UKC

adze for petzl nomic?

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 robhowell 10 Nov 2014
Anyone ever felt the need for an adze on your nomic for scottish winter routes? Looking to get a set for this winter and not sure if I'd really miss it, would definitely put a micro hammer on though.
 MrRiley 10 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

Absolutely! While you could probably get by without one if you really wanted to, I use mine all the time - clearing cracks for gear or pick placements (saves blunting your pick), torquing in wide cracks, making snow belays (rare but useful when you need it!), hacking cornices, removing the outer layer of cruddy ice to get to the good stuff for screws (could use pick I guess), you get the idea...
 French Erick 10 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

I get by without but it is a compromise and there are things that tend to be longer harder (see extensive list in previous post). I may well decide to revert to 1 hammer 1 adze in time.
 Mr. Lee 11 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

Never felt the need. I've improvised the above tasks using either my picks or crampon points. A hammer is worth getting if you think you'll be placing pegs (although not plaved one personally in about 7 years), although the lightweight hammer is pretty useless for this. Fine for warthogs though.
 Hannes 11 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

The adze can be semi useful. I have one and it has saved me a lot of hassle climbing on steep glacier ice covered in a crust of snow and on mucky welsh ice trying to find rock gear but on water ice less so.

I don't agree about the hammers though. They aren't as good as a pair of mountain technology vertige hammers but on the nomics they are actually far easier to use than the same hammer on a pair of quarks. I have bashed in fair amounts of pegs with the hammers and they work well for it.
 Camm 11 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

Most get by without, I have very rarely thought "I wish I had a adze right now" one thing I do if I want to dig a ledge or something is put both axes together hold with one hand and use both axes at same time. Works well.
 rogerwebb 11 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

the adze cab be very useful for torqueing moves across wide cracks where you're planting the adze on one side and the pick on the other, it seems to make a more solid placement than no adze, but very worrying when you're eybeballing it on a dodgy placement
OP robhowell 12 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

thanks for all the responses folks, plenty of food for thought
 Rich W Parker 12 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

Yup I use one. Have to say though it's a bit awkward what with the curveture of the shaft. At one point I thought about clipping a light weight gardening trowel to my harness. I still might!
 michael83 21 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:
adze on one and hammer on other. Makes a huge difference in my book.

hammer is useful for pegs, tapping out gear, checking if a flake sounds hollow or helping to set the other axe. You make a mess of the aluminium heads when you don't have one and get desperate. It took me 20mins once to place a warthog without a hammer, i was exhausted and the aluminium was a mess after.

Clearing rime from rock without an adze is a f*king nightmare, especially when pumped. It also gives you two different tools, so if one doesn't work in a placement, the other might. The adze is effectively "nut" shaped, and wider than the other tool, so will wedge in cracks that the regular axe will rip straight through.

I certainly remember one point on central buttress on Beinn Eighe on the difficult part of the last pitch where there is a parallel crack which held the adze perfectly, my partner didn't have an adze and it was a much bigger struggle for him.
Post edited at 10:33
 Si Withington 21 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:
If you feel you need an adze on your Nomic, don't get Nomics. It will screw up the balance, especially when on steeper ice. I don't miss an adze, even for digging belay ledges and snow anchors on top-out. Just takes a bit longer.
Post edited at 10:53
 Mark020 21 Nov 2014
In reply to Si Withington:

You could always take the adze/hammers off if you know you're going out to climb ice.

Indeed if you're off to climb water ice you'd probably prefer thinner picks anyway so you'd have the bolts out.

I used mine without for a couple of seasons but have both adze and hammer now and think the advantages on mixed routes outweigh the disadvantages. Obviously just my personal opinion though.

Cheers,
Mark
 Mr E 23 Nov 2014
In reply to robhowell:

Get a pair of DMM Switch, there great and have fixed adze / hammer which are imo always worth having, you never know what your going to come across on a climb, even water ice.

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