RE: [pct-l] Camp Ice Axe

[Ronald Moak <ronm@fallingwater.com>]

		I bought one in the US just a couple months ago.  Marmot
Mtn Works
		in Bellevue WA has them.  Mine is 70cm.  I was a little
worried that
		it was "flimsy", but it does support my full body weight
(I tried
		hanging
		from the stairs above my apartment - very scientific).
It's not very
		"pretty", but I think it'll work fine for SA.

		-Jonathan

The key isn't if you can hang on it. The best test is to put a block of
wood on the floor. Push the point into the block. Place one hand on the
head and the other down on the shaft - around where your hip is. Then
stretch out on the floor like you're doing a pushup. You should wind up
with only your toes touching the floor. The rest of your weight is
balanced on the point of the ice ax. Now try digging in the point by
raising the shaft - much like you're trying to remove a nail from a
block of wood. See how much the shaft bends. If it bends too much it may
not stand the forces applied if you're sliding down a slope and dig your
pick into the ice.

Fallingwater


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