1. Anatomy of an Axe
Every part of an ice axe has a special name. The pointiest part at the top of it is the pick. The broader part opposite this is the adze, and the pointy bit at the bottom of the shaft is the spike. The pick and adze collectively are the head. A typically sized ice axe's spike just reaches the ground when holding the axe comfortably at your side.
2. Numbers Matter Too
The type of ice axe you use for hiking or mountaineering is going to be very different from ice climbing axes. The hiking or mountaineering ice axe is usually longer, heavier, has a straight shaft and you carry it singly instead of in a pair. While ice climbing axes may be used for hooking and plunging into ice, the mountaineering ice axe is most typically used as a "third leg" or source of stability in precarious positions or to "self-arrest," stopping your own fall, in a worst case scenario.
3. Perfect Practice
Just carrying the axe is not enough. You have to know how to use it. Learn how to self-arrest and self-belay, and practice using the ice axe to glissade, making a semi-controlled descent on backside or feet down a snowy slope. It's possible to seriously injure yourself with an ice axe if you don't know what you're doing.
4. No Poles Here
Some hikers carry an ice axe to serve as a fancy hiking pole. The bad news is that ice axes don't serve as hiking poles very well, nor do hiking poles serve well as ice axes. A properly sized ice axe is too short for comfortable support in all but very steep areas, and they're much heavier than trekking poles. You also have to be more careful to avoid injury when dealing with ice axes because of all the sharp surfaces. Trekking poles, on the other hand, cannot stop a fall or be used for self-belay in the same way an ice axe can. Make sure that you have the right equipment for what you're doing.
5. Pack It Back
Those nifty little loops on your backpack were meant to carry an ice axe or axes. You'd better have your axe out if there's any chance at all that you'll need it, but when you're ready to put it away, slide the handle into the loop so the axe is suspended right-side-up below the back of the pack. Then flip the axe upside down and secure the shaft so the pick and adze are at the bottom of the back and the spike is at the top. You may need to fiddle with it to make sure you won't get an ice axe spike in the back of your head--or a pick in your behind--in the event of a fall.
Member Comments