Climbing up slopes of compacted snow can be both difficult and dangerous.
It’s all too easy to slip over without the right amount of grip on the slope.
An ice adze is a tool that can be used to carve steps into snow.
Ice adzes are attachments on the reverse side of ice axes or ice tools. They are not sharp, but shaped so that they can hack through compacted ice and snow.
Why cut steps into an ice slope?
Cutting steps in ice gives a mountaineer a flat surface to stand on, which is much more stable than an ice slope.
How to stand
Depending on whether you’re travelling up or downhill, you will find that the ice you’re cutting is either closer to you or further away from you.
If you’re going downhill, you will need to use your knee to brace yourself so that you can reach to cut steps in the ice.
If you’re travelling uphill, you can just stand normally.
Cutting steps
Step 1 – Swing adze
You’ll be swinging the ice adze to the side of your feet this time, rather than between them.
Swinging an ice adze is like swinging a hand adze. The first part of the swing brings the adze head into contact with the ice, while the second part removes the material that has been smashed off.
Step 2 – Kick a step
Once you’ve cut your step, you can kick into it with your closest foot. This will make the step more sturdy by compacting the snow under your foot. You can then move your trailing foot into the step it just vacated.
Step 3 – Repeat
You should repeat this process until you reach the top or bottom of the ice slope.
What else can an ice adze be used for?
Ice adzes can also be used to dig holes in ice. They have been designed to be effective where other tools would fail, thanks to the shape of their blades.
It’s less likely that you’ll be using an ice adze in your home or garden, but if you happen to have one, you now know what to use to chip your car out of compacted snow drifts!
Wood carver’s adzes are not designed to be used for this purpose. They could easily become damaged from repeated impacts with a hard surface, or rusty through exposure to moisture.