Asked 9 years, 9 months ago. Active 4 years, 10 months ago. Viewed 40k times. Improve this question. Reverend Gonzo Reverend Gonzo 8, 11 11 gold badges 45 45 silver badges 75 75 bronze badges. There is no single best length for an ax, even for a particular person. A long one is good for walking in cane position on a relatively low-angle slope.
As the slope gets steeper and you start getting into something more like ice climbing, you want a shorter ax or technical ice tools. Lengths of axes don't really correlate much with the person's size.
It's more about what activity you're going to be doing. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Ideally try and borrow one and see how you get on. Improve this answer. Chris Chris 5 5 silver badges 8 8 bronze badges. Also worth noting that the angle of the ice you're ascending MAY impact your decision. The above advice is generally good enough, though, as a few centimeters differences won't mean much usually.
For steep mountaineering the above is absolutely true. The biggest reason for the short length is dexterity at steep grades and during a self arrest. Remember that the ice axe is not a walking stick, it is a tool for cutting steps in ice, and saving your life during a fall. Long ice axes will get in the way of both of these things. I think considering an ice axe on its merits as a walking pole is probably the wrong idea. Surely, this has some value, but it doesn't address the question of how long an ice axe should be to serve its intended purpose, and do so as efficiently and as safely as possible And once one is aware of these factors, he or she can choose to trade them for convenience as they please, but at least doing so with the knowledge of what it is they are exchanging.
According to outdoorgearlab. That is the absolute maximum length it should be. Ken Graham 9, 1 1 gold badge 33 33 silver badges 63 63 bronze badges.
For belay and T-anchors, any length of axe is fine. It keeps your hands warmer and drier by keeping them out of the snow while in Piolet Mache mid dagger, hands on the shaft below the pick, useful for snow degrees. One surprise we discovered in our tests was that curved shafts increased the stopping power of most ice axes while self-arresting.
Every tester noted the increased leaver gained with a curved shaft driving the pick into the snow with a curved design over a straight one. The only real downside of these models is that the curved shaft is marginally harder to drive into the snow when using it as a vertically-oriented deadman or plunging it vertically to pull a bulge.
We feel the upsides far outweigh the downs, and in general, our testers preferred curved-shafted models over straight-shafted ones. Modular options continue to gain in popularity, particularly as they've gotten lighter and lighter and are close in weight to more technical models with fixed heads. The advantage of a modular pick is when one pick wears out, you can replace it, or you can change between picks; often, a positive or reversed curve adds to a model's overall versatility depending on the requirements of a given route.
Modular models often excel for more technical routes and complex glacier climbs but are overkill for more modest objectives, ski-mountaineering, or early season snow climbs. Climbers and mountaineers often don't consider the adze in an ice axe comparison. But when alpine climbing, your adze allows you to dig a snow anchor or a snow cave, and even chop a tent platform out of the hardest ice. It is probably the only tool that allows you to dig a snow bollard, something most climbers rarely do.
Should you go hammer or adze? Depending on the objective or the time of year, one may be more useful than the other. For earlier season glacier climbs and steep snow routes, an adze is preferred as it is FAR easier to dig T-trenches and deadman, and you can still pound a picket vertically with the head of your axe.
For late-season glacier climbs, a hammer can certainly be nice; this is because nearly all the pickets you place will be vertical, and a hammer is not only easier than an adze to place in this orientation, but the odds of having to dig a T-trench type anchor are low. The other advantage late season is this is the most frequent time of year climbers have to place pitons to rappel to get back over funky moats and other strange features.
An adze is still more versatile if you are only going to have one, but a hammer isn't much less versatile. A spike is useful when using the ice axe as a third point of contact while walking on a firmer surface. If the snow is soft, then a spike doesn't matter as much. Another benefit of a spike is it helps the axe penetrate more easily into the snow when using the axe as a vertically-oriented snow anchor. If you are someone who climbs a lot of glacier routes, then a spike bites the bare ice much better.
For adventure racers, backpackers, or ski mountaineers, a spike is less essential because you are usually in softer snow. Spike-less axes are often shorter because they are rarely used as a cane. GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews.
Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers. Learn more. A little ice axe testing on Denali. Here lead tester Ian Nicholson and Zach Keskinen are on the summit of Denali a peak he has summited 7-times.
A shorter axe is more effective at increasing balance where it matters more: in steeper terrain. For mellow glacier travel, consider using a single trekking pole and not using the pole strap to increase comfort. Short ice axes are also nice for alpine rock climbs where you have to carry your ice axe on your pack. Even though the glaciers are quite involved getting to the base of this route, we still prefer a fairly short axe for these types of routes. This is because the route requires roughly ft of rock climbing with a descent down complex glaciers on the other side of the mountain.
Rob Parsons 06 Oct My opinion: if you want a walking stick, get one - but that's not what an ice axe is for. This has all been discussed here many times before, so a read of the above-mentioned thread, as well as a search of the Forums, might help.
For what it's worth, I wouldn't want anything over 50cm. In reply to Icarus1: Hi Icarus, Go into a shop with lots of axes to try and hold them by the head. When held by the axe head from a straight arm by your side, the point at the bottom should be just at your big knobbly ankle bone. It's not scientific, but it works. You'll probably find this distance from hand to ankle is about cm and that's the length you should get FWIW, I would always use a 50cm max.
ANdy Post edited at In reply to Andrew Mallinson: Thanks for the opinion I am planning on a shopping trip this weekend to try a few different types and lengths Cheers. In reply to Mountain Llama: Thanks for link good info Cheers.
I'm 6ft. HammondR 07 Oct However, just as relevant for your purposes is the thickness and length and type of the pick. If arresting a slide is of importance, the pick type is significant. Back in the mists of time mid '80's? Unsurprisingly, I think the Clog Vulture was worst. Big fat curved picks were best. Just a thought.
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