Ice and Snow Gear

Recent Ice/Snow Climbing Device Reviews

Black Diamond Snaggletooth

Good precision and grip, but slightly heavy. I bought them for mixed climbing routes with a lot of rock climbing involved and they proved very adequate for the task indeed. I used them with a pair of La Sportiva Baturas and they performed very well with great feeling and precision. However there was this incident on the downclimb when one of the crampons suddenly came off without particular reason. I had them fitted really hard, so I don't know what happened but since then I am a bit cautious. Full review

Black Diamond Contact Strap

Easy to fit on and great traction. These were very easy to fit to my boots (10.5D), and fast to get set up. I really appreciate crampons that are a breeze to put on and take off. It's not often I have an easy place to put them on when I get to ice, snow, etc. And the first time using them, I could feel a lot of secure traction on snow and scree fields. Full review

Stubai Tour Lite Telescoping

This is a great tool for exploring a wide range of terrain. The telescoping feature is reliable and well designed. After much research  I finally bought the Stubai telescoping axe as a versatile hiking tool. The first thing I noticed about this tool was how well it was built . It has an aluminum head. Delivered with snow basket. Perfect for trekking and glacier walking. Its telescopic shaft can be adjusted according to individual requirements from 60 to 95 cm. It works well for me as I am 6'1"… Full review

Black Diamond Serac Strap

12-point stainless steel crampon that does the job. I bought these a couple of years ago and I've used them only in snow ranging from powder to crust with my flexible hunting boots, but never on solid ice.After some mixed rocky trail hike, a fellow hiker advised me to buy a knife sharpening stone to sharpen the edges from time to time. I came to no result since stainless steel is VERY HARD to sharpen. Not that I needed any sharpening because till this day they are as sharp as they were when I first… Full review

Petzl Leopard FL

The Petzl Leopard FL is an aluminum crampon featuring a Dyneema cord adjustment system. The crampon is so light you won't hate yourself for carrying them when you didn't need them. They are so easy to use and so effective you'll be glad you have them when you do need them. Specifications: All aluminum construction optimized for snow travel Ten points (with dual front points) assure traction on icy terrain Very lightweight 360 gm/12 ounces for pair CORD-TECH optimizes volume when packed in their… Full review

CAMP Corsa Nanotech

This is all the ice axe you need for any mountaineering objective that doesn't require a technical ice tool. There is simply no reason to own or consider using a more traditional / heavier ice axe, even for trips that involve mostly glacier walking. This axe is so light you'll never hesitate to bring it with you when other bigger axes might seem like a drag. I've used this ice axe on a few dozen alpine climbing trips over the last two years in various mountain ranges in Washington and British Columbia. Full review

Petzl Nomic

Great ice tool for waterfall ice and mixed climbing! Taken me from Rjukan to the Alps and back again! Great ice tool! I bought mine used though a friend (so I do not own the newest generation). It's been perfect for me, climbing WI 3-5 and mixed alpine routes. I can't think of much more to wish for in an ice tool. I was so lucky as to get different blades with the tool, so one for training, one for mixed, one for alpine, and one for water ice. Great swing, even without weights. The only thing I… Full review

CAMP Corsa Nanotech

Awesome axe. So light, you'll actually bring it with you. Years ago, I bought a 50cm for ski mountaineering and for that purpose it is hard to beat. A year or two later, I bought another so that I now also have a 60 cm, and one of them now seems to go with me on nearly every trip, from winter ski tours to late-summer alpine traverses. Unless I know I will be facing lengthy sections of steep, hard snow or ice, I bring it. Because of the ultralight weight, I almost never leave an axe at the car only… Full review

DMM Cirque

My first axe. When I started looking for an ice axe I came across a lot of options for general mountaineering use, but not a single one included a sturdy technical grade one. I wouldn't know if a basic grade axe could withstand anything else than basically walking on soft snow so I really wanted a technical one but not something "exotic". So a hybrid axe it is! For now it's just walking and cutting steps since I never encountered a glacier in Crete to give it a go on ice, but I feel confident when… Full review