ice screw length

[DavidG]

I'm looking to get a small set of screws for moderate alpine ice routes. Think routes that may require two to four placements total on 70degree ice. There is a good deal on the BD express screws at rei, but they only come in 10cm and 13cm. Does size matter? BD says that longer isn't neccessarily stronger even when two otherwise identical screws are fully sunk/screwed in. Would 13 cm be a good compromise between versatility and other factors, or should I get a couple of 10's and a couple of 13's?

 

Thanks

Dave

[fern]

personally I wouldn't bother with the 10cms unless I was planning to do crazy thin water ice stuff.

 

but also you might consider getting at least one longer one (17-22cm) in case some day you need to drill an abalakov to rappel off.

[Dru]

longer is stronger in bad ice. get the 13s. hell , spend the extra and get some 17-19cm ones. the short screws are more intended for thin waterfall ice than alpine.

[lummox]

i think the 13s have the same thread length as the 15 and 17cm screws. the threads are what hold. mostly anyway. does that help with your decision?

dont bd got a turbo screw out there? is it late model screws for sale?

[Ade]

Shorter screws may be more work in the long run. Alpine ice often has a shitty surface layer that you clean off, at least partially before placing. The shorter your screws the more complete you're clean off will have to be.

 

I'd also speculate that alpine ice gets better deeper in as the upper surface is often a lot softer (warmer) than the blue ice below. A longer screw will place more of it's thread into the good ice, unless you do even more digging to prepare the placement.

 

[sobo]

Place (and therefore, buy) the longest screw that the ice will take without "lifting up" the ice or the screw bottoming out against rock.

 

FYI, my ice rack contains about five 17 cm screws, one 22 cm screw, two Snarg hammer-ins at 13 cm (panic pro), and two 10 cm screws for the thin shit. And a coupla of Russian Ti screws for "leavers" on bail-outs.

[Sphinx]

Screw length doesn't matter ONLY IN ROCK HARD WATER ICE! In alpine ice, the longest screw holds best. Sounds like you need to do a bit of reading up before getting on the ice. Ice climbing is less forgiving than rock.