Ice ax
An ice ax (also: ice ax , ice ax , formerly also steep ax ) is a special short ice ax for climbing frozen waterfalls , the so-called steep or waterfall ice climbing .
Compared to a classic ice ax, the ice ax is much shorter with a shaft length of around 50 cm and has a steeper inclined and much sharper pick. An ice ax is built in such a way that an ice climber can hang onto the ice ax that has been driven into the ice. Due to the shape of the pick, the ice ax cannot slip out, but penetrates even further into the ice due to the pressure melt .
Ice tools can be equipped with a shovel or hammer head on the back. In the past, the hammer head was used to hammer in ice nails (called pitons or snargs). In the meantime, however, these have been replaced by the much safer ice screws . With classic ice picks , the shovel head is used, among other things, to hit the steps , with the ice ax it can be used to knock off loose pieces of ice or to prepare the standing area.
A wrist strap can be attached to the ice ax so that the hand cannot slip out. The ice climber therefore needs less hand strength when hanging on the ice ax and he needs less strength endurance. Today the wrist strap is rather unusual.
