Petzl Ergo?

[Dane]

 

If you have heard anything recently about the new Nomic and Ergo tools from Petzl it is likely that they were in short supply this fall, unavailable now and we are not likely to see any more till the Fall of 2011.

 

All that is true with one small exception. The new Ergo is still around in a few numbers online and in stores if you are interested and quick to your wallet.

 

I wasn't impressed last year at the OR show thinking the new Ergo was going to be way too extreme for a punter like myself. But it was one the first of the new tools to show up at my house this fall so I have been climbing on them for the last month. I love the thing..kinda a Nomic on steroids is the easiest way for me to describe them.

 

From WI3 to WI6 and easy to hard mixed everyone that has tried them has been pleased, and not unlikely, surprised at just how easy they are to climb well on ..at any grade.

 

The new stronger grip angle is a big advantage on difficult terrain and doesn't seem to have any down sides or easy terrian that I can tell. It is easy enough to move your hands up the shaft as the terrian looses angle. The other big advanatge I see from the previous generation of Nomics is the serrated lower grip pommel. The serrated steel blade really does offer good bite on the ice and makes the tool much more stable. More so than I ever thought it would. Big plus here. (now that they have a fix in the works) It even makes a decent piolet in piolet canne position believe it or not.

 

Like the Nomic before them I suspect we'll see many of these in the alpine, as well on the really difficult mixed and nasty ice climbs they were originally designed for. I never thought the Nomic would be a reasonable alpine tool either but obviously there are many who now think it is. Incuding me. It will work fine on the N. Face of Chair, Curtain Call or Dragontail. Has already on Icy BC, HFA and TTIG.

 

The huge clearence isn't going to be ignored by me on steep and rotten Canadian ice. If you were thinking new Nomics...you'll likely be pleased with the new Ergo even more. I am.

 

An after thought...if you buy them and don't like them, I suspect by mid winter there will be a line to buy them on the 2nd hand market.

 

 

Jon Griffin photo and link here:

 

http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions/1438782-its-been-a-long-10-days

 

more info on the tools at the blog

[treknclime]

Helpful info, Dane...thanks for the update.