For the perfect tour climbers need a good equipment next to a glacier and bright sunshine. It is composed of various individual parts, which must be ideally matched to each other. Each of them must be reliable in order to protect the climber at full speed. In addition to functional clothing that adapts to the weather and good footwear, which provides secure grip in different terrain, it is above all cramponand ice pick , which are standard equipment for mountain tours. The latter can even be a lifesaver in emergency situations. What types of ice picks are there and what to look for when buying, you will find in this guide.

Classic pimple or hybrid pimple

The classic pimple has a straight shaft and a straight to slightly curved hue. In this form, the ice tool is suitable for light to medium terrain. On tours, the pimple serves primarily as a substitute for a stick. For this he is equipped at the end of the shaft with a tip (the pickeldorn). The classic pimple comes as well ToolFor example, it provides a secure grip when climbing on ice and snow flanks. Equally important is the classic pimple in emergency situations in which he is for rescue purposes or as anchorused in falls. today ice pick usually have a shaft made of aluminum. This makes the ice tools light and durable at the same time. ice pick made of wood are hardly produced today. The further development of the ice pick are the so-called hybrid picks. They have a curved shaft unlike the classic. The strength of the curvature indicates for which terrain the pimple is suitable. Generally the formula here is: The more extreme and steeper the terrain, the stronger the curvature of the shaft should be. The same applies to the length of the hybrid pick: the more demanding the terrain, the shorter the shaft should be.

Find the perfect ice pick length

Which one ice pick fits to a person, can be determined by a simple test. The person for whom the ice pick is determined to hang her arm outstretched and picks up the ice ax in her hand. The end of the ice pick should ideally reach just above the ground. Of course, this test is only available in one business. Anyone who decides to buy an ice pick over the Internet can still do this test. To do this, the person in question stands upright as described above (only without an ice pick). A second person is taking tape measureto help and measures the distance from the palm to the ankle. The measure thus determined corresponds to the optimum length of the ice pick to be ordered.

The lengths determined by the test are suitable for the purchase of an ice pick for flat glaciers and snowfields as well as high tours. Climbers, who often move on steep terrain, should choose the ice ax one number shorter than determined. The shorter ice axes have the advantage on steep terrain that they offer the climber a better handling. The further equipment of the ice pick is often a matter of taste. This applies, for example, to the wrist strap that can be found on many models. With it, the ice ax can be fixed on the hand, which has the advantage, among other things, that the ice ax can injure in case of accidental drops no offspring. The handles also have some differences. So some offer a rubberized surface, others a rather rough, which provides better grip.