[pct-l] ice axes

[yawho_hiker at yahoo.com (j rhoades)]

I used the Ghost on my 2004 hike.  I used it on all
the steep snowy passes as I was not using hiking
poles.  I never had to self-arrest but I used it
successfully to cut steps in certain places where I
was having trouble kicking steps with my sandals.  I
don't think I would have made it down (safely) from
Mather Pass without it (whether I was in sandals or
not).

If they are the same as last year, the Ghost and the
210 XLA are basically the same design (made by the
same mother company)  with the 210XLA having a leash
and a plug on the bottom to keep snow from going up 
into the shaft. 

As I was using the plug-less Ghost, mine had snow and
ice in the shaft. After I used it the first time and
had reached snow-less terrain I heard a loud whooshing
sound that freaked me out and I looked around to see
what helicopter/wild animal/etc was coming after me. 
It turned out to be the ice sliding out of the ice
axe.

BTW, the Ghost (and probably the 210 XLA) are rated
class "B".  I tried googling to find what all class B
means exactly but I couldn't find anything.  I
remember I found something last year which said  Class
B meant it was rated for self-arrest for a weight that
was way more than I'll ever be.

Jeff 
(in Columbus where it was 70+F  yesterday and low 30s
today, but not too much flooding and no landslides)


>Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2005 12:22:11 EST
>From: Trekker4@aol.com
>Subject: [pct-l] ice axes
>To: pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>Message-ID: <fb.688aa351.2f1959c3@aol.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

>Okay, a search under "ice axes" in the PCT-L Archives
>yielded nothing;  perhaps I did it wrong, but I'd
rather ask >the present list anyhow. A guy made a  
>post in the past 3 days looking for a used ice axe;
I'm not >worried about used  really, but my question
is ...
 
>Are the Cassin Ghost or the Camp 210 XLA satisfactory
>axes for the PCT,  some 
>step cutting and possible self arrest of course? 
 
>They're both 9 oz and under $90. I'll probably never
use it >again after 
>the  
>PCT, so if the guy looking for used can wait a year
or 2 ...
 
>Bob 
>Big  Bend Desert Denizen
>(Naturalized Citizen, Republic of  Texas)



		
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