Gear

Serriadh... For the past two summers I was looking at two trips of ten weeks each, and both trips involved four days of 'easy' glacier treks. Given a choice of carrying a heavy axe for ten weeks, knowing that it would only be used on a few days, or carrying a TiCa Ice Tool weighing only a few grams, I was more than happy with my choice. I was also lucky that I enquired about the axe at a peculiar time when a very good offer was made to me, and there were no customs charges either. I'd love to be able to say that the TiCa was worth its weight in gold, but as it doesn't weigh much, that would be silly! However, it has been fondled and covetted by professional mountain guides, who never doubted that it was fit for purpose. Bearing in mind that I call myself a 'walker' and would never venture onto anything that remotely resembled 'ice climbing', all I want to do is to be able to stop if I slip, and that's well within the capabilities of the TiCa.

It's a splendid axe Paddy - had a fondle of the one Derek has. Proper kit.

some nice tips from everyone, thanks!
Think I will pop into some outdoor shops this weekend to handle some axes to help me make up my mind.