page_title: Ice axe
section_title: Accessories
hierarchical_section_title: Ice axe / Accessories
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of a removable ski basket installed on an ice axe. This accessory was manufactured by Sherpa, a snowshoe manufacturer. It allows the ice axe to be used as a ski pole for travel through soft snow
context_page_description: An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve frozen conditions with snow or ice. An ice axe can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered. In its simplest role, the ice axe is used like a walking stick in the uphill hand, the mountaineer holding the head in the center. It can also be buried pick down, the rope tied around the shaft to form a secure anchor on which to bring up a second climber, or buried vertically to form a stomp belay. The adze is used to cut footsteps, as well as scoop/bucket seats in the hillside and trenches to bury an ice axe belay. The long-handled alpenstock was a predecessor to the modern ice axe.
  An ice axe is not only used as an aid to climbing, but also as a means of self-arrest in the event of a downhill slip.
  Most ice axes meet design and manufacturing standards of organizations such as the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme or European Committee for Standardization. There are two classifications of ice axe, Basic and Technical.
context_section_description: Ice axe accessories include:
  Leash – nylon webbing with an adjustable loop for securing the axe to hand. Often secured by a ring constrained to slide a limited distance on the shaft.
  Leash stop – a rubber keeper or metal stud preventing the leash from slipping off of the ice axe.
  Snow basket – similar to baskets on ski poles, temporarily mounted on the shaft close to the spike to keep the shaft from sinking into soft snow. Not at all common in Europe.
  Pick and adze guard – a cover to protect from sharp edges and points when the axe is not being used.
  Spike guard – a cover to protect from the sharp spike when the axe is not being used.
caption: A removable snow basket accessory installed on an ice axe.
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