Best Ice Tools For Alpine Climbing

Equipment lists for all of our alpine mountaineering alpine ice scottish winter and uk rock climbing trips.

Best ice tools for alpine climbing.

The pick is in a reverse curve making it more aggressive which really gives you an advantage on ice and gives you the best chance in a self arrest. Rock climbing season has ended and while you could be spending countless hours in the gym training for the following season you really would rather be outside. 149 00 when i m going multi pitching be it for a romp up a moderate in eldo or a big alpine mission in rocky mountain national park i continue reading black diamond alpine start jacket. Vastly different than rock climbing ice climbing requires an entirely different set of gear to keep you warm and most importantly safe.

Realwillgadd questing through a 40 metre roof to reach ice at one of the established lines at the temple of silence mt chephrens north east face dominates the sky line behind. Skiing is great but does not compare to climbing so you decide to give it a go at ice climbing. Summer alpine kit list the following will cover everything you need to bring on our chamonix alpine climbing courses and alpine mountaineering holidays some items are only needed on specific trips as mentioned in the notes. Ice tools all modern ice tools climb well.

While no model climbed water ice as well as a traditional ice tool for more moderate ice routes the petzl sum tec came close and the bd venom and petzl gully were not much further behind yet. Ice tools on the alpine side of the spectrum tend to have a single grip while tools for steep ice and mixed climbing like the nomic and ergonomic usually have two grips a low grip that you ll use most of the time and a high grip that will let you match hands or advance a hand to make a higher reach. The petzl sum tec is a truly advanced ice axe that can even be used as an ice climbing tool. We felt there wasn t much difference between these models and a traditional ice tool on wi3 but had to work a harder on wi4 and wi5 when directly compared to a dedicated water ice climbing tool.

The debate rages on about leashed versus leashless ice climbing and each has its merits. The x dream alpine still has the same ergonomic grip which is adjustable for ice to mixed and dry tooling allowing the individual climber to customize their tools to the ideal personal grip. The grivel air tech evolution ice axe is cheaper and lighter comes with a leash and is durable and sturdy for solid anchors on alpine ascents yet performs well on steep climbs. Versatility on the ice.

In winter it s best to have two when ice climbing to help reduce drag for rappelling and to better protect your route.