I love my XL ice axe
Posted: June 11th, 2018, 8:17 pm
Like many people, I started with a 70cm axe. It seems to be the standard newbie size for people of average height. As my experience advanced and I got into steeper terrain, I went shorter and shorter. This is a typical progression.
Based on reports here, I decided to try an ice axe on my rugged mixed-terrain offtrail hikes. Felt weird at first, but I was soon a convert. Eventually decided I wanted a dedicated scrambling axe, and went a little longer. Considered 90cm, but settled on 80cm. It's perfect! If it was any longer, I'd have to deliberately lift it with every step. Any shorter and I'd feel like I was bowed over when using it on flatter terrain. It's the perfect compromise. As a reference, if I set the spike at my heel, and my palm is resting at the top, I have just the slightest bend in my elbow.
I love my 80cm so much, I've actually carried it on alpine/glacier trips, and have been happy with it. On the rare occasions when I know I'll be on steeper snow, I pack my 60cm. I've had the 80 for maybe a couple years now, or at least 1+, so it's well tested and I know I'm happy with it.
Some drawbacks:
- If it's on my pack, it sticks up pretty high, and snags brush.
- That extra 10-20 cm doesn't add much weight, but it moves the center of gravity further from the wrist, which makes it just slightly less agile (harder to maneuver, just a bit). Over the course of a day, it can feel just barely more cumbersome and fatiguing. But the difference is negligible, and overall I'm very happy with how it feels.
- Conventional wisdom says a long axe is awkward/dangerous for self arrest, but I think it stands to reason that people climbing steep terrain won't carry a long axe anyway, just because it feels awkward.
The purpose of this post isn't to encourage you to go longer; it's to encourage you to ignore convention and see what works best for you!
I'm waiting for some guy to tell me "your axe is too long", to which I'll reply "shut up, I know what I'm doing"
Based on reports here, I decided to try an ice axe on my rugged mixed-terrain offtrail hikes. Felt weird at first, but I was soon a convert. Eventually decided I wanted a dedicated scrambling axe, and went a little longer. Considered 90cm, but settled on 80cm. It's perfect! If it was any longer, I'd have to deliberately lift it with every step. Any shorter and I'd feel like I was bowed over when using it on flatter terrain. It's the perfect compromise. As a reference, if I set the spike at my heel, and my palm is resting at the top, I have just the slightest bend in my elbow.
I love my 80cm so much, I've actually carried it on alpine/glacier trips, and have been happy with it. On the rare occasions when I know I'll be on steeper snow, I pack my 60cm. I've had the 80 for maybe a couple years now, or at least 1+, so it's well tested and I know I'm happy with it.
Some drawbacks:
- If it's on my pack, it sticks up pretty high, and snags brush.
- That extra 10-20 cm doesn't add much weight, but it moves the center of gravity further from the wrist, which makes it just slightly less agile (harder to maneuver, just a bit). Over the course of a day, it can feel just barely more cumbersome and fatiguing. But the difference is negligible, and overall I'm very happy with how it feels.
- Conventional wisdom says a long axe is awkward/dangerous for self arrest, but I think it stands to reason that people climbing steep terrain won't carry a long axe anyway, just because it feels awkward.
The purpose of this post isn't to encourage you to go longer; it's to encourage you to ignore convention and see what works best for you!
I'm waiting for some guy to tell me "your axe is too long", to which I'll reply "shut up, I know what I'm doing"