Black Diamond Raven Pro Ice Axe

super good and cool

This tool can make for a super light self arrest piece when ski mountaineering. I would recommend something around 65cm for those of us who are 5'9 to 5'11. Packs light and could very well save you from sliding over that 90 footer below you. If weight matter to you (like most of us that tour) then fork up the extra cash for the pro over the standard raven. You won't regret it.

This is the lightest, best looking ice axe you will find. It works great and saves you weight over long hauls. Used on Mt Rainier.

This axe is lightweight but fully functional as a non-technical axe. I used it on a ski touring trip for some steep snow pitches and some dry tooling. I am 5'11" and got 55cm, which felt to be a good length for this purpose.

Really light and way better then their raven from 5 years ago. The handle is really easy to hang on to and the adze doesn't cut into your hand. Super solid which is much expected from Black Diamond. Great for scaring the crap out of un-wanted visitors trying to get in your home when not in use on the mountain.

I upgraded from an old ice axe that weighed too much. Nice feel in my hands and has done a great job with what I need it to do. I went with the BD slider leash which gives me a bit of extra security because I'm always dropping things.

Used it on two trips. Light and easy to use, but feels bomber.

The Raven Pro is amazingly light for a full steel head and a real alloy spike (as opposed to just a plug in a cut-off shaft). The pick and adze are on the narrow side, but that appears to be the only performance concession made to save weight. The weight penalty is surprisingly small compared to my all-aluminum ice axe, and the additional performance is worth the weight on routes where I know I'll be using an ice axe for extended periods.

I'm only 5'9", but still found the 60cm a bit short. Note that one of ways Black Diamond shaved weight was to make the axe a bit smaller. I'm not chiseling steps, so it doesn't matter to me.

This was the perfect ticket for a very snowy, icy Mt. Whitney ascent this spring. Had one slip and the axe proved itself with a quick self-arrest. And did I mention it's really light?

I purchased the Black Diamond Raven Pro Ice Axe recently and have been extremely satisfied with the product. Aiding me in climbing MT Hood, the Raven Pro has a great feel and comfortable swing for placement. Conveniently I did not test its self arrest performance, yet I am confidant in saying it would respond beautifully. The cut in weight from the original Raven is super nice making the Pro easier to hold and carry. If planning on doing numerous trips it would be worth the extra cash.

This axe is bomber. It is the lightest axe I have ever used, and the grip on the head of the axe is super comfortable. The Spike is very effective, and the adze slices through ice with no problem when new. I held a couple of big falls with this tool, and was very happy with its performance. The only thing that worried me was the thickness of the metal on the shaft. After two days of tapping my crampons to de-ball them, I put a couple of holes in the bottom of the shaft. This is a great tool, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a light all purpose piolet.

Self-arrests and glissades like a champ, light and lithe. Tapping shaft against balled-up snow off crampons put a few nicks in the paint. Adze, spike and pick are very sharp.

I just used the Raven Pro on a trip up the mighty Mt. Rainier. When you're hauling too many pounds of metal mountaineering gear up a glacial pitch, a superlight axe helps keep you moving. It performed perfectly during ascent probing and support, and grabbed the ice hard during glissades and self-arrest. I love this axe!