[pct-l] DO I NEED AN ICE AXE bandwagon

[calliger@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Richard)]

Here's my analysis:


This is a low snow year from YNP south, but as usual the high passes will have
some snow and ice until mid July at least. If you are going
to take 2 weeks to do it and going SOBO from YNP you won't
have much melting occuring..some, yes of course.

The many times I have been on the JMT in July I carried
a full length ice axe and needed it as I was summiting snowy peaks
like Lyell. But the nearby pass was *mostly* clear.

And other years it was just a big tarp stake,
but I was glad I had it as I saw melting
snow that a week earlier would have been dangerous...
does that make sense?

How much snow and ice may be determined at the snow level
sites on the net for a rough estimate...maybe some of the
folks leaving this month will upload snow reports?

Perhaps one solution I have been thinking of might work:
taking a 10 in. lightweight ice tool to use as an ice axe...
u can chop steps with it if need be and self-arrest by
keeping the strap tight on your wrist.
And the whole thing is only 12 oz.

Another thought is that you could adjust your schedule
so as to always go over the high passes/snowy areas
in the afternoon when the snowy/ice combo has warmed
and you can kick steps and have no need of an ice
axe.  At these times the snow is soft enuf to
act as its own "brake", i.e., you'd be hard pressed to
slide very far if at all during a fall as you could
dig in quite quickly. And hence would not need an ice
axe. And coupled with this I would be extra careful
on north facing slopes that might not warm up
sufficiently.

Personaly, since I own a 2nd axe, a titanium 20" axe
that has negative weight <grin> I will be hanging that from
my pack this summer for the JMT if I mended enuf to go.

Hope my ramblings have given you some insight,

Richard



At 08:41 AM 4/11/03 -0400, Mike Bender wrote:
>
>
>I'd like to jump on the DO I NEED AN ICE AXE question.  I'm an east coaster
>attempting the JMT this summer.  Leaving June 29th SOBO from Yosemite.  I'll
>be carrying no more than 25 lbs unless I decide to bring the gallon of DEET.
>  Experienced Thru-Hiker (AT 2001), not so much at elevation in Sierra type
>mountains though.  I have used an ice axe before and I have been trained on
>self arrest, so I'm not a total idiot (I guess that can be argued).  Anywho,
>Do I need an ice axe?
>
>Mike
>
>
>
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