UKC

http://eu.blackdiamondequipment.com/en/ski-poles/carbon-whippet-ski-pole-BD...

Anyone use or used these for ski-mo, touring or even for (easy) winter climbing?

Interested to hear people's experiences or opinions. Secret weapon or gimmick?!

Cheers.
Tom

In reply to Tom Green:


Both. Most of the time unnecessary (skitouring, and If steep enough to warrant a 'tool' I don't want it to be so hard to warrant a tool to ski it). But has come in handy a few times.

Perfect for Late spring tours (hard neve on the way up and perfect corn/firn on the way down). Also quite useful for mellow mountaineering, where a long walking axe is generally used.

In reply to Tom Green:

The trouble with the Whippet is that the blade cannot be retracted so you are stuck with it open all the time. The alternative is the Grivel Condor: http://www.needlesports.com/383/products/grivel-condor.aspx

It's not perfect, but I carry a Condor as one of my two poles when ski mountaineering, and open the blade up in situations where a fall could mean a long slide with boulders, crevasses or a cliff below. It's also handy when the final part of the ascent needs crampons and you're on hard ice as you then have an axe in each hand rather than just one. With the blade folded away it's just a slightly unusually shaped ski pole and no danger to anyone.

In reply to Tom Green:

Thanks both. Appreciate the replies and the condor looks like it may be a more versatile/user friendly option.

Ever used whippet or condor in anger? Does that 'half pick' stop you as effectively as an axe (bearing in mind my alternative would usually be a tech tool)?

In reply to Tom Green:

I saw one being used the other day near a busy hut which had awkward skiing access and it looked very dangerous (not to the user) and Needless, given the surrounding terrain.

In reply to Tom Green:

I bought a Grivel Condor attachment after a slide in an icy gully that could have ended badly if I hadn't managed to flip over and get an edge on my skis. A few years later I used it to arrest a slide on an icy traverse when my skins came loose. The jeopardy wasn't great, but the Condor saved me a long climb back up. Think I might have used it to dagger up some easy gullies as well. Unfortunately I lost the pole with the attachment in a tree well this winter, but I can''t be bothered replacing it.

In reply to Tom Green:


Luckily haven't had use them in anger (only "mellow" ascending on a peak baggin' mission & downclimb). But the pick on my Whippet is as long as the one on me old lightweight skitouring axe (Cassin something?).

Oh, and if you're scrared of the pick, old model Whippet has completely removable pick... Actually I have one old one I'm trying to offload (with a "matching" old Traverse -pole), but shippin' from Finland would make the deal not so good for ya.

In reply to Tom Green:

We've got a couple of the regular BD whippets (the Grivel Condor is not so easy to find in the US). We use the pick protectors that they're sold with during the times when we don't need the pick, and haven't stabbed ourselves yet They're perfect for spring tours on the Cascade volcanoes, where the snow is hard on the way up and corn on the way down.

In reply to cat22:

I'm thinking that Black Diamond does not sell that Whippet style with removable picks any more.

But for many many years the "standard" Whippet pole had a removable pick . . . (tho actually removing it while out on a cold or windy tour in the did not always work so well).

Ken