[pct-l] Snow Axe

[Devon Taig]

My two cents is that I would probably take an ice-axe if leaving KM on July
10th.  I was up in that area during a low snow year in late June and
was definitely glad I had one then.  But do practice and learn with others
on the trail prior to getting on an icy slope so that you know what what you
are doing.  An ice-axe is actually very easy to use, but you will  want to
practice self arresting on non-scary stuff before you get on the real thing.
 Here's a good video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bosa_P1a_Dw

Some personal tips -

1) Carry the ice axe in your uphill hand and use the strap on the axe (if it
doesn't have a strap, get one!)
2) Place your thumb under the Adze (shown in video) of the axe and your hand
on top.  Do NOT carry the axe by its shaft when traversing steep ice (you'll
just lose the axe when you fall).
3) When self-arresting, get as much of your body weight over the axe as
possible and lever the shaft up with your other hand.  You can stop yourself
even if you are going *very * fast.
4) During your practice sessions, try to find a slope that is representative
of what you will be encountering. Work up from stuff you can barely slide on
to stuff where you'll be going fast if you did fall.
5) Practice falling in different positions (e.g. head first and on your
back).
6) Don't go up Forester Pass until you are confident in your ability to use
the axe. If you aren't sure, more practice is required.
7) When walking across ice, keep you weight over your feet.  A lot of people
have the tendency to lean back on the mountain which can cause a fall.
8) Sunglasses! If you can't see, you will fall. Have a pair of croakies or a
lanyard with you on your glasses.  You need them as much or more than you
need your axe on ice when it is sunny.

River


On Thu, May 26, 2011 at 10:22 AM, Brick Robbins <brick at brickrobbins.com>wrote:

> On Tue, May 24, 2011 at 6:36 PM, Brock Dallman <brock.dallman at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >       Hey, just wondering if a snow axe is necessary in the Sierras (Mt.
> > Whitney/Forester Pass/Sonora Pass ect..) if I start Northbound from
> Kennedy
> > Meadows around the 10th of July.
>
> If you don't know what the tool is called, you probably don't know how
> to use it, and a big tool with pointy edges can be pretty dangerous if
> you don't know how to use it.
>
> There will probably be a bunch of snow on the trail that early this
> year, so I ask: is a seatbelt necessary when you ride in a car?
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