Ice Axe Setups for Snow Hiking, Mountaineering, and Alpine Climbing: Customizing Gear for Your Trip

We all modify our gear. Ice Axes can be setup to meet the disparate needs of thru-hiking, peak bagging, and technical climbing in the alpine, and the right modifications can make a big difference in the safety margin you can add to your trip. This video covers some of the simplest ways climbers and hikers customize their ice axes, and we talk about the tradeoffs of those setups so that you can make the right changes to your ice axe so that it works best for you.

Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. So, if you hike the Pacific Crest Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, the Colorado Trail, and other trails that hit high altitudes, you may want to consider using an ice axe. If you are getting into mountaineering or alpine climbing, then - yeah - this is part of the game.

This is part of our short series on ice axes, including how to self-belay, self-arrest, and choosing the right ice axe for your style of adventure:    • Ice Axe Series  

For more information on this topic, go to:
https://www.shortguysbetaworks.com/al...

To see all of our video and blog content, including gear lists, trip itineraries, links to the equipment we carry with us, and our additional thoughts on all of it, you can visit: https://www.shortguysbetaworks.com

0:00 Intro
0:12 Bumper
0:31 Different Setups for Different Activities
1:28 Insulating Your Ice Axe
3:51 Trigger and Pommel Placement
5:02 Grip Tape
6:03 Leashes
7:52 Pick Types, Adzes, and Hammers
9:18 Outro


A special thanks to Marisa Jarae for cinematography in this video: scenes that include me in the frame while in the Himalaya.

Disclaimer: Please see the link for our disclaimer policy for all of our videos on the Short Guys Beta Works YouTube channel. https://www.shortguysbetaworks.com/di...