Autoxfil wrote:brokesomeribs wrote:Autoxfil wrote:http://www.rockandsnow.com/store/product/1329/BLACK-DIAMOND-SPECTRE-ICE-PITON/
No experience placing rock pro in the gullies, but this thing is what you want for frozen-together chossy rock like shows up a lot in the Whites. When the ice won't take screws and the rock won't take nuts, both will take this. Having one on your rack can take a load off your mind in tight spots.
A Spectre will only put your mind at east if you're foolish enough to actually believe it will hold. Craig Luebben couldn't get one to hold much more than 5 Kn (about 1200 lb-f) in his testing. Make sure to use a screamer and pound the ever-loving $h!t out of it.
Is that in his Mountaineering Handbook? I hadn't seen that testing info, but it's good to know. I do bury it to the hilt and use a screamer, like most ice placements.
It's in his "How To Ice Climb" book. I bought it a couple months ago on Amazon for $7. It shows up at my door, I open the front cover, and it's signed by the man himself. I was a bit floored. RIP Craig.
I just double checked - page 155 has the results. Most began to lever out at 400lbs. The weakest failure was at 600 lbs, with a couple making it up 1600 lbs. The major qualifier, however, is that they were in ice. Not turf, frozen dirt, etc. I have not seen any quantitative testing for those.