Light and Fast!

By Pete T Ranked #15 - Ice Climbing December 12, 2007

As a die-hard BD fan, I was a hard-sell on these tools. On my last expedition to a technical route in the Karakoram, I brought two sets of tools - my tried and true carbon-fiber tools and a pair of Petzl Aztarex's.

On the warmup climbing, I brought the Aztarex's just to check them out. I was really attracted to the light weight and technical features (pinkie catch and recurve pick), but a bit concerned with the durability and shaft geometry for technical climbing and shaft plunging in snow.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tool's over all performance on snow, ice, and mixed terrain. The pinkie catch was never an impediment on snow plunging. The shaft geometry and pick combo climbed vertical ice with elegance and ease. The set of tools also weighed a pound less than my other tools.

The Petzl Aztarex's are a great choice for technical ice and mixed, especially if one has alpine aspirations. They work well leashed and leashless. Only an antler-style tool will outperform these on "sport-mixed" terrain. They are a bargain.

View Details: Petzl Aztarex Ice Tool

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