The new gold standard for leashless technical ice tools has arrived. The DMM Switch is equally at home on the steepest ice, the toughest mixed routes or even moving fast in the Alps. This intricately designed tool is perfectly balanced and offers exceptional stability on marginal pick placements.

Each part of the Switch has been extensively refined through a rigorous design and testing programme. The result is a sophisticated ice tool that we are very proud of and one which we know will delight winter climbers and alpinists.

The Switch feels great in the hand and has a perfectly balanced swinging action. The bevelled off pick weights add extra 'punch' for penetrating bullet hard ice. On mixed routes they also help the head to stick in rattley torques. You can of course remove the weights and customise the balance of the Switch to suit your own preference.

This is an extremely stable tool which gives exceptional performance on ice, frozen turf or rock. We have incorporated a very specific, subtle bend in the shaft to match the geometry of the hand grip. This element of micro design helps to maintain minimal pick shift. The bend of the shaft also gives excellent clearance when reaching around bulges or ice cauliflowers.

The Switch has a highly insulated, ergonomic handle with full strength upper and lower rests. The handle has a very comfortable shape and the moulded rubber grip makes it easy to hang on to, even when you're really pumped. Hand switch moves are easy, and the front and back support for the top grip position give extra stability for reachy moves.

All the points on the handle that are likely to contact rock are protected by metal to resist wear and tear.

The Switch has T Rated Integrity Construction (TRIC) – this means a reassuringly strong build quality throughout the axe to withstand the high stresses associated with modern winter climbing. It also has a full strength clip-in point, which can be clipped in extremis regardless of which rest you are holding.

The leashless style is increasingly popular, but some climbers prefer the extra security of the elastic Freedom Leashes.

With this in mind we have added a special eyelet on the base of the handle – this allows threading of cord for a flexible clip-in point.

We supply the Switch with a roll of special grip tape so you can customise the handle/shaft. The tape is very grippy, but it also provides insulation against the coldness of the metal.

It is supplied with T Rated Ice picks as standard, but a steeper angled mixed pick is available for more aggressive hooking. The serrated top edge of the pick gives better grip and stability on 'stein pull' moves. The tip of the pick has been carefully shaped so that it can easily be sharpened into an effective profile – this means that the pick will last for longer.

The Switch is a bona fide DMM classic, a real game changer which redefines the cutting edge of ice tool development. Winter is coming, so make sure you check it out soon.

Features

• Glove friendly, highly insulated, ergonomic handle with full strength upper and lower rests and supreme stability
• T Rated Integrity Construction
• Full strength clip-in point accessible from either rest
• High clearance shaft
• Inboard eyelet allows threading of cord for use with freedom leashes
• Pick weights for bullet hard ice and customised balance
• Supplied with grip tape for handle/shaft customisation
• Supplied with T Rated Ice picks as standard
• Mixed and Ice specific picks available separately. Compact Hammer, Compact Adze, Mountain Adze (Large)