UKC

I'm taking things a bit more serious this winter and I'm upgrading my axe's from the Grivel Air Tech to either the Black Diamond Viper or the Petzl Quark.

Any recommendations for either axe please or just general views?

I'm looking at doing quite a lot of routes mainly in Snowdonia this winter or further afield if the snow isn't consistent. Plus I'm heading out to the alps again next summer to do Eiger, Monch and wondered if the above axe's would suffice for summer alpinism?

In reply to Darkskys:

Standard reply - go into a shop (or two) , pick up various axes and choose the ones that feel best. What's good for someone else might not be good for you.

ALC

P.S - the plural of "axe" is "axes" - no apostrophe

In reply to Darkskys:
Your apostrophe's done a runner. Go on, stick it back between the what and the s.

In reply to TheGeneralist: What a useful reply.

OP: I own Vipers, part of me wishes I'd got the Quarks because they feel quite a bit lighter. However, with the Vipers, you don't need to swing as powerfully because the axe is heavier. (Quarks need pick weights to make them stick on ice apparently)

But yeah, standard reply, and probably the most useful one for you:

Go to a shop with a good selection and have a swing of the axes. See what they feel like with gloves on etc. They are pretty much equally as good, it's just personal preference.

For me, the price had a huge impact as I got the Vipers cheap, which was great. Don't forget you can always order online after you've tried them in a shop, in order to get a bargain!

Mike

In reply to Darkskys:

Both good kit. Grivel Matrix Techs maybe worth considering too.

For low grade Alpine stuff (with a single axe) you might be better off with your Air Tech.

In reply to Mike Nolan: Don't forget, if everyone does this pretty soon there won't be any outdoor shops left.
Then you'll have to trust the advice of randoms on UKC!

In reply to thegoatstroker: I'm more talking about avoiding buying from places like Cotswold or Snow and Rock. Especially when Needlesports, Joe Brown or V12 (which aren't convenient to get to for most people) tend to offer good pair deals on axes online.

Personally, I always order online from Needlesports, despite there being a Cotswold about 20-30 minutes from me, for example.

Mike

In reply to Darkskys:

quarks.

because this time next year you will be thinking about nomics and you will already have a spare set of picks

In reply to ice.solo:

And a hammer and adze if needed and pick weights for the quarks.

Quarks would probably be my choice followed by matrix techs but then I can't fit my hands in the BD axes

In reply to Mike Nolan: Cheers Mike, great bit of advice along with many others. I was just a bit unsure as they look the same although as I've not done much ice climbing and ready to push the limits this winter whether one or another would be best.
My best bet is to play around with them this weekend like many have said

In reply to Mike Nolan: I agree. Needle sports has been really good place to purchase all ice climbing gear. Highly recommended.

In reply to Darkskys: In case you're interested of taking a look to the overall selection of ice axes there are at the moment, take a look at: http://www.tribevine.com/quicksearch?open=true&limit=500&browse=1&a... --> You get to compare side by side over 60 different technical ice axes. Most of the axes mentioned this review are also reviewed there.