Some Thoughts on Ice Axes

Descending from The Window on Creag Meagaidh

There is a bewildering choice in ice axes these days. Here's an overview for hillwalkers and backpackers - it first appeared in slightly different form in The Great Outdoors several years ago.

The essential tool for safe travel on snow-covered hills is the ice axe. Its main purpose is to prevent or stop slips that could be dangerous. For this you need to know how to use the axe and to have it in your hand anywhere a slip could be hazardous. Learning ice axe techniques can be done from books, experienced companions or, ideally, on a winter skills course. You then need to practice what you’ve learnt. Using an axe should be automatic so that if you slip you’ll react instantly. The two main skills are self-belay, which means thrusting the axe in the snow as you walk so that a slip can be halted instantly, and self-arrest, which means using the axe to halt a slide. The first is easy to learn, which is perhaps why it’s under-rated as a skill by many people. However it’s far better to prevent a fall in the first place and this is what self-belay skills can do. Self-arrest requires more practice and this should be done on a slope with a safe run-out. You need to be able to stop from any position, including head down on your back. When I took a course many years ago helmets were not used. In fact when I took a winter climbing course they weren’t used either. Now they are recommended and standard on winter skills courses.

There are many types of ice axes, including futuristic ones that look like they should be in a sci-fi or fantasy film. Amazing and fascinating though these are they’re not suitable for hillwalking, being designed for climbing vertical ice rather than wandering over the Lake District fells or the Cairngorms. For hillwalking and simple mountaineering (the two tend to merge when the hills are snowy) a rather more prosaic general mountaineering or walking axe is needed.

Designs & Materials

 

An ultralight alloy ice axe

Most ice axes have steel heads and spikes and aluminium alloy shafts. Steel is durable and stays sharp while aluminium is lightweight. The lightest axes have aluminium heads to keep the weight down. However aluminium isn’t as strong as steel and blunts quickly so these axes are only suitable for occasional use. They’re not as strong as heavier axes either and so unsuitable for any technical climbing.

Axe shafts have a spike at the end and are thrust into the snow for stability. The shape or sharpness of the spike doesn’t really matter. Some shafts have rubberised covers over sections of the shaft. These are warmer to hold than metal and also less slippery when wet. There is a concern that they could impede plunging the axe into snow but I can’t say I’ve ever noticed any difficulty. However as walking axes are generally held by the head such grips aren’t really needed.

The head of the axe consists of an adze and a pick. The latter should be gently curved with teeth on the underside. Steep curved picks are better for technical climbing but less good for self-arrest. Unless you intend climbing difficult graded routes a shallow curved pick is best. If the axe is strong enough this it’s suitable for easy mountaineering routes as well as hillwalking. The adze curves down slightly and has a slightly scooped end that can be used for cutting steps if you don’t have crampons or don’t want to put them on for short periods of time. Often neglected these days step cutting is a skill worth learning. In soft snow the adze can even be used for self-arrest. It also makes a rather poor shovel for digging snow holes if you haven’t got a real one. The head may be made from one piece of metal or two welded together. A single piece is stronger but for walking use welded heads are fine.

Weight
 

The weight of axes has dropped significantly in the last decades as materials have become lighter without loss of strength. Standard walking axes now weigh between 400 and 600 grams, ultralight ones below 300 grams. For most hillwalking I’d recommend one of the lighter standard axes. This will be durable and suitable for regular use. However for backpacking, ski touring or terrain where the axe won’t be used much an ultralight model will reduce the weight of the load. Heavier axes are stronger though and easier to use for step cutting. They can also give a feeling of greater security.

Length

Ice axe length is a contentious issue. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong length. Knowing how to use an axe properly is far more important than how long it is. Having said that I think longer axes are better for walkers, especially those with no mountaineering experience or a desire to do any difficult winter climbing. By long I don’t mean like those alpenstocks you see in Victorian alpine mountaineering photos but rather an axe that almost reaches the ground when held at your side with your arm straight. For most people this means from 60-80cms in length. Shorter axes are fine for technical climbing and very steep terrain and some walkers may prefer them. However on much hillwalking terrain a longer axe gives more confidence as it can be in contact with the snow without you having to stoop over, which feels insecure and can throw you off balance. I prefer a longer axe in descent too as it’s easier to reach down the slope and thrust the axe into the snow for security. I have heard it said that self-arrest is easier with a short axe. I learnt with a 70cm axe and had no difficulty so I’m not sure why this should be so.

Ice Axe or Trekking Poles

Trekking poles are not a substitute for an ice axe. They won’t hold you if you fall. Anywhere that a slip could send you tumbling down a slope you need an ice axe in your hand. You can hold the axe in one hand and a pole in the other (without using the strap) and then drop the pole if you slip. Trekking poles may feel more secure, especially if you have a short ice axe, but this is an illusion. I once followed a couple up a steep slope with boulders at its base. The snow was quite hard and a slip could have been serious. I was glad of my ice axe and quite surprised to see the walkers ahead of me using poles. They stopped when the angle eased and when I caught them up I saw they had short axes strapped to their rucksacks. They hadn’t used them, they told me, because they didn’t feel secure with them as they didn’t reach the snow. They felt safer with their poles. They’d bought them from a shop where they’d been told long axes were a bad idea. I’d climbed the slope using my axe for self-belay the whole way. I left the couple thinking they’d maybe get longer axes. I hope they did.

In the Rocky Mountains on the Continental Divide Trail in 1985 with a 70cm axe

  

Wrist Leash

Some axes come with a webbing leash fitted. If not they are available as extras. The main purpose of a leash is to stop you losing the axe if you drop it. I usually use one. However when zigzagging up a steep slope the axe should always be in your upper hand, which means swapping it over every time you change direction. On these occasions I usually don’t use the leash. 

Carrying

Virtually every pack comes with straps on the back for attaching an ice axe. These are convenient when you don't need the axe and are unlikely to do so for some time. However if you only need to put the axe away for a short period it's much easier to slide it between your back and the pack so you can retrieve it without having to take your pack off.

Winters Past: A Gallery of Splendid Days

Storms rage in the hills, bringing waves of snow. The glens are gloomy under dark clouds with rain and sleet pouring down. A bone-chilling wind cuts through clothing. The forecast says this weather will last for several more days at least. Maybe next week will see calmer conditions. Maybe then the hills will appear white and shining with new snow. Maybe.

While sorting out some images I came across photos of wonderful days in previous winters. Here's a selection. The winter has just begun. The storms will cease. This what we have to look forward to. I can't wait!

Recent Gear I've Reviewed On The TGO Website

Here's what I've been trying for TGO over the last few months, with links to the reviews.

 Doughnut Woodland Day Pack

Berghaus Fast Hike 45 Pack

 Hilleberg Niak

Patagonia Refugio 28L Daypack

 Jetboil Mighty Mo Stove

 Macpac Minaret Tunnel Tent

  Arc'teryx Beta LT Jacket

 Altra Lone Peak 3.5 Mesh Shoes

 Paramo Fuera Smock

OEX Zenon Ultralight LT Down Jacket

The First Snow

There’s been snow on the hills, there’s been a dusting in the glens, but the world has not turned completely white this winter, so white that I can step in snow from my front door, until the last forty-eight hours. Yesterday I woke to the snow falling steadily and silently, building up on the trees, the rocks, the ground. In the afternoon I wandered the fields and woods watching the whiteness increase, watching the world change. The heavy snow was over but frequent showers still blew in bringing more, transforming the landscape.

A calm frosty night brought a cold day and clearing skies. With a winter landscape all around there was no need to venture far for the first real snow walk of the season. The softness of the snow suggested snowshoes and I donned these before I set off. In the woods they were a boon. The snow was deep and unconsolidated. Even with the snowshoes I was sinking in ankle deep at times. Nothing moved but the tracks of fox, deer, squirrel and rabbit showed animals had been on the move, seeking food to get them through another frozen night.

Beyond the woods I climbed gently up a moorland track, the snow more compacted and thinner here. The wide expanse of Strathspey began to open up, stretching out to the Cromdale Hills and the distant cloud-shrouded high Cairngorms, only Bynack More clearly visible. 

At the high point of the track I stared out over the landscape, amazed, as always, at how much wilder and vaster snow makes these little moorland hills. A sharp wind had me moving again, heading back down as the first pink suffused the sky and the shadows on the Cromdale Hills grew even longer. The magic of winter has returned. 

 

More snow is forecast.

The snow's here! Skis or snowshoes?

Ski tourer on the Cairngorm Plateau

The first big snowfall of the winter combined with the arrival of a pair of snowshoes to try had me thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of skis and snowshoes. I use both and I like both but there are times when one is a better choice than the other. The big plus point for either is flotation on snow. I reckon that once snow is more than halfway up your boots then walking starts to become arduous. Once it’s well above your boots walking is very arduous. When it approaches knee-deep post-holing, as it’s known, becomes a great way to exhaust yourself and make your legs ache without actually getting very far. Stay on the surface and progress becomes much faster and less laborious. That’s where skis or snowshoes come in. I’m always surprised when the snow lies deep on the hills how few people I see using them.

On snowshoes on the Pacific Crest Trail. No poles!

I discovered both snowshoeing and ski touring in California on the Pacific Crest Trail over thirty years ago. The mountains were deep in snow and post-holing over the small ranges in Southern California quickly taught me that I’d never get through the hundreds of miles of the much vaster High Sierra like that. American companions were using snowshoes and I could see just how much easier these made snow travel. For the High Sierra two of them swapped their snowshoes for cross-country skis. Learning to ski with a huge load whilst hiking the PCT didn’t seem a good idea so I bought some snowshoes and was very glad I did so as they enabled me to cross deep snowfields fairly easily. Skiing looked much more fun though and I was envious of my friends as they swooped off into the distance whenever the terrain allowed. The next winter I took a ski course. And fell in love with ski touring. This was the way to travel over snowy terrain! 

Ski touring in Norway

I then spent a decade leading ski tours, mostly in Norway, but twice back in the High Sierra. At home I skied in the hills whenever there was enough snow. For a while snowshoes were forgotten. Then a pair arrived for test and I discovered I did quite enjoy using them. Since then whether I use skies or snowshoes depends on conditions. This is a key point. When there’s continuous or near continuous deep snow cover on the hills I much prefer skis – gliding over the snow gives a wonderful feeling of freedom, of lightness, of having escaped from being earthbound. However when the snow is broken and skis have to constantly come on and off or ways picked round rocks and convoluted routes devised to link snow patches then I prefer snowshoes. Whilst rocks and stones can wreck skis and skiing across anything other than snow is difficult snowshoes can be kept on regardless of the terrain. I’ve even forded streams in them. I like snowshoes in dense forests too as the length of skis can be unwieldy in the trees. If I have to walk far to and from the snow snowshoes are also better as they are much easier to carry on a pack and don’t act like a sail in the wind or catch in branches. Now if I reckon I’m not going to be on skis at least 75% of the time I take snowshoes.

Snowshoes on Ben Macdui

Skis on Ben Macdui

If you’ve never tried either snowshoeing is much easier to learn than skiing. Really, there’s nothing to it other than ensuring your feet are far enough apart that you don’t catch the snowshoes on each other. Mostly you just walk. Trekking or ski poles are a good idea – something I didn’t realise back in the High Sierra all those years ago – but no special gear is needed. You can wear your ordinary boots and snowshoes come with bindings built-in. This makes snowshoes much less expensive than skis too. And they’re also lighter weight.

Snowshoes are easy to carry on a pack

For ski touring you need boots, bindings and climbing skins as well as skis. Whether you choose Nordic or Alpine gear (I’ve always used the former) techniques take a little time to learn, which is best done on a course.

A ski descent in the Glen Affric hills

Whichever is chosen skis and snowshoes make snow travel much easier and much more enjoyable. I can’t imagine it without them.

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