[pct-l] Ice axe or black diamond whippet

[Bighummel at aol.com (Bighummel@aol.com)]

I've been asked this question before, offlist, and gave the following reply;

The Whippet appears to use standard trekking pole material for the handle 
portion of the ice axe.  IMHO, I don't think that this is wise for the following 
reason;  

In a fall on a steep slope your momentum takes you from nearly standing still 
to speeds of 30, 40 or more miles per hour in a split second or two; the time 
in which your brain begins to clue in that you need to swing that axe around 
and try to find some leverage to stop you.  In a self arrest, position, 
leverage and a death grip are the key ingredients to success.  If you can't get a 
death grip on the handle and/or you cannot apply the proper leveraging force, 
you're not gonna stop or slow down.  I have been in one self arrest situation 
where I would guess that the trekking pole might have failed when I applied the 
leverage that I required.  The rotating force applied to the pick, when set 
into ice or hard snow when you and your pack's weight are careening down the 
hill, is astronomical (I'll let an engineer put a calculation on this).

Take a lesson from the good doctor who perished on New Army Pass a few years 
ago; take a real ice axe and know how to use it.

The Whippet could be a good tool for cutting steps in ice, but isn't the 
purpose of carrying such a tool increased if it can effectively be used for self 
arrest also?

IMHO,

Greg

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone has used the black diamond whippet for self arrest 
and if it would be a viable as a ice axe replacement.  I now carry black 
diamond poles and it would work perfectly for me.

For those of you who don't know what it is - it's a conversion for black 
diamond poles that adds a ice pick to the top of a pole.  it wieghs in at 10 
ounces as opposed to 14? for the raven pro ice axe.

Thanks yet again..