UKC

Having received a unexpected lump of money, I'm thinking of treating myself to a few BD ice screws. Any suggestions about the best lengths to go for? I was thinking of two 16cm and one 19cm. Would one each 16cm, 19cm and 22cm be better (22cm being the length recommended for making Albalakov threads, as I understand it)?

In reply to Martin W at work:

What have you already got?

In reply to Martin W at work:

Where are you going to be using them.

If it's in nice thick ice in the Alps or Canada, then long screws are obviously better. Scotland often has thinner ice. But you get both think and thin ice everywhere.

You can always tie off a longer screw.

In reply to jam: Nowt so far. Going to get a warthog (or two?) as well. Probably a bulldog too.

In reply to mat s: Scotland.

Thanks for any advice. (Got any views on pegs?)

In reply to Martin W at work:

A couple of Warthogs will be useful on whatever you do.

Ice screws are only useful on thinkish water ice (ie deep enough for the screw).

As for pegs, never used them, but they are on my Christmas list as they have to be better than scrapping around in powder snow for half an hour to find somewhere for a nut. The advice I was given was get a selection of 3/4, different lengths and types.

In reply to Martin W at work: Pegs, get grivel or BD- grivel cheaper, BD slightly lighter, these are the only pegs I've come across which stand up to repeated use well, camp ones have a nasty habbit of breaking when being removed...

In reply to Martin W at work:

what're warthogs? can't go on any commercial websites coc i'm at work and they're all barred!

In reply to chris warner:

Warthog is a drive in ice screw that looks a bit like a tent peg. Has a chunky thread on it and it can be used in frozen turf.

In reply to Martin W at work:
Go for three 16 cm screws. They rack good. In good ice there holding power is good enough, and it takes less work to drive them in. You can make an abalakov with them, or if you are unsure, you make two abalakovs (always a good idea) and use them all.

In reply to Martin W at work: For Scotland probably 2x 13cm 2x 16cm 1x 19cm 1or2 warthogs 1 meduim snarg. The ice is of various couditions, but in present years thin so shorter lengths are better.
I've abb'ed many times of a Abalokov made with a 19cm screw no problems (22cm will obvously give you more confidence in abs but there will be more chances of tying it off as a runner in scotland, something I personally don't like doing!!).
Warthogs work well in iced cracks and will hold a fall(from presonal experience) in ice.
Snargs work well in plasticky ice where snargs will shatter the ice and screws dont sit well(you learn from experience!)
Pegs: Black Diamond(the best!)/camp/grivel/charlet moser.
Angles 1, 2, poss 3. Knifeblade 1x short 1x Long Lost Arrows: Short and medium. Most times you use pegs is when other gear wont fit, therefore shorter lengths as big cracks for big pins can be filled with other gear! ( you can over drive pins and make them dubious placements).
Bulldogs: Have their place but they need modification and are heavy for something that does tend to have only a few good placement potentials( I only carry mine when I'm on top end climbs or when I know its going to get used, otherwise it rusts away in the car!!).
Hope this is some help!!

In reply to MacTheAxe:

Thanks for the comprehensive reply.


Would I be right to assume that the second "snargs" there should read "warthogs"?

In reply to Martin W: yeah thats what I meant!!