Fitting Gear???

[Oreshooter]

I am looking to step up my Climbing/Mountaineering. To some Ice and snow, I am wondering how should a Ice Axe fit? I am 6'3" and I am thinking, like a 70cm axe would fit. Am I missing anything? What should I be looking for in a Axe? Any help here would be great any suggestion on other gear(Crampons,etc) would help also. I just got a Pair of Scarpa Inverno's and I am looking for some good Crampons that will be good to walk Glaciers and Climb vert. Thanks

[Luzak00]

Modern techniques call for an axe of less than 60cm. The old school method is measuring the distance between your fingers (with your arms and shoulders at rest) and your ankle. Google it.

 

With an axe, you want steel construction, a proper adze, and good balance. The shaft may be aluminum, but you still want a steel spike (e.g. Black Diamond Raven Pro).

 

I've never tried a crampon that was good for both glacier travel and "vert." Like the rest of us, you'll end up with several pairs.

[montypiton]

if you're looking for an all-round tool to use on glacier routes as well as vertical ice, consider an axe 60 -70 cm long; shorter would be of little use for most glacier routes, longer becomes unwieldy on very steep ground. The use of the "cane-length" ice-axe on low angle snow/ice has largely been replaced by the use of trekking poles.(with which few bother to master self-arrest, unfortunately) a bent shaft will make climbing steeper angles easier, but will make self-arrest trickier. unless you're planning on progressing directly to serac & waterfall climbing, a straight-shafted axe of 60-70 cm is likely your better beginning choice.

 

I disagree that a crampon cannot be good for both low angle glacier travel and vertical ice climbing. It's true that specialized modern crampons handle vertical ice more readily than the classic twelve-point hinged crampon. And, it's true that rigid crampons clog up with sticky snow slightly more readily than hinged crampons - but top waterfall climbers like Will Gadd favor hinged poons on the nastiest new-age mixed climbs, and old-farts like me happily use rigid "waterfall" crampons on moderate glacier routes with no complaints. Most beginning ice-climbers do best on vertical ice with a rigid crampon: think "foot portaledges". The standard line of thinking is that these crampons ball up worse than hinged crampons on sticky snow - but you say you're planning to use then on Scarpa Invernos - as rigid a boot as you can find. I can pretty much guarantee that ANY crampon you mount on that boot will collect sticky snow -- the crampon won't flex and shed snow, because the boot holds it rigid. So, unless you plan to use the crampons on other boots besides your invernos (say, on a pair of approach shoes to get to an alpine rock climb on which you will change to rock shoes) you may be happiest with a "waterfall" style rigid crampon. Although I still keep an old pair of hinged poons in the bin for the summer alpine route on which I will wear approach tennies instead of boots, I have for over twenty years climbed everything from glacier trudges up Rainier to WI-6 pillars & curtains with rigid "waterfall" crampons. My current favorite is the DMM Terminator.

 

the nice thing is, as long as you avoid buying a specialized high-performance tool (e.g. Petzl Nomic) or an ultralight racing crampon (aluminum as opposed to steel) most any modern axe or crampon will get you up 95% (likely more) of the ice you're likely to encounter.

 

 

[keenwesh]

the nice thing is, as long as you avoid buying a specialized high-performance tool (e.g. Petzl Nomic) or an ultralight racing crampon (aluminum as opposed to steel) most any modern axe or crampon will get you up 95% (likely more) of the ice you're likely to encounter.

 

 

Unless you're trying to encounter stuff like this:

 

nomics rock!

 

but I digress, everything mr piton said is spot on and you'd do well following his advice.

[Oreshooter]

Hey guys thanks for the info keep it coming. This has been a little embarrassing. You would think a guy that has been Climbing for almost 25 years would have come across someone that has ice climbed. It may have been that I have been a little scared to consider it, So I never looked for someone. Well talking about it is getting me excited about it. It sounds like Mr.Piton Knows what is going on. I wish you where closer. About the commit on the tennis...Do you put Crampon on them??? I got the Inverno's cheap so that is what I ended up with. I would be happy to hear what kinds on boot's people are really climbing in or what they are approaching in. If any one wanted to add a Rookie Ice climber's gear list I would Love to hear it. Anything that would be used in Rock climbing also I have it. I sport and Trad climb. After 25 years you end up with a ton of crap. Thanks

[montypiton]

affirmative - I occasionally do strap my 1970s vintage Salewa Adjustables on tennies for short summer snow/ice approaches to alpine rock climbs - and have been scared spitless from time to time when ice has been firmer than expected... I've learned to carry a couple of screws regardless of how easy I anticipate the climbing to be...

 

Keenan - please check my most recent troll for partners -- I expect to be in your neighborhood Labor Day Weekend. If we can hook up, I could deliver a hammer, and maybe more hardware (I haven't inventoried yet)