Learn iceaxe self-arrest for winter mountaineering

Here's a posting from summitpost.com (By the way, I have a BD ArcLight which is similar to the BD Alpamayo mentioned below, I do agree it's possible to archive a self-arrest on low angle ice using this ice axe if you are really good at it).
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<br>John
<br> [member info]    posted  2002-12-10 13:58:14    (edited 2002-12-10 14:43:12)   Reply to This Topic
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<br>I just picked up a BD Raven Pro for Orizaba and hopefully some ski trips. It's lighter than the Air Tech Racing and in IMHO has a better center of gravity for swinging. I tried swinging both in the air at the store and I prefered the Raven Pro's lower center of gravity relative to the Air Tech Racing. The Raven Pro is also less than half the weight of my other axe, the BD Alpamayo (800+ grams).
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<br>On a side note, I was wondering what everyone's "best" self-arrest experience was? Mine was climbing an low angle hard ice slope (35-40°?) with my long axe (BD Alpamayo) in my left hand and a 50cm straight tool in my right (using the spikes on both). I slipped and started flying down the mountain, both tools out of my hands. Everything started to move in slow motion once it registered that I was falling. Then I looked for my long axe, figured I was out of position and "flipped" my body over to catch the long axe and get my body into self-arrest position. I missed and had to do it a second time. Then it took me 3 tries to get the pick into the ice before I stopped. Once I stopped, I kicked in my front points, I found my tool still attached to my right hand and drove that pick into the ice as well before resting on the leashes and catching my breath. I had fallen 200+ feet and you could see a ~10+ foot vertical scratch in the ice where my pick was scraping against it before I stopped (it may have been longer than 10 feet but I really didn't look carefully). There was still quite a bit father to fall as well (200-300 foot potential but I would have hit some rocks before the end I believe). I think I'll stay with the heavier axe for icy conditions but won't mind the lighter one for snow ;-) Yes, there was a witness - he couldn't believe I managed to self-arrest.
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晨峰

<br><br>  /\  回首千嶂浴清晨，山是绝顶我为峰。
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mudplayer

撒开手想想美好的东西
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