Tip Of The Day-Sizing An Ice Axe

The weatherman has promised another 7-10 inches tonight, but his wife told me not to get my hopes up she hears that all the time! If we get snow in town or not, there is plenty to play with in the mountains. With that I've been asked a few times lately how to determine what size of an ice axe (or piolet) one needs. My best advice would be to go to the store and pick one up and get a feel for it. Place the head of the axe in your hand and let your arm hang to your side freely with the spike pointing towards the ground. From this position use these guidelines:

Basic Climbing (general use) The spike should be just short of touching the ground. Intermediate Climbing (high-angle use) The spike should be 2-4 inches from touching the ground . Snowshoeing: The spike should extend 2-4 inches beyond the ground. You'll raise your arm slightly or bend your elbow. If you can't remember that try to remember this, for steeper terrain you want a shorter axe, for cross country and scrambling go with a longer axe to double as a trekking pole/walking stick. Menikmati, Bunny