When crossing high mountain passes, glaciers and other areas of steep snow and ice 1 of the most crucial pieces of security gear you should really have is an ice axe. These come in a range of forms, some greater suited to walking and others that are designed for specialised purposes such as climbing frozen waterfalls. Whichever you pick you require to guarantee that it is sized appropriately and that you are properly practised in its usage.

Sizing an ice axe

A couple of decades ago most men and women would have gone for an ice axe that was pretty much as extended as a walking stick. The idea behind that method was that you could use its shaft to assist balance on slippery ice and use it as a third point of contact when crossing steep slopes. The major aim here was to support avoid falls in the first spot. viking axes for sale than the years on the other hand the trend has been towards ones with shorter shafts. When a common shaft length in the 1950s or 1960s would have been 75 centimetres to 80 centimetres the ones you will see on the slopes these days are commonly considerably shorter. The most widespread suggestions these days is to hold the axe by its head in an outstretched arm. The bottom really should dangle about two inches off the floor. The pondering is that this tends to make it much less cumbersome, in particular when ascending steep slopes. Quite a few men and women, nonetheless, now advise going even shorter with shaft lengths of 55 centimetres to 60 centimetres because these can be quickly deployed for “self-arrest” the term used to describe a method for stopping one particular from sliding down the mountain following a fall that I discuss beneath. The trend towards considerably shorter ice axes is, however, controversial. Traditionalists argue that when they are so quick they are unable to carry out their principal function of assisting to avoid slips and falls in the 1st location, rather than stopping or controlling a descent right after a fall.

Self-arrest

This is a vital, life-saving method that need to be learned and practised often. It is employed by mountaineers who have slipped or fallen and are sliding down steep snow or ice. Left unchecked, the fallen mountaineer would preserve gaining speed, which could outcome in them becoming injured or killed. It is a approach that also requires to be learned from a suitable instructor and practised repeatedly. In essence it includes a climber who is sliding flipping themselves into the correct face-down position with the ice axe underneath them. The point, or choose, is then driven into the snow or ice to slow and sooner or later halt the slide.