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mike1

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When you take a fall, a good technique for arresting with a self arrest grip is to shoulder one of the picks into the slope with both hands on it. So I’m thinking about picking up one grip. Does anybody out there ski with two? Have you found it beneficial (how/why)? Anyone actually pull off a gnarly self arrest with them? Lets here some whippet stories...

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I ski w/ one Leki. I wore out the strap. They sent me new ones for free!

 

Yes, two hands. Lower Upper International is a good place to test your technique.

 

The self arrest grip has saved me from many a ski area garage sale. In the BC, I ski mostly powder, so the arrest grip does not get much use arresting, but does a good job of gripping on those nasty traverses to get over to good snow.

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whippets rock!

 

after drooling over them for years i just bought one. really speeds up time in the mountains as you never have to reach around and get your ice ax out (or put it away).

 

i know a few backcountry skiers that use two.

 

also makes me feel good to have it in my hand in cougar country.

 

but its all fun and games until someone pokes an eye out.

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I ski with two. I don't think they work too well for self arest - but they work great for velcroing to a steep slope during a break, and they are great climbing aids. They are also handy for anchor-in-transition from ski to crampons if u find yourself in over your head. Skiing with two gives me the symmetry I like, also - if I stop on a steep slope, I don't have to think about which hand the whippet is in / or which hand I should switch it too when I reach out and whippet-anchor.

They certainatly pose a hazard if you fall -- but this can also hone a no fall mentality.

 

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I watched a gal who was tele-skiing arrest with a whippet after taking a fall on a pretty icy slope on shasta once. It was pretty steep, and although the runout was probably okay, she may have picked up speed quickly or at least slid for a while. Like dan says, they are only "okay" for self arrest, and you have to practice with 'em to figure out how to hold them best and transition into a good arrest position. I'm always worried that I'm going to wipe out and impale myself with it, but that's one of the benefits of the condor... When the conditions are sketch I'm usually going slow and have the pointy part out, when it gets nice again it's easy to snap closed.

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A couple of years ago my dynafits popped off (still not sure why - they're like Steven King's Christine) at the top of the Cascadian Couloir on Stuart. I'm pretty sure my whippet saved my life. If I had it to do over, I'd probably get a Condor b/c I often find myself worried about impaling myself while skiing powder - it'd be nice to put that thing away.

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Has anyone seen a comparison of the whippet and these LifeLink claws, or the similar old Ramer self arrest grips? claw.gif

 

Ramer + Claw = pretty much worthless on anything approaching firm

 

Could sharpen them into a pretty gnarly pair of self arrest/ninja weapons... :/

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