Too Pretty to Climb With

Well these came and honestly they seem to gorgeous to climb with...

Hmmm.  Someone have experience with these?

I’m a little skeptical about that red toothed head piece as it’s placed.  Seems like I could easily get that thing totally jammed good where it ain’t coming out easy, if at all.  

Those do look nice.  

Russians have certainly upped their equipment game.  

Please post and let us know how they perform.  

Picks look fat and stubby..

Mark Pilatewrote:

Hmmm.  Someone have experience with these?

I’m a little skeptical about that red toothed head piece as it’s placed.  Seems like I could easily get that thing totally jammed good where it ain’t coming out easy, if at all.  

I have a lot of time on them , I use em for pure ice and the cheeks ( toothed head pieces ) actually help. I would not have believed it at first but they do. They do 2 things. 1- add weight to the head for a better swing and 2- they actually work as a stopper, the fact that its 2 pieces at a wide stance just stops the tool from over driving into soft ice and also the tooth's are facing away from the ice so they don't catch .

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Picks look fat and stubby..

This is a pick for climbing on panels & competition I have some for outdoors 

Rob Cotterwrote:

Well these came and honestly they seem to gorgeous to climb with...

It's like a new Car or Mountain Bike.  Just buy used or scratch it before use.

Otherwise, it is too pretty to use.

I don't know man. Kinda like saying "she's too pretty to date."

Parachute Adamswrote:

I don't know man. Kinda like saying "she's too pretty to date."

Now there you have me because that would never cross my mind..,

Gumby Kingwrote:

It's like a new Car or Mountain Bike.  Just buy used or scratch it before use.

Otherwise, it is too pretty to use.

Well I’m not buying used anything after seeing so many tools hit the deck at Vail from 50 meters up and bounce off into the ether...

Rob Cotterwrote:

Well I’m not buying used anything after seeing so many tools hit the deck at Vail from 50 meters up and bounce off into the ether...

Would you say there's any truth to the rumors that carbon tools break on heavy impacts?

LL Binerwrote:

Would you say there's any truth to the rumors that carbon tools break on heavy impacts?

Dropping a 500€ carbon fiber tool from 50 meters up is to be avoided the X Dreams I see hit the deck seen to suffer no ill effect but who knows 

teathers.  

How do those squarish handles feel?  Don’t look all that comfy or ergo.  Nice tape job though.  

Mark Pilatewrote:

How do those squarish handles feel?  Don’t look all that comfy or ergo.  Nice tape job though.  

It's the most efficient shape of handle. The shape is noticeably easier to hang onto than a more traditional rounded handle but it's definitely not as comfortable. My aspeeds definitely beat my hands up more than my ergonomics but they are a hell of a lot easier to hang on.

SOLD

Square handles feel like a hockey stick rather than a shovel. Super nice

I feel like almost everyone is missing that these aren't so much "ice tools" as much as "sport" tools designed for dry tooling competition holds, while you can use them on rock, and I suppose if you really want to, ice, you most likely aren't going to like them, the swing is absolutely awful, and they are so aggressive that it can be really hard to get the pick into the hold, in addition, as said above, I'm not into dropping $600 tools that might shatter out of a cave...pretty much if you aren't pulling upward of M11-12 in caves with a fairly small amount of ice or using them for competitions there are better tools for the job...if, however, you want to stay on some of the techier comp holds out there these days these feel like cheating...

 the long lower grip is so you can match hands on the lower grip, and the upper grip is high so it gives a little extra reach and keeps you closer to the wall when  in a stein (teeth on the back of the head engaged with the wall)

I'd encourage everyone to watch some world cup competitions on youtube to see how these things get used, definitely a niche item, but when you need it you need it, almost nobody competes these days on stock ice tools or picks, the tiny edge you get out of purpose-specific equipment makes a difference...

Grant Kleeveswrote:

 the swing is absolutely awful, and they are so aggressive that it can be really hard to get the pick into the hold..

Have you seen or handled them ? the Anchar are less aggressive than the classic nomic or xdreams. The only thing aggressive with these are the front tooth of the blades they come with ( comp blades ). Put some Ice specific blades on these and they climb ice like a dream !