robpatterson5 Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Hi, I was looking at getting a set of Venoms or Air Tec Evos for summer alpine climbing and was wondering what people thought of pairing a 50cm hammer with a 60 cm adz? I'm wondering how they climb? My thought is to get them both in the 50cm length; my piolet is a 60cm Raven Pro, I haven't however been impressed with it on steep ice, but it is the right length. Just wondering what people have found makes for the most usable setup for alpine ice and glaciers. I do like the extra 10 cm on the Raven vs. my tech tools for glacier walking and side hilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkporwit Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I own a pair of Air Tech Evos... bought them off LePiston a few months ago. Liked them, did Adams glacier with them. Got to swing some Venoms this past weekend on some alpine ice... the Venoms are head and shoulders better than the Air Tech Evos. I'll be getting some venoms and putting the Evos up for sale... As far as length is concerned, both the Venom and the adze Evo can be had in lengths up to 64cm, IIRC. The hammer Evo comes in 50 and 57cm versions, I think. I have the 57cm adze and 50cm hammer. I have been using the adze as a primary ice axe and it mostly works for me. I'm 6' tall... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robpatterson5 Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 That's great feedback, thanks Mkporwit. How do you find it is swinging two different lengths? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkporwit Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Swinging two different lenthgs is not a problem. I haven't tried with, say, a 64cm adze and a 50cm hammer, but the 57/50 pair works just fine. In general I prefer the longer tool in my right (dominant) hand, as I have better control over placement with it. Oh, also, the stock leashes on the Venoms are actually pretty decent, whereas the stock ones on the Evos suck pretty badly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkporwit Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Oh, another tool you may want to look into is the CAMP Alpax. I have not used one, but looks very similar to the Venom -- has replaceable picks, both classical and reversely curved, comes in different lenghts, and it has a built-in pinkie rest, which the Venom lacks. A friend and I climbed Observation Rock on Sunday, and his Alpax seemed to work great for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocky_joe Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 second the camp alpax recommendation. two buddies have them, great tool, climbs most AI stuff really well. Def has more clearance than either the venom or grivel tool for the steeper stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robpatterson5 Posted August 27, 2009 Author Share Posted August 27, 2009 Thanks guys! Now the only question is whether to just replace my 60cm Raven, or the Raven and my 35cm Simond Fox hammer?! I'm thinking just the raven... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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