About just tools though... I think the Quark tends to swing FOR you, where as the Viper swings smoothly. That's how I think about the tools.
Either of those tools are easy and enjoyable to climb on. I just liked the swing the BD tools have more, so I got Vipers....but I was really close to getting Quarks if I didn't.

Back in the good old days we tethered our tools to our harneses or a shoulder loop with 6mm perlon.. talk about a Clusterfck :shock: I will never go back to that system.

BTW the Charlet leash has this cool feature where it disconnects automatically when you drop the tool...watching it plummet to the ground. Worst of both worlds, neither the freedom of leashless nor a solid attachment.

-be wary of new school climbers that blindly follow what they see in the magazines-

Fer the record I been climbing ice since you wuz poopin'a diaper and rubbin'it on yer face...

The Quark plus Grivel trigger (and the little hookie thing that goes on the Qaurk spike) was employed by Sebastien Constant and Jerome Mercader on their first ascent of Pharilapcha (6017 meters) north face in the Khumbu region, Nepal. They don't use leashes, they are too busy sending. There is a Petzl video out that has a nice little film of this climb, I think you can contact them about buying the DVD. The Grivel Trigger BTW is for your index finger, that upper thing on the Viper is a rest for switching hands, they do not perform the same role.

I just use the Fusion as is, everyone else whose tools I have looked at seems to as well, the tool is just that good for competition and mixed use.

There is a good write-up of an ascent of "Beyond Good and Evil" on the Aiguille des Pelerins being done leashless with Ergo Quarks in the 2004 Petzl catalog, nobody looks to be dropping their tools. The Ergo Quark is still a good tool, the handle is one size fits all though so the Nomic was introduced to allow for adjustment and to redress the issue of pick shift when switching.

I went through about 6 Fusion picks in the last year or two, none of them broke althouigh with intense use they did wear out. I did bend one but it did not break and could be hammered back into shape if on a big route and need be.

I did do an alpine climb last year with leashless tools, the tools had a handle not a spike but it was no problem to stab these things into the snow to get over an overhanging cornice.

When Climbing Ice came out Yvonne Chouinard in this book was still exhorting people to learn to cut steps even though this practice was already obsolete, modern climbing (at that time) was already well into piolet traction solely.

You need to develop familiarity with going leashless, this involves tool management skills which are learned so you don't drop your tools.

So WTF are you waiting for?

??

I've never, ever seen or heard this happening. I've been using my clipper leashes for a few years (as said earlier) and dropped my tool so it was just hanging from my wrist by the leash plently of times in the mountains.

I also have never had any customers complain to me about this fact.