Ice axes

Mountaineering axe buying guide:

What are the various parts of a mountaineering axe?

Before buying an ice axe, do you know the different parts? The head is constituted of a pick and an adze or hammer at the end. The pick, commonly in steel, is used to hang on snow or ice. The teeth are bevelled to penetrate the ice while making removal easy. At the opposite end, you can find axes with an adze or a hammer. The adze is mostly used to cut steps, remove snow before putting an ice screw or dig a trench to prepare a deadman anchor. The hammer is used to place pitons or hit on anchors. Historically made of wood, the shaft is nowadays in aluminium. The shaft can be of varying length depending on the type of activity. For instance, for glacier hiking, a long shaft is preferred, to use the axe as a pole and be able to lean on it. Indeed, the spike found at the end of some axes improves the grip. Another advantage, it facilitates the penetration of the axe in the snow when used for a deadman anchor.

How to choose the right ice axe for your activity?

The choice of your ice axe will differ depending on your activity. Characteristics will change, such as the length of the shaft, the shape of the head or the curvature of the axe. For ski mountaineering, most axes are used to reach snowy summits. This type of axe features a shorter length to avoid being cumbersome on the backpack, a straight or slightly curved shaft, ensuring comfortable handling, a steel head, all this while being lightweight. For glacier hiking, axes are used to navigate on glacier terrain in the middle of snow-covered crevasses. They can be used as a cane, and possibly to cut a few steps. They feature a straight or slightly curved shaft with rounded teeth. The axe size depends on yours, with your arm straight, it should reach your ankle. When it comes to very curved ice axes, they are meant for ice climbing or very technical mountaineering.