[pct-l] Length of ice ax

[BWIL5272@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Brad Wilson)]

Kimber,

When you hold the ice axe in your hand, with your arm down to your side, you
want the bottom tip of the axe to be just above your ankle. They used to
recommend longer axes but the current trend is for shorter and shorter axes.

Shorter axes weigh less, still serve their purpose and since they will spend
a lot of time on the back of your pack, weight should be a big
consideration.

I use the Camp XLA 210... I love it, it weighs the same as the Ghost - so
I'd go with either of the two.

For more info I highly recommend you read "Extreme Alpinism; Climbing Light
Fast and High. Full of info on light weight alpine gear and technique. The
book is by Mark Twight.

-Brad

PS what was your trail name on the AT? I thru-hiked in 2001...


On 2/14/03 2:57 PM, "Kimber Rodgers" <kimber@boalthall.berkeley.edu> wrote:

> I'm trying to figure out which ice ax to buy for my thru-hike but
> I've never used one, so this is probably a very stupid question.  The
> Cassin Ghost comes in three different lengths.  How do I determine
> what length I need?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kimber
> GA --> ME 2000-01
> PCT 2003
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