Why exactly do we have adzes on ice axes and ice tools? I have found their uses to be few and far between, for me anyways. They were originally invented for chopping steps, something made mostly outdated with the invention of crampons. What do you guys use them for?

-Mark

Hey.
I am also nut sure of all the uses for the adze but so far as best ive seen and done you use it to chop steps when front pointing on a angled slope a very tidious job made much tougher with out the adze(some times crampons arnt enough the snow is too soft and so..).
You use the adze to chop away broken and primary ice or chop the ice so the angle on the wall is better before you place a ice screw(i think the hammer and pick should not be used to do this).
cheers.

for ice climbing its to clear away any shitty hanging chandalier ice

Cutting belay stances.

Chopping out my tent's snow anchors last weekend!

An azde is invaluable to chop a stance at the belay and a platform for a tent.
Try to chop a platform for a tent on hard ice without and azde...and then you will tell me....
I ice climb with the Nomics, and even if they will add the adze next year I am not planning to have it on them for ice climbing...too dangerous and not truly necessary.
On the other hand I use the Grivel Quantum Light for alpine climbing and one of the tool has the azde.
As I said above it is essential to chop ledges, but also I use it quite a lot when I am on mixed terrains, jamming it behind a flakes.
Finally the axe with the azde offers a better grip for your hand in case of self arrest.

For an alpine axe, the adze supports your hand much more comfortably than the pick! That's always what I've figured

I've used it lots of times to clear snow and junk ice away from the good ice when climbing. You can do the same thing with the tool turned sideways or even with a hammer, but the adze gets the job done a bit quicker, which can be valuable when getting pumped or something.

I have occasionally climbed with a double hammer setup, but don't anymore as I don't pound pitons. If I did, I would have to consider going back to that system.

I swap an adze onto one Cobra for serious alpine stuff, but for most ice I leave them as dual hammers. I have yet to think "if only I had an adze!"

On easier alpine stuff I take a Cobra hammer and an ax with a real adze on it.

Mark, if you want to progress to steep waterfall ice, and I believe you do, best to do away with the adze now (you more than likely will be able to switch it out on whatever tools you have or get your hands on, or of course keep both, they are easy to switch out....one adze for alpine, hammer for waterfall). The perceived risk to your face on a tool popping out is much more of an influence on your climbing prowess then the improved ice clearing ability. Your pics will be more than sufficient to chop away at chandelierly ice.

Dow Williams wrote:Mark, if you want to progress to steep waterfall ice, and I believe you do, best to do away with the adze now (you more than likely will be able to switch it out on whatever tools you have or get your hands on, or of course keep both, they are easy to switch out....one adze for alpine, hammer for waterfall). The perceived risk to your face on a tool popping out is much more of an influence on your climbing prowess then the improved ice clearing ability. Your pics will be more than sufficient to chop away at chandelierly ice.

+1

Anyone got a Grivel Hammer laying around?

Nope, but I've got a Petzl Adze someone can buy from me..... (for a quark).

Dow Williams wrote:Mark, if you want to progress to steep waterfall ice, and I believe you do, best to do away with the adze now (you more than likely will be able to switch it out on whatever tools you have or get your hands on, or of course keep both, they are easy to switch out....one adze for alpine, hammer for waterfall). The perceived risk to your face on a tool popping out is much more of an influence on your climbing prowess then the improved ice clearing ability. Your pics will be more than sufficient to chop away at chandelierly ice.

I bought my ice tools used from someone who had a 2-hammer set up for this exact reason. I suppose chopping ice quicker would be nice, but I don't want a double eyebrow!

-Mark

Here’s a run down off what I’d consider as being the perfect “full contact” adze.

You can hammer in a gear with it and it won’t snap off or bend. This includes stubborn anchors, pegs and smashing frozen chockstones and crap out of cracks so you can get some gear in.
It must be able to be inserted sideways and take your entire weight without any fear of bending or breaking. An adze that can do this is a cheating weapon par excellence, and will get you up a lot of routes that would otherwise need scary laybacking moves.
The adze must be able to chop you a snow hole or bivy ledge in double time, and again it must not snap off when you hit frozen rocks with it.
The adze must be shaped so that you can hook wide cracks with it, so a modern tapered design is good.
Lastly it needs anough depth that when you reverse your curved axe, it can be used to get a solid stick in crud, shit and snowy crap.

excerpted from: http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/blog/vi ... _of_adzes/

Adzes are great for getting your car unstuck from an icy ditch on your way to go dry tooling