Lightweight ice axe and pole combo

[Ovr40]

Here is a Friday afternoon post for the gear junkies.

This is a lightweight combo that I recently tried out with good results for low angle travel. It is a Grivel Nepal Extreme axe, drilled to hold a Komperdell carbon fiber pole. The pole portion is simply a friction fit and can be pulled out with modest effort. (Insert gratuitous spray here.)

 

 

The axe has a factory nylon plug at the bottom, which drills easily to accept the pole. The pole itself is the bottom part of a Komperdell set that was originally designed to be screwed together to create an avalanche probe. I started carrying a dedicated probe instead of the pole/probe set (because breaking down the poles and assembling the probe during an emergency was not fast and certain). I then recycled the probe to this use.

 

The combo weighs less and takes up less space than carrying an axe and separate ski pole. It is not, however, quite as short as a collapsed trekking pole.

[Blake]

not to bag on your idea, but how's that better than a whippet that you can buy without tieing up all tht gear? Grivel also makes a ski pole add-on that seems like the same thing.

[genepires]

does the bottom part ever come out? (while using)

[Ovr40]

not to bag on your idea, but how's that better than a whippet that you can buy without tieing up all tht gear? Grivel also makes a ski pole add-on that seems like the same thing.

 

I think both of those products are designed to add some pick functionality to a ski pole, but unless I am mistaken, neither converts to a conventional ice axe. With this homemade setup just remove the pole section and you have a "normal" axe.

The experiment is non-destuctive. No gear was injured in the trial. It's just an example of looking at gear and thinking about simplifying.

 

...does the bottom part ever come out? (while using)

 

It hasn't budged so far. My original thought was to create some type of positive lock but so far that seems unnecessary. If the pole would accidentally come out, you would still have a full length axe in hand. I use a leash, so dropping the axe portion is unlikely it the pole sticks and detaches. If someone thinks of a safety concern that I've missed, please chime in.

 

A problem could also arise if the bottom of the axe plugged with ice while the pole portion was removed. If the ice plug couldn't be knocked out, or pushed in with the pole, it would prevent the tool from being reassembled until it thawed out.

 

[Kraken]

Petzl Charlet makes one like that already. It's called the SnowScopic.

 

http://en.petzl.com/petzl/SportProduits?Produit=433

[Ovr40]

Petzl Charlet makes one like that already. It's called the SnowScopic.

 

Cool. I like this user's review on Backcountry.com

"I got the Snowscopic this year. I don't climb mountains, but the Snowscopic is a great tool for hiking, camping, and looking for bugs with my 8-year-old boy."