for a general mountaineering axe. The Sum'tec is the brainchild of the late Ueli Steck (along I have heard mixed opinions about having a leash on your ice axe (we're talking general mountaineering ice axes, not ice tools for ice climbing). Reply reply The Suluk isn’t an ice axe. These tools are not made to be plunged into deep snow, therefore they are not appropriate for alpine climbing, especially for a beginner. The hammer is designed to smash in pitons, pickets and snow anchors. The Kruk is fairly agressively curved for a mountaineering axe but still has a straight shaft with spike for plunging instead of a handle like the tool in the picture. Makes plunging the axe easier as well. It’s a combo ice axe and shovel at 2lbs. Used for attaching your ice axe to your wrist and preventing the ice axe from disappearing down a long slop if you drop it. Just Mountaineering, get any walking axe. If you've never owned an ice axe before maybe you should look into more conservative climbing goals first. It's not the fanciest or lightest, but it is really durable, and has great features. Just been monitoring conditions but am expecting to get to KMS around mid Hello, I currently own a pair of Quarks for ice and a simpler mix. I feel like everyone outgrows (technically speaking) there first Ice axe after there first mountaineering experience and wants something slightly more technical . 5kn bending strength in the test configuration, although realworld in a snow anchor is higher since the load is more evenly spread)— some tools definitely exceed the standard with forged/milled one piece shaft construction, but I absolutely wouldn’t use the shaft as a Highly recommend bd venom with hammer instead of adze. If someone is planning to climb Adams, can you please put it in your car and bring it back. My first snow climb was cristo couloir on Quandary. Total ~ 172 oz or 10. Some folks prefer shorter axes -- depends on your mechanics and the terrain you'll Fully curved climbing axe pair with an adze and hammer, a very robust hybrid with a slightly taller and less piercing point than the sum'tec for hard ice and glaciers, and the camp microtech corsa for those lighter trips. Once you have those skills, it can replace both for most any mountaineering. You can’t use it as an anchor for climbing. You can still use it on low angle gentle slope. Curious about your PCT experiences in the Sierra during high snow. A few guides I've met have said leashes can do more harm than good (discouraging you from moving the axe from one hand to the other, etc. I know there isn't the perfect allround model but i still have to start somewhere. So, I would recommend the Falk or similar for climbs that are ~50 degrees or less and are likely to only require a single axe. I still need to squeeze food and some hygiene products. Get an ice axe that goes to around the bottom of your Blue Ice Hummingbird Ice Axe: Tried it before, liked it besides the price CAMP Corsa Ice Axe: seems like the light weight axe most people have CAMP Corsa Nanotech: Seems like it's slightly more aggresive and a bit heavier. It will work better Click "SEE THEM ALL" and then scroll down to the "snow / ice" section for crampons and ice axes. Would be willing to climb just about anything shy of vertical ice with it, and even short pitches of ice haven't been a problem. For general mountaineering and not climbing steep ice, I'd just go with the black diamond raven. I feel more comfortable descending with the long axe handy. Great all around ice axe, handles steeper terrain, and is quite comfortable paired with an ice tool when it gets too steep for an axe alone. You are going to buy new axes down the road anyway, because who doesn’t have multiple ice axes, locker full of boots, etc. Available in Europe (per pair): Petzl Nomic €370 DMM Switch €450 Grivel Tech Machine €440-460 BD Reactor €460 BD Fuel €430-480 We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. This is a land of 13,000-foot and 14,000-foot peaks, of lakes in the thousands, and of canyons and granite cliffs. I’m short and a lot of brands don’t have short enough ice axes for me. If you want a hybrid mountaineering axe/ice tool, there are some that exist so you get the straight shaft and leverage for arresting like an axe, with the technical pick of a tool. The crux of the climb is a 55 degree snow couloir over a bergschrund. I'm currently looking into getting my first ice axe that fits my future endeavours best. You could self arrest in most conditions with it if it’s not extremely steep or use it as a grippy pole with an axe head. It'll be easier to walk with and easier to get used to as a first timer. You can buy a shorter one when you decide to up your game. The climb itself is relatively straight forward with a mix of snow couloirs, scrambling, and traversing. I would say: Get a sumtec and a pair of Nomics. Best to Have 2 Ice tools, an axe and one pole if your really moving through a variety of winter terrain. No model is as much of a blend between a traditional ice axe and an ice tool than the Petzl Sum'tec, and that's a good thing. Hello folks! I lost my ice axe on the trail on June 9th and a good soul has picked it up and put it at the trailhead near the logs. The picture OP posted doesn't look like the Kruk. It tells the items story much My climbing partner and I have been discussing our crevasse rescue gear and what we should be taking up for a few trips we have planned. He was self belaying with each plunge of the axe on snow that looked like 60 degrees maybe. It's inspirational as well as instructive. Longer axes will facilitate descending and downclimbing. Everything they list should be UIAA certified. Either way here's what one of the world's best ice climbers had to say on falling while ice climbing. . A walking axe and a climbing axe/tool are two very different beasts with different use cases. Could well imagine adding a sum'tec, it's very sexy, and perhaps pure ice axes with no hammer or adze. I’m typically never winter climbing, and summiting during the March - Sept mountaineering season. Worst case, you can bring it to famous mountaineers’ social events and collect autographs on it, or leave by your bed as a, I don’t know The UIAA technical ice axe standard only requires the shaft to be as strong as a snow picket (ie not that strong— 2. I really stay away from ice for the most part, but may use it to get up a 5ft section of an ice slab/bulge, but generally not purely vertical. I have not done any trips into extreme cold conditions though, so no 4 season tent or heavy insulating layers. ) I didn’t think the altitude was that intense but I live in SLC and frequently hike 10-12k ft peaks and 14ers in Colorado, so I probably had a decent level of acclimatization. As such, don’t fall into the trap of getting a “cane”. 75 lb including crampons, ice axe and helmet! Other things I'm considering: I'd like to get another layer of clothes in there. I will use them for indoor/outdoor drytool, steeper ice and mix. If you're comfortable with an ice axe and crampons, I would go for late June, early July for the best snow conditions. It also isn’t suited to learn those skills. 100% agree with this. If you do things right, you would have plenty of other experiences and probably buy a second or even third ice axe by the time you're considering something like Denali. I am 6’2” so the rental shop has typically set me up with anything between 60cm-70cm over the years. I bought a couple of Petzl sum'tec ice axes and build a new head made for snow, for self arresting. For ice axe, I use the CAMP Corsa Alpine for my ski mountaineering and am very happy with it. I'm looking for more technical ice axes and I can't decide. Most routes involve a lot more trekking where ski poles are handy and you only need an ice axe when the terrain gets steeper. So far i did a lot of hiking, ferratas (D) and easy climbing (UIAA 1-2, without rope) around 2500m in the austrian alps. The reverse curve makes the pick easier to remove from hard ice. Terrain constantly changes. The snow is too deep in the alpine for an ice axe to be useful in winter. They are primarily a balance aid, or self arrest tool in case of a slip, and generally not used for actual extended climbing. Leave it as it is. ), while other climbers I've met swear by them. It’s not rated for falls because it wouldn’t pass. Posted by u/16Off - 1 vote and no comments For versatility I go with the Petzl Summit. Food will be nuts, salt and energy bar. 📷 Hello. You might also discover Highly recommend bd venom with hammer instead of adze. There are only 2 shops in Quito that will rent you decent mountaineering gear (boots, goggles, axe, etc. 3 oz. I have a black diamond ice axe that works great for me. And you're right, an adze on the head is more useful for cutting steps on steep ice, bollards for descending etc. I typically use it as a more secure way to climb up steep snow/ski routes, along with crampons, and have as a self arrest tool. Before you go for hood, you need to know how to self arrest, how to move properly with crampons (real ones, with real mountaineering boots), how to climb with your ice axe, how to frontpoint and how to plunge step. It has the adze for making footsteps and stuff. Imagine sledding down a steep hill, then shoving your leg into a vice bolted to the ground near the bottom of the run. Petzl Gullys or SumTecs are really neat in that regard. Mine is packed for Ice Climbing today. Doing a NOBO attempt starting May 10 and have been curious if Whitney would be possible this year (and ofc the Sierra itself). Get a non-technical ice axe. So i have one axe for everything. I rarely use ropes and stuff, but have done some straight up ice climbing--used a curved pair of specialty ice climbing axes, ice anchors, a moving belay climb. But it’s not for climbing. What other technical gear would I need for west butt? I already have a harness, crevasse rescue kit, grivel crampons, ice axe, ice axe leash, belay/rappel device (BD ATC guide), ascender, rope, accessory cords, locking and non locking carabiners 85 votes, 20 comments. Non sketchy but would like a bit of a nicer hold while climbing - whippet Sketchy to point of needing one tool - ice axe Pretty sketchy with one tool - ice axe and whippet Two tools required - steep to near vertical ice Remember ice axe = boot crampons and a helmet. But if you can do that it becomes a do-everything axe, (except roped climbing where you'll need a reverse a pick). As an example, I had to dig a bollard last weekend which took a lot of work because of the tiny adze, but that's what you tend to get with a lightweight axe. I saw a video of a guy climbing unroped but tethered to his axe with a sling and biner. I currently use a 50cm ice axe for ski mountaineering. i use the grivel one because i like the mini locking biners. Specifically this line always comes to mind frequently when thinking about ice climbing. I am currently in the process of buying winter mountaineering boots, crampons and ice axe. I want to buy my own ice axe. 192K subscribers in the Mountaineering community. I am much faster with resetting my self-belay when using a shorter ice axe thus my preference for my 50cm shorter ice axe when doing scrambles but no roped glacier travel. Edit: Charles Moser ice axes and 10 point Salewa ice climbing crampons. The Kruk is a mountaineering ice axe. I have crampons and an ice axe but little mountaineering experience/training. Going guided on Rainier next month via the Fuhrer (which is similar to the Kautz on grade & technicality from what I've gathered). “Mixed climbing” uses ice tools on rock and ice. 5kn bending strength in the test configuration, although realworld in a snow anchor is higher since the load is more evenly spread)— some tools definitely exceed the standard with forged/milled one piece shaft construction, but I absolutely wouldn’t use the shaft as a When climbing or traversing steeper slopes, a shorter ice axe is easier to handle since you don't have to plunge the axe as deep and pull out 65cm of shaft then rinse and repeat. I’ve been considering getting the BCA Shaxe Tech for Skimo. Jan 28, 2022 · The number of different modular-headed ice axes has increased in the past few years, and manufacturers are responding to this rapidly growing hybrid category. Alpine (ice, allround): Get a Sumtec and a Quark hammer, maybe another quark later. com After years of renting, I’m finally ready to purchase my own ice axe for summits in the area (Adams, Hood, Helens, Rainier). Obviously not a replacement for actual practice on snow/ice, but a way to get in more repetitions. Michael Covington is on the cover climbing Mt Kilimanjaro I believe. You can pair it with a single climbing axe (like a Quark) too for easier roped-up routes. Regarding ice axes don't get hung up on the old "it needs to reach your ankles" too much - I personally rather take a slightly more technical (bent & shorter) ice axe, because it will be more versatile in the long run. black diamond, petzl, and grivel all make a variation on this product. Venom is a good compromise You should prepare by learning basic mountaineering techniques on mountains that are less technical and consequential than Hood. It’s great for cutting steps. Or just ask the guide you pay to drag you up all these peaks, I guess. Petzl Ride: Weird hybrid where I think most people just get the Gully so they can ice climb. If you're a begginer and just going to do some laps on snow, there's no need for an ixe axe. Not sure what else. One thing to keep in mind is that your ice axe will most likely be on your backpack more than your hand. Crampons, Helmet, Ice axe, and rope I strap to the outside. It'll keep you safe on gentle ground and is far superior to longer axes on moderate slopes. Would be cumbersome. Losing your axe in a precarious place could be bad news. If you want an ice tool for ice climbing it will naturally be sharper and will require frequent resharpening depending on the terrain you climb in. I really like the Black Diamond Mission 35. The long axe is not always used upright like a walking stick. If you have mountaineering boots, you can get step-in crampons. There are several different styles of ice axes -- a "walking axe" is a good place to start, for general mountaineering. In addition to the locations already answered, you can practice the motions of self arrest on any floor with the plastic guards on your ice axe. Honestly, 50L is really big for most ice climbing adventures. strongly recommend climbing steep snow with elastic umbilical cords tethered to you harness. It is often used as a snow picket, an anchor, and also for self arrest. That’s what ice tools are for. More important than the brand name of the axe is buy Yvonn Chouinard's excellent book Climbing Ice.
cqubrnx vwsu lbzb sjgebsbhd zwumwoe xamxm zeqrpw wacvpay vdich jqiwlj