Show Me Your Tools

Pic from today, it's getting closer

GregMiller wrote:CAMP Awax tools, Petzl Lynx 'pons, and BD Express screws. Tools and pons have been set up for dry tooling all summer, can't wait for them to see ice again!

Greg, CAMP has AWAX picks on clearance if you happen to need any.
camp-usa.com/outlet-area/

Steven N wrote: Greg, CAMP has AWAX picks on clearance if you happen to need any. camp-usa.com/outlet-area/

Already have a fresh clearanced pair of picks waiting for ice!

Look what came in the mail.

Brass, how well does that climb? Looks fantastic. I assume you can put the regular grivel blades on it also?

Woah, look what I found, has this already been passed around?

Via: The Alpine Start - OR Summer '15

I've been searching for a solution like this, and I am not sure this is it, but its a step in the right direction. Would love to get my hands on/ play with that locking one.

This season I was going to try to jerry-rig some sort of elastic type lock that I could put on for the hike-in/out. But maybe in the coming years the MFG's will have this solved.

are they out for sale yet?

facebook.com/dmmclimbing/po…

Early 2016, whatever that means

Arent they like $40 each?

Don't care, all I care about is that its a step in the right direction. AKA DMM puts this out, Petzl ups the ante next year, and so forth. Eventually we'll have a clipper solution as a manufactured product where you can hike in and out and not have to worry you're dumping your gear. This might be a non-issue for the rest of the world, but in NH (or even ADK) with the easy 10-60m approaches it has a calling.

More importantly, looks like Rumney might be damp for the coming weekend. Where can we get some ice or drytooling in!

Tom weve already discussed a 50cent solution to this clipper problem. You tape a big oval biner to your gear loop.

Have you guys had your ice clippers break? I never have.. I wonder if it's because I use four different clippers on a Petzl Corax? I place two or three 10s, two or three 13s, three 16s and one 21 on each clipper. Maybe less weight keeps the clippers on my harness?

Bill Kirby wrote:Have you guys had your ice clippers break? I never have.. I wonder if it's because I use four different clippers on a Petzl Corax? I place two or three 10s, two or three 13s, three 16s and one 21 on each clipper. Maybe less weight keeps the clippers on my harness?

many times, and the gates sometimes pop up and drop all the screws .... BD and Petzl

Theriault wrote: many times, and the gates sometimes pop up and drop all the screws .... BD and Petzl

Do you think my using four makes a difference? I got out 43 days last year. Everyday there was at least one lead.

Yeah I think its more an issue of them opening and dropping screws. Ive never had them break.

I found a website that said the DMM Vaults were 35 to 45 pounds! The simple math is $1.50 to the pound. Yikes, that's expensive. They won't be on my harness.

I've only lost one screw this way, but I had been warned previously about it and shrugged it off. =( In my experience it happens hiking with too many screws on a clipper.

50 cent Solution?

I'm happy with the functionality of the Petzl clippers. Just want to figure out a way to rig them locked with a piece of shock cord for the end of the day.

i.imgur.com/cn4bCjv.gif

I've broken 2 plastic ice clippers and lost gear both times, so I rigged myself something new.

This is the rig I've set up to rack screws:

It's nothing more than 2 biners connected by plastic tubing (I used PEX, but anything will do) and zip ties. I went to this method after breaking a plastic ice clipper on a descent and losing a Cobra and 3 screws half way down a 700' face. As an added bonus, now I have 4 extra full strength biners (I carry one doohickey on each side) in case I ever need them at only a ~40 gram penalty.

This is how it hangs on the harness:



The rigidity of the "frame" created by the plastic tubing makes it remarkably easy to pop screws in and out, way easier than even the plastic clippers by a long shot. The best readily available biner today for this purpose is probably the BD Hotwire.

It's essentially a DIY version of Simond's $45 aluminum ice clipper that still has the disadvantage of being for racking only, not full strength.



If anyone is curious, the biners are the long-discontinued BD Fin. I read that Carlos Buhler had broken one of them in a short, clean, low FF fall and they were then summarily discontinued. I subsequently spoke to a long time BD employee who said they were simply the very first hot forged biner and scrapped only because they made rapid improvements in the technology, not because of any failures or inadequacies, but I digress. Both stories are probably true. Regardless, they certainly are the PERFECT screw racking biner. I've got a bunch that I hoarded specifically for that purpose. They were designed by Andrew McLean (original designer of the Camalot).

Bill Kirby wrote: Do you think my using four makes a difference? I got out 43 days last year. Everyday there was at least one lead.

Are you racking up at the car or at the base of the climb? Sounds to me like if you use more clippers, keep those screws in your pack until the base of the climb and keep your tools on umbilicals, you might be minimizing the risk.

Jon H's rig seems like the best option -- it's too bad it was such and expensive lesson, though!

Mark NH, that's 35-45 Euros, not GBP.