How to Use an Ice Axe: Basic Self Belay Alpine Climbing and Snow Hiking Techniques

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. In this video, we cover the basics of self belay for winter travel, talking about the different ways to use an ice axe in combination with our feet, depending upon our footwear and snow conditions.

Our next video will be covering self arrest.

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, then - yeah - this is part of the game.

But it's just extra weight to carry a piece of outdoor gear and not know how to use it. In our previous video -    • Choosing Your Ice Axe: Know What You Need ...   - we talked about how to choose the right ice axe for you; in this video, we start to talk about how to use it.

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0:00 Intro
0:09 Bumper
0:27 Who Needs and Ice Axe?
0:49 What is Self Belay
1:23 Self Belay vs Self Arrest Grips
2:21 Walking Uphill "In Balance"
3:11 Changing Directions Safely
3:50 Basic Steps with Traction on Shoes
4:34 Soft Snow Travel with No Traction on Shoes
4:58 Hard Snow Travel with No Traction on Shoes - Step Cutting
5:27 Steeper Uphill Travel
6:13 Downhill Travel on Soft Snow
6:31 Downhill Travel on Hard Snow - Including Step Cutting
7:25 Steep Downhill Travel
7:50 Seated Glissade
8:46 Anchoring Yourself When Stopped
9:16 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...