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Gear Mods: Chopping the Spike off the BD Venom LT

By

Gavin Hess

The new clean beveled spike with the plug inserted.

The new clean beveled spike with the plug inserted.

  I received a set of the new Black Diamond Venom LT Ice tools for review last fall. As I discussed in my “Ice axe primer” post, they are an intriguing entry into the growing field of superlight but capable ice tools on the market. As the available options (and my quiver) grow, it feels…

Responses

  1. Slim

    I guess the option to set it up as either a hammer or an adze is nice. And it has a replaceable pick. And like you said, the compatibility with the shovel blade (if you are into that sort of thing).
    Will be curious to see whether you find any differences between this and the Gully as far as pounding pitons or climbing ice.

    1. Gavin Hess

      I’ve done a bit of climbing as well as piton hammering with it already – general verdict relative to the Gully is that it is less good at climbing ice, but the hammer is more effective so far. The pick angle is a bit more open than the Gully, so the balance point/knuckle clearance feels a bit “off”. The hammer has a lot of surface area and seems more robust than the Gully.

  2. Riley Willetts

    If you kept cutting it, maybe to 35cm, I could be an awesome alpine hammer if the hammer performs as you say (I have not used one so can’t say). 43cm seems like a really nice size though for general piolet use aside from climbing. Nice work!

  3. Slim

    Personally, I am looking for a longer version of the Gully. Maybe I could weld the cut-off bit from your Venom onto the bottom of my Gully? 😉

    1. Riley Willetts

      Slim, Not to toot a horn, but the Akila from Blue Ice kinda fits that bill, 4cm longer and a slightly longer and more aggressive pick angle than the gully.

      1. Slim

        Indeed, the Akilla, was what I had in mind. It’s the only one I have found so far.

    2. Jason Albert

      Me too—just something a bit longer for snow specific applications. And the Akila looks like a a good option.

  4. Travis

    I love seeing the experimentation. I have no need for a hammer, but it is cool to see what others are up to get what they need out of existing gear.

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