Grivel: AIR TECH EVOLUTION

[Alex_Mineev]

http://www.grivel.com/products/pi.php?ope=scheda&lang=en&cod=27

Is it any good?

I am getting gear for Lib Ridge this spring.

Want to bring this Air Tech Evo and Grivel Third Tool (which I already have). Do not want to bring any heavy hardcore ice tool and not sure that simple mountaineering ax will do.

Thoughts?

This Evo is light - 16+ oz. May be too light for comfortable placing into hard ice? On the other hand - what's the probability of vert hard ice on Lib Ridge? bergshrand at the exit?

[fenderfour]

I've looked pretty hard at these. The $100+ price tag is keeping me away right now. As you pointed out, they are very light for a technically rated axe. The slightly curved shape should work for basic ice climbing. The pick is better than most other axes, but is not ice specific.

 

You don't necessarily need this axe for Lib Ridge. Any axe with a decent pick would do all right. The only axes I wouldn't recommend are the Black Diamond Raven and Raven Pro. Their picks really suck in ice. I was on Glacier Peak late last season, the glacier was pretty much bare, and I couldn't get my Raven to plant at all. It just bounced off.

 

My 2 cents...

[Ade]

It depends a bit what condition the Liberty is in doesn't it? When I did it there were large sections of quite steep and hard alpine ice, the traverse out from Thumb rock was actually black. I was very glad to have two technical tools I could swing into it. But I have heard of people doing the route and feeling that they didn't need a second tool and kicking steps up the whole thing.

 

This is a very similar axe to the Air Tech Racing, same pick but 2oz heavier. I suspect that most of the additional weight is in the shaft, not the head, as it gets the stronger 'T', rather than a 'B', rating for the shaft. I have one of these axes and for approaches and descents with very short technical sections, like Stuart N. Ridge, Dragontail, or rock routes were saving weight is most important the Air Tech Racing is just fine.

 

I've tried climbing alpine ice with this axe and it sucks. There isn't enough head weight to get a good swing, you have to provide the force yourself. Fine for a short section, not fine for hundreds or thousands of feet of ice. The total weight saving is a couple of oz over a light tool like the Alp Wing or a BD Shrike.

 

Do yourself a favour and take a couple of full weight tools unless it's a snow plod you'll enjoy it a lot more.

[Fromage]

More diverging opinions...

 

I climbed the north face of Gannett in WY last summer, a route which included about 800 feet of 60 degree bare alpine ice. My pair of tools was a Grivel Air Tech Racing and a Rambo 2. The Air Tech worked surprisingly well in the ice. I needed to adapt my swing a little to get good sticks, but once I figured it out that axe climbed like a champ. For steeper routes I recommend you buy an axe with a shorter shaft. My Air Tech is 58cm and works great for "piolet traction" technique on steeper terrain.

 

I agree with the comment about BD axes. Even their technical tools bounce off the ice.

[DPS]

When I picked up the Grivel Evolution in a store I immediately thought it would be perfect for Liberty Ridge, Coleman Headwall, NR Baker and the like. My personal preferance would be to bring a more substantial second tool than the Grivel 3rd tool.

 

I did Lib Ridge on July 15th, (the last day of free climbing on Rainier) and there was one pitch of hard ice climbing out of Thumb Rock and hard ice on a traverse below the Black Pyramid and about 500 feet of hard ice below Liberty Cap. I think the Evo would have done quite well for those conditions. In the spring I would guess there will be less hard ice and more snow.