Home > Ice Axes & Crampons   Petzl Aztarex Post a Review Reviews Views Date of last review 1 3563 Mon Jul 17, 2006 Recommended By Average Price Average Rating 100% of reviewers None indicated 9.0 Description: From Petzl: Lightweight technical mountaineering ice tool Versatile lightweight mountaineering and ice climbing axe. * Comfortable to use, even leashless, due to GRIPSWITCH hand rest. * High performance swing due minimal weight at rotation point (minimized shaft weight). * Efficient placements: o thin, forged, finely worked pick for hard ice, o steeply angled first tooth for thin ice and hooking. * Curved upper shaft for ease of placement and hooking * Works well in piolet-canne usage: the GRIPSWITCH can be stored in the shaft for better penetration in hard snow. * Adze or hammer versions available.

Author Post a Reply  HakkTW Beginner Registered: Tue Jan 17, 2006 Posts: 37 Review Date: Mon Jul 17, 2006 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 9    Pros: Light Weight, Solid Sticks, Use or Store Griprest, VERSATILITY Cons: No insulation, so cold if used as tool for extended vertical climbing, Need pliers to change griprest I recently used a pair of these tools for multiple routes out west on Rainier (Liberty Ridge, Gib Chute, and Success Cleaver), North face of Shukshan, and some colouir climbing on smaller peaks. They are designed for steep alpine climbing where you may encounter vertical ice. I used them on snow slopes up to 70degrees, full pitchs of 55deg AI2, with short steps of 80 degree ice, and many short mid-5ish rock steps. They were absolutely GREAT tools. Very light, were easy to arrest with, and stuck very solidly in the ice (have to say encountered the best plastic ice of this season at 13,500 on Liberty Ridge). They performed better than I expected on the vertical ice steps. The griprest is comfortable and straightforward to change, although it tends to get pretty seated in the tool when you have it stored away. I found I usually needed my multi-tool pliers to pull it out. Didn't need anywhere near enough force to damage or scratch the grip rest, just lacked a good way to grip it to pull it out without pliers. The handle also has no insulation, so these get cold if you are swinging them for a while...although that pretty much has to be a trade-off to accomodate the main usage intent of alpine climbing and being able to truly plunge the tools into hard snow, in my opinion. Overall very, very pleased with the tools for steep alpine, and really think they will work reasonably well on pure water ice.

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