I live in Lake Placid, New York, where just a few weeks ago there was four feet of snow in my yard. I was so sick of winter that, for a while in early April, if anyone had mentioned ice or snow climbing, I would have suggested another"function" for that ice axe. But with spring here at last, and with my pent up desire to climb warm rock satisfied, I'll take your question.

	Don Mellor Don Mellor Don Mellor has been climbing, writing about climbing, and teaching climbing for more than 25 years. Meet Don Expert Answers

1. It is a useful walking stick on inclined terrain.

2. It's a staff used for probing the security of snow, maybe identifying a hidden crevasse on a glacier.

3. It remains at the ready for"self arresting", stopping your slide when you slip on an inclined slope of hard-packed snow.

4. In the days before crampons (and even now when the stretch of hard climbing is short) the axe was used to chop steps up or across a hard snowfield.

5. On steeper terrain, climbers use a pair of shorter tools for technical ice climbing, planting the picks securely into the ice and hanging onto the shafts as they climb.

6. Advanced climbers can also use the ice axe to deftly open a beer bottle.

Constraints?

The ice axe is extra weight, and it's got some nasty points ready to tear your pack, your clothes, or your flesh if you slip. Ski poles or trekking poles serve the "walking stick function" just fine, but obviously aren't useful for self arrest or ice climbing.

Have fun,
—Don

Go to GORP Climbing Forum

Previous Expert Answers

Back to GORP Climbing

Return to Top