UKC

Hey guys, just wanted to find out what you think is the best axe for alpine/ice climbing and maybe drytooling. At the moment I am looking for one axe and when next winter comes buy another. I am looking at the petzl quark but not sure... If you have any suggestions please tell me.

In reply to Climbwhenready: It's hard to fulfil such a vast array of needs with one tool, I'm just about to upgrade to Fusions for winter and technical alpine routes (snow/ice above AD)... for easy alpine snow plodding and grade I/II winter stuff I'll just carry one ice axe such as a DMM cirque.

If you want a good tool for mixed, ice and dry tooling then get the best you can afford (Nomic, Monsters if you will do lots of ice!, fusions, matrix techs etc) as I found when i bough Aztars last year that the tool will not hold you back on easy stuff, but on hard stuff, if you skimp you'll feel out there and exposed (or at least i did, and wished Id gone for Quarks or Nomics!)

HTH, Pete.

In reply to Petarghh: I see what you mean. I really want it for alpine and ice climbing.

Yeah the nomic and quark are very good. They are also very light. I guess the answer to my own question is to shop around on the internet and look at reviews and price ranges.

Well thank you Pete.
Alex.

In reply to Climbwhenready: If you can put it off til May/June time there could be some good deals about ? !

In reply to Climbwhenready:

fusions.

anything will do alpine so long as it has a spike and its not a competition tool or bent like an ergo.

but not anything will do ice/mixed/dry.
nomics are a non-starter right now so its fusions.

quarks are good for ice, but lack enough hook for real mixed/dry.