I am looking for an all around ice axe/tool that I can do general mountaineering across snow/glacier, vertical ice, and (especially) mixed alpine routes with. I have an SMC Himalayan ice axe (the really heavy, could-stop-a-bullet one) but I'm thinking for my ice and mixed routes, I'd like to get a pair of axes that would cover it all. I am definitely looking for a bent shaft, as I've experienced the knuckle beating you get with straight. Of course something with a shaft I can post enough for a self belay too...so a crazy handle like the Grivel monster would obviously be out. Anyway, if anyone could throw some input my way, it would be really helpful.

How about the DMM Fly? Shaft curved for bulges, but straight enough to plunge. Long enough (barely) for self-arrest, but not too long for steep ice.

I suspect it's a tool you can make work in all conditions, but it won't be ideal for any.

And it's cheap.

here's an uncoventional answer: bd viper....
i love the tool, ...

Yeah, me too. This past weekend I had an opportunity to climb with the new orange-handled ones... Didn't like them so well. Admittedly, the climb was a little stout for a warm-up and I probably shouldn't have been using unfamiliar tools on it, but they swing nothing like my Vipers, which seem to climb themselves.

Best all-purpose ice tool out there, IMHO, is the old version of the BD Cobra.

Hey Jeff - Your post caught my attention because I've been considering a set of the new Cobras myself. Curious as to why you say the old version? Have you tried the new version and found reason to like the old ones better? If so what features particularly?

Hey, Dan. Long time, no chat. I hope things are well.

I made my suggestion based on the "all purpose" concept. Most folks agree that there is no "one-size-fits-all" ice tool out there, considering the wide variety of climbing that could be grouped under "ice climbing." Glaciers, moderate angle mountaineering, steep water ice, thin alpine ice, overhanging mixed rock/ice.... each is it's own discipline, and each has tools optimal for that job.

Now, removing overhanging/mixed stuff, and only considering the rest, I go with the old Cobras. Mostly straight shaft for self-arrest and balancing while walking (ala old school mountaineering axe,) but enough clearance for bulges on water ice, and lightweight enough for long alpine routes.

The new Cobras, which I've only used on a couple short pitches in the Ouray Ice Park (so, admittedly, my take on them might change if I had more experience with them), have a bit more curve to the shaft, have those annoying pinky/finger rests, and don't strike me as quite as well suited for glacier or mountaineering use as the old Cobras. Probably better for water ice, though.

I would disagree about the cobra not plunging well, but everyone has an opinion. I don't like climbing steep ice with two different tools, but I also don't spend a lot of times on crevassed glaciers either.

The two different tool recommends are fine, but there are better options than old style straight tools these days for a long plunging tool. Look at the BD venom or the grivel Air Tech Evo. Each gives a little more usefulness when you have to actually swing the axe. The grivel has a deployable pinky rest as well for better steep climbing. I think House/Anderson used a couple of these on Nanga parbat, but they had two shorties for the leader on the hard pitches.

PT