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General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Gear for New Zealand Alpine climbing 19-Jun-2007 At 9:30:49 AM julian.A

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Boots : K3 are fine - I have a pair of K3's that I bought 11 years ago. I've done numerous routes in NZ wearing them (including some steep ice). I wore them for two summers and a winter in Chamonix (didn't loose any toes) and found them to be great. They also work fine on the rock.

I use a pair of Charlet Moser Black Ice crampons - Strap at the front and clip back - DONT get a bail front (just the metal bar with a pissy strap up the front) They are fine for plastics, but after a little bit of morain bashing or rockclimbing the groove for the bail will round and you will find the crampons sliding off at the front.

Axes - Short axes are harder to arrest with (in my experience),
Drooped picks are harder to arrest with.
How often are you really hanging in your leashes ? - Or leaning up a slope with a heavy pack ?
By the time you are ready to tackle some steep stuff you will know what works for you - weight, length, etc. eg- I use a Charlet Moser Axar with a weighted head on my left hand and a Charlet Moser straight shafted pulsar on the right. I find my left wrist gets tired, and the extra weight helps me penetrate the ice.
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