What Our Gearhead(R) Experts Are Saying:"I clipped the Ride Ice Axe to my pack for a spring ski mountaineering objective and barely noticed the extra weight on the skin track. When the exit run turned icy near the summit, the tapered pick gave me a solid, secure placement to downclimb the steepest section."Some objectives ask you to skin for hours before the terrain ever gets steep, and the Ride Ice Axe from Petzl is built to disappear on your pack until that moment arrives. Picture a spring corn run that starts with a long approach and ends on a narrow, icy ridge, needing security for a short exposed downclimb before you can drop in and ski. At just over half a pound, the Ride rides light strapped to a pack all day, its beveled spike keeping it from snagging gear along the way. A tapered steel pick delivers a secure placement the moment the snow turns to ice, while a low-profile adze clears a stance when you need one. It is a tool built to be carried far more often than it is swung, and to perform completely when it finally is.