Ice axe

Ice axe
1 – pick
2 – head
3 – adze
4 – leash
5 – leash stop
6 – shaft with rubber grip
7 – spike

An ice axe is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool employed by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered. In its simplest role, the ice axe is used like a walking stick in the uphill hand, the mountaineer holding the head in the centre, with the pick pointing to the rear. It can also be buried pick down, the rope tied around the shaft to form a secure anchor on which to bring up a second, or buried vertically to form a stomp belay. The adze is used to cut footsteps (sometimes known as pigeon holes), as well as scoop seats in the hillside and trenches to bury an ice axe belay.^[1] An ice axe is not only used as an aid to climbing, but also as a means of self-arrest in the event of a downhill slip.

Most ice axes meet design and manufacturing standards of organizations such as the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) or European Committee for Standardization. There are two classifications of ice axe, Basic and Technical. Basic axes are aimed at the beginner or casual user, and are adequate for basic support and self-arrest. They are not suitable for vertical, technical climbing, or for use in belaying. Technical graded axes have stronger shafts and are suitable for use in a direct belay, such as in a buried axe anchor. To confuse the issue, the term 'technical axe' is also used to refer to an axe with a curved shaft, such as those used for steep or vertical ice climbing.

Components

An ice axe consists of at least five components:

• Head — usually made of steel and featuring a pick and adze. A hole in the center is provided for attaching a wrist leash or carabiner.
• Pick — the toothed pointed end of the head, typically slightly curved (aiding both in ergonomics and self-arrest).
• Adze — the flat, wide end of the head used for chopping steps in hard snow and ice.
• Shaft  — straight or slightly angled, typically wider front-to-back than side-to-side, flat on the sides and smoothly rounded on the ends. Traditional shafts were made of wood, but are now almost exclusively of lightweight metals (such as aluminum or titanium) or composite (including fiberglass, Kevlar or carbon filament).
• Spike, or ferrule — a steel point at the base of the shaft used for balance and safety when the axe is held by its head in walking stick fashion.

Accessories

Common ice axe accessories include:

• Leash — nylon webbing with an adjustable loop for securing the axe to hand. Often secured by a ring constrained to slide a limited distance on the shaft.
• Leash stop — a rubber keeper or metal stud preventing the leash from slipping off of the ice axe.
• Snow basket — similar to baskets on ski poles, temporarily mounted on the shaft close to the spike to keep the shaft from sinking into soft snow.

Size

Ice-axe spike-to-head lengths generally range from 60 to 90 cm (or about 24 to 36 in.). This is too short to be used as a walking stick on level ground (the way its forebearer, the 5-foot (1.5 m) 19th century alpenstock, was), but is ergonomic when ascending steep slopes. Ski mountaineers often carry shorter ice axes (50-55 cm) for emergency use if unexpected conditions are encountered.

Use as a Weapon

A mountaineering ice axe, sometimes incorrectly referred to as an "ice pick"^[2], was used in the assassination of Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940. ^[3] An ice axe was also used in the 2007 murder of Anthony Walker in Great Britain. ^[4]

References

External links

• Ice Axe for Mountaineering
• History of the ice axe at grivel.com, as of 2006-08-27
• GoXplore Guides article on the Ice Axe