Petzl pics

Does anyone have any tips, for either modifying the ice pics or just my technique, I’ve found it super hard to get the petzl ice picks out of the ice and it takes a lot of twisting or levering and it makes me even more pumped just wrestling w the tools 

Take off the weights

General question for folks using the nomics. Does it make a huge difference having the weights in vs out? The weights are rattling all over the place(tightening screws are stripped) and I've been contemplating removing them for good.

If you use "picks" instead of "pics" you will have a better chance of getting help.

I file off the corner betweeen the top edge bevel and my front tooth bevel. I found that helps. I have found the pick weights make a huge difference for me. Without the weights are fine for hero ice but in the northeast our ice tends to be pretty bullet proof. 

weights are nice for ice and moderate mixed, throw some silicone sealant or glue in there to keep the rattling down... 

I find filing off the secondary tooth helps with the stickiness of fresh picks, you're going to be removing it once you sharpen a couple of times anyway...

The PUR’ice pick is much better than the ice pick. I don’t modify it at all (though my partner does). 

Javier Goldstein wrote:

Does anyone have any tips, for either modifying the ice pics or just my technique, I’ve found it super hard to get the petzl ice picks out of the ice and it takes a lot of twisting or levering and it makes me even more pumped just wrestling w the tools 

Twisting. Probably not a good method, unless you're trying to break things.

Technique suggestion:  when driving your picks in the ice, do not rest the bottom of ice axe pinky finger grip on the ice.  Leave about 2-3 inch or so gap.  When your ready to remove the tool, push down on grip so it touches the ice and that helps to release the ice axe pick.  

Petzl kind of botched it when they replaced the Cascade pick (which came on first gen Nomics and was amazing) with the Ice pick.  The Petzl Ice pick isn't that good for ice routes (it is a great alpine pick though). Then a few years later Petzl released the Pur' Ice pick, which to me seems as good as the old Cascade pick. I would either get a set of Pur' Ice picks, which are amazing, or de-tune the first couple teeth on the Ice picks so they are a bit less grabby (they still won't be as sweet as the Pur' Ice).  I am a big fan of the Petzl pick weights and would definitely not take them off.

If your picks are still getting stuck, you are probably over-driving them and just need more mileage on top rope to dial things in a bit more.

Rad, thanks for all the advice everyone 

Although it sounds like you’re satisfied with previous responses, I’m still going to add a few thoughts.

I’m in New Hampshire. I have a few pairs of Nomics and Ergonomics. None have weights. I’m generally climbing picked out lines (it only takes a party or two) and take advantage of the hooking and drafting. With sharp picks I have no issue setting a new line, even in dry dense ice. But the weight are a preference. I prefer the balance and feel of these tools without added weight. 

I don’t modify new Pur’ice picks, other than filing off some of the paint. I keep the picks sharp, touching them up as needed. So this could be a daily thing depending on conditions. “A sharp tool is a safe tool”.

Until ice is really “in” I’m typically using old Pur’ice picks, which are modified. I file down one tooth in order to regain more real estate for a point that resembles a new pick. When ice is fat I’ll swap out for new. Old modified picks below:

And even then, sometimes, the ice just doesn’t want to release that bloody tool. Haha! 

Happy New Year! 

Matty B wrote:

Although it sounds like you’re satisfied with previous responses, I’m still going to add a few thoughts.

I’m in New Hampshire. I have a few pairs of Nomics and Ergonomics. None have weights. I’m generally climbing picked out lines (it only takes a party or two) and take advantage of the hooking and drafting. With sharp picks I have no issue setting a new line, even in dry dense ice. But the weight are a preference. I prefer the balance and feel of these tools without added weight. 

I don’t modify new Pur’ice picks, other than filing off some of the paint. I keep the picks sharp, touching them up as needed. So this could be a daily thing depending on conditions. “A sharp tool is a safe tool”.

Until ice is really “in” I’m typically using old Pur’ice picks, which are modified. I file down one tooth in order to regain more real estate for a point that resembles a new pick. When ice is fat I’ll swap out for new. Old modified picks below:

All that said. This doesn’t change something like over-driving tools, or prevent tools from getting welded when the ice is super dry. It could be as simple as getting more mileage and focusing on technique (most important: footwork) to understand what works for you what doesn’t. 

And even then, sometimes, the ice just doesn’t want to release that bloody tool. Haha! 

Happy New Year! 

Those seem really flat at the tip. Have you ever tried a more "beak-like" curve to the tip, similar to how the Cassin picks are designed? I've tried them flat like you have them and found my picks skating off regularly. I've been much happier since making the beaked modification (I also file one tooth back for "real estate"). On rock this is especially nice as you can see in my photo. (I may have filed a bit too aggressive of a curve here and will likely go flatter next time, however, I haven't noticed any issues when climbing).

Also, why do you file the paint off? I was under the impression that the paint/finish has properties to prevent the picks from getting caked with ice/snow and to make removing from the ice easier? I could imagine without the paint they might bond with the ice a bit which could possibly feel more secure?

Christian Donkey wrote:

Those seem really flat at the tip. Have you ever tried a more "beak-like" curve to the tip, similar to how the Cassin picks are designed? I've tried them flat like you have them and found my picks skating off regularly. I've been much happier since making the beaked modification (I also file one tooth back for "real estate"). On rock this is especially nice as you can see in my photo. (I may have filed a bit too aggressive of a curve here and will likely go flatter next time, however, I haven't noticed any issues when climbing).

Also, why do you file the paint off? I was under the impression that the paint/finish has properties to prevent the picks from getting caked with ice/snow and to make removing from the ice easier? I could imagine without the paint they might bond with the ice a bit which could possibly feel more secure?

why are you drytooling (or mixedclimbing) with pur'ice picks?

I do file my dry picks similarly to yours and it definitely better on rock but makes removing the picks way worse when iceclimbing. On the pur'ice picks I would keep the regular shape.

Jakob Melchior wrote:

why are you drytooling (or mixedclimbing) with pur'ice picks?

I do file my dry picks similarly to yours and it definitely better on rock but makes removing the picks way worse when iceclimbing. On the pur'ice picks I would keep the regular shape.

Emphasis on the mixed climbing. Mixed means there’s ice. For one thing, the pur ice picks have the best and most “open” angle of all the Petzl picks. They’re the only picks I find that penetrate the ice at a good angle with my swing. If I’m on a climb that involves rock and ice, I want to be optimized for the ice on the climb. Especially if the climb involves difficult or tenuous and fragile ice. I’ve tried climbing ice on all the other Petzl picks and it’s just a shitty time. I have to modify my swing to make them work and when it counts, I don’t want to have to do that. Plus, they’re thinner and will displace less ice than the other fat picks will.

I drytool just fine with the pur ice picks too. The angle works great for everything up to vertical to slightly overhanging. I honestly probably haven’t climbed anything steeper than an M8 outdoors, so why would I need a pick with a steeper angle like the dry picks? If I were climbing something steeper, I’d probably prefer to dry tool with the dry picks but I just haven’t gotten on that terrain.

And as far as being T rated vs B rated goes. The pur ice picks are plenty strong in my experience. I’ve climbed rock on them fairly hard and regularly with no issues. I’m not a heavy climber and I don’t torque the shit out of my tools, so I don’t believe I’m exerting a lot of force on my picks.

And like I mentioned, I probably did file these a bit too aggressively where the maybe more likely to get stuck in the ice when cleaning, so these will likely become my mixed picks and I’ll less aggressively modify another pair of pur ice picks for ice only, but still with a slight curve, I don’t like them being “flat.”