In reply to Root1:
> I try to regard every axe placement as a mini belay and every foot placement must be solid, the rope is only there as a backup.
> If you move up on a poor placement you then do not have a stable platform to place the next one, and so it gets worse till you reach safety or fall off.
> I recently learnt on an ice climbing wall that I sometimes overreach with my axes with the result that my heels can lift and the frontpoints pop. This only happened when in extremis but its useful to be aware of it. Will Gadd does another good article where he mentions that when you kick into ice you should think "Anterior Tibialis" that is the muscle at the front of the leg should be tight and the toes pulled up.
> ..All good advice
Agreed.
What I try to do, especially on poor ice/placements, is when with two axes in , is to sort my feet out so the loading on the axe staying in is minimised. Only then do I move the other axe up to a new placement.