The ice sucks this year in New England and the season is going to be over WAY to soon. However, I want to continue to increase my grip and pull strength with my tools, so I started poking around on my back deck (2nd floor of a three story building) and found this...

support beam of the deck above Submitted By: JBaker on Feb 23, 2012

Get a 4ft piece of 4X4. Get a piece of hard plastic material that's either 3.5 inches wide X 4ft long X 1 inch thick, or can be ripped to that size. Drill recessed pilot holes in the plastic. Screw it to one side of the 4X4 (this is what your pick will rest on so as not to dull or damage it). Use 3/4 lag bolts and washers (you may want to recess these and drill pilot holes as well to avoid splitting and make a neat job of it) to bolt it to that girder that's in the picture. Voila. Of course, I don't ice climb, and don't own any tools, so someone may have a better idea. I'm almost certain of it.

i use cord with a biner in the end that i can clip into the head of the tool. put a couple butterfly knots along the length to do offset hangs.

See? ^ this is so much better and easier than my idea.

I use an exposed I beam in my basement and my old grivel ice tools. Don't know if you have access to that. Maybe you could screw a 2x4 parallel to those beams, leaving some space so you could slide your picks in and start pumping them out.

love the biner idea because it sounds simple AND cheap AND effective, but how is the pull on the tool? does it feel natural like being on the tip of the pick?

Chains work great for training on ice tools. A couple fairly long chains and you can figure four between them or campus up for a way harder workout than just pullups. If you get smaller chains an occasional quicklink makes it easier to hook when you're really pumped and going for one more lap.

what do the chains do to the picks?

I haven't been able to find any damage on my BD Laser or Fusion picks. I haven't tried my Nomics but possibly the small teeth towards the front could get dulled if the chain isn't big enough to hook further back on the stouter teeth?

couldn't you just get a bucket to stand on so you can reach the beam and just hook it.

I also live just outside Boston and am thinking the same thing with the quality of the ice these past couple weeks.. To this point i just hook the top of a beam just like the one on your porch with my tools and it works fine.

I am thinking of building the whole multi wall/ceiling setup in the next month or two but my guess is the $$$$ is gonna add up quick.

To be honest hooking the bean works just fine for dead hangs so forth and so on.

Get a right angle drill and put a thin piece of old plywood on the top edge of that beam on your porch so you don't chew it up with your pick s and you should be good to go able to remove it no problem with no scars when you move out as the screw holes will be in the top of the beam outa sight.

This is my setup in the basement. Instead of bolts all the way throgh there are also screw in eye-bolts that will to the job. Mix sawdust, glue,and little paint to fill the holes before you move out.

axes Submitted By: Steve M on Feb 23, 2012

axes Submitted By: Steve M on Feb 23, 2012

I've got chains as well in the roof of my woodie. I need to get some pictures uploaded but they work great to fig 4/9 between them.

all awesome ideas. i'm gonna play around with it today.

APBT where are in Boston? let me know if you need a hand with the construction. sounds pretty sweet.

Here are a few photos from my woody. The chains work great. I backed the eyebolts through a tnut and with a fender washer on both sides, super solid now. A quicklink is easier to get the tools out of than the chain so you can mix up the effort level and it allows for some tool rotation so as not to torque on the eyebolt all the time.

Chad in the roof Submitted By: Chris Plesko on Feb 26, 2012

Aaron on the wall Submitted By: Chris Plesko on Feb 26, 2012

Aaron getting strong! Submitted By: Chris Plesko on Feb 26, 2012

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