feedback on new Grivel ice tool?

[rickcasey]

Hello all,

Greetings from Boulder, CO; I'm obviously new to the group, but am
trying to get a little feedback from across the puddle.

I am interested in a new ice tool that appeared in the mountaineering
shop here, the Grivel Alp Monger. Very lightweight (~500 gr), good
looking pick design, and from a reputable company. About a $100 cheaper
too, a big attraction in purchasing new ice tools.

Was wondering if anyone has used this tool, and could share feedback on
your experience.
Or if anyone knows of other climbing user groups in Europe that might
be appropriate to post to.

Thanks much!
--Rick Casey
Boulder, CO, USA

[Steve Pardoe]

Hi, Rick & all,

Post by rickcasey
Hello all,
Greetings from Boulder, CO; I'm obviously new to the group, but am
trying to get a little feedback from across the puddle.

Glad to help!

Post by rickcasey
I am interested in a new ice tool that appeared in the mountaineering
shop here, the Grivel Alp Monger. Very lightweight (~500 gr), good
looking pick design, and from a reputable company. About a $100 cheaper
too, a big attraction in purchasing new ice tools.

Did you mean Alp Monger, or Alp Monster?
http://www.grivel.com/Products/Dettaglio_piccozze.asp?ID=25 shows the
latter.

I expect Peter Clinch will be along shortly.

I can't offer any specific advice on this tool, but when I was choosing my
own a few years back, the advice I was given was to select the best picks,
and then the tool would follow. The man in the shop said that Grivel made
the best picks, and I've had no reason to doubt that since buying them.

Steve P

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Steve Pardoe
I expect Peter Clinch will be along shortly.

I'm reading, but am no use here :-( Don't really do technical winter
stuff any more (and haven't for years), having discovered the skis I
bought for climbing access in the early 90s tended to provide me more
enjoyment than the climbing...

So my ice tools are probably a bit back-to-the-ark by current standards.
I mean, the shafts are straight for a start!

Pete.

[Mike Clark]

Post by Peter Clinch

Post by Steve Pardoe
I expect Peter Clinch will be along shortly.

I'm reading, but am no use here :-( Don't really do technical winter
stuff any more (and haven't for years), having discovered the skis I
bought for climbing access in the early 90s tended to provide me more
enjoyment than the climbing...
So my ice tools are probably a bit back-to-the-ark by current standards.
I mean, the shafts are straight for a start!
Pete.

Hi,

I'm afraid that my experience is at much the same level. My ice tools
consist of a lightweight Grivel axe for ski-mountaineering that rarely
gets used for anything other than icy sections of couloirs and some
ageing Mountain Tech axes and hammers that only get used for low grade
winter climbs and summer alpine use.

A good place to ask the question would be on UKClimbing.com

http://www.ukclimbing.com/

Where many of the original posters to this group have now moved.

Regards,

Mike

[RossMcGibbon]

I won a Monster, which is the more extreme, earlier version. The handles
are at an amazing angle and you can use them as pull up bars on tiny
edges.
I chose to swap them for some Xenos as the swing felt wierd and I didn't
think you could plunge easily for those long plods between gully pitches
and those desperate plunges into loose snow at the top of a steep pitch.

If you can guarantee no easy ground on the route, they'd be interesting
tools but in Scotland and the Lakes, it's not like that. Maybe for pure
waterfall ice & cragging dry tooling.

Ross

[Martin Carpenter]

Post by RossMcGibbon
If you can guarantee no easy ground on the route, they'd be
interesting tools but in Scotland and the Lakes, it's not
like that. Maybe for pure waterfall ice & cragging dry
tooling.

I don't see that argument: they're almost straight. [But I haven't swung
them either].

I don't see the market for this axe. It's too straight for technical ice
(can't imagine the conservative curves of Aztar, Cobra, etc. will plunge
worse than this axe with its pinky rest and mid-shaft grip). The droop pick
makes it inappropriate for one-axe territory.

I have it covered with my Cobras (mountain ice), Quarks (waterfall ice), and
a straight traditional axe (easy ice). What is this 500g Pulsar throw-back
for? Do I need "innovative sublimated graphics"?

[RossMcGibbon]

We must have been discussing something other than Monsters then.
I can't imagine why you would need more than three sets of axes.....

Ross

Post by Martin Carpenter

Post by RossMcGibbon
If you can guarantee no easy ground on the route, they'd be
interesting tools but in Scotland and the Lakes, it's not
like that. Maybe for pure waterfall ice & cragging dry
tooling.

I don't see that argument: they're almost straight. [But I haven't swung
them either].
I don't see the market for this axe. It's too straight for technical ice
(can't imagine the conservative curves of Aztar, Cobra, etc. will plunge
worse than this axe with its pinky rest and mid-shaft grip). The droop pick
makes it inappropriate for one-axe territory.
I have it covered with my Cobras (mountain ice), Quarks (waterfall ice), and
a straight traditional axe (easy ice). What is this 500g Pulsar throw-back
for? Do I need "innovative sublimated graphics"?

[Martin Carpenter]

Post by RossMcGibbon
We must have been discussing something other than
Monsters then.

Eh?

Post by RossMcGibbon
I can't imagine why you would need more than three sets
of axes.....

Why, for bragging rights on urc.

(I would also like one antique Chacal and a piton hammer to be taken in
consideration, m'lord).

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Martin Carpenter
(I would also like one antique Chacal and a piton hammer to be taken in
consideration, m'lord).

I don't have a piton hammer, but my Chacal's partner is a Mountain Tech
curver which makes me pretty retro. First winter climb I did I borrowed
a Pterodactyl, which made me not only retro but retro with brusied
knuckles! ;-)

Pete.

[Steve Pardoe]

<snips>

Post by Mike Clark
A good place to ask the question would be on UKClimbing.com
http://www.ukclimbing.com/
Where many of the original posters to this group have now moved.

Indeed they have, more's the pity.

If the OP's language skills are up to it, the three groups below discuss all
manner of things mountainy (the Germans have a fascination with altimeters
for some reason) and are a lot busier :-

de.rec.alpinismus (German)
fr.rec.montagne (French)
it.sport.montagna (Italian)

HTH,

Steve P