Winter skills 2.5: how to ice axe arrest in the snow

Do you know how to stop yourself sliding on snow by using an ice-axe self-arrest? This is an essential skill when walking and climbing in the winter mountains.
A slip in winter can result in you hurtling down a snowy slope very quickly, possibly with disastrous consequences.
This short film shows how the ice axe can be used to bring you to a stop should you slip - a potential life saver in the mountains.
This is one of a series of instructional films produced exclusively for BMC TV in association with AMI (the Association of Mountaineering Instructors), Lowe Alpine and DMM.
WATCH: 32 winter skills films in our playlist: • #MakeWinterCount - lea...
www.ami.org.uk/
lowealpine.com/
dmmclimbing.com/
#trekking #hiking #iceclimbing #mountaineering
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[@sedotable]

This is the best video of about 5 I've seen on ice axe handling. Thank you very much! Also good mentioning to practice with both hands, seems trivial but someone might forget.

[@ToddsDiscGolf]

This was a great demo, we will practice just like you’ve shown. Thanks

[@nosek666]

Great video,it shows all possible positions you can end up with,very informative. I wish you could do one more where you have your crampons on and explain/show what would happen if you try to put your feet down and use them to stop,as this wasn't mentioned here.

[@simonsherratt1484]

Surely it would destroy your ankles, he did mention to keep your feet up

[@nosek666]

@@simonsherratt1484 yes I know he mentioned feet up,but didn't mention the reason. I think it could lead to a somersault (probably depends if there were rocks or just flat icy surface)

[@samgalmighty504]

1:07. Basically yes, you cartwheel

[@vincepod]

Thank you very much for this vital lesson. It saved my life today.

[@wouldbang6928]

Get good

[@TropaSoy_]

-_-

[@geraldberliner5260]

Thank you very much for this. We have just been hit with our first big snow storm in Upstate New York. Time to get out there and practice this.

[@younggun7722]

What a great video. Serious guy, who knows how to explain everything and how to show you so that you can remember. Thanks

[@vbrvideoproductions4643]

Best video by far, thank you guy's

[@fredEVOIX]

great demo was blocked by a slope without gear dont want that to stay as a fail going back with ice axe and crampons it wasnt deadly but sliding without gear would have been to fast not to end with an injury and this time ill come from the bottom to be able to test from a lower posit and climb rather than descend

[@valentynsabulis2858]

Well done, thanks team BMC.

[@AndrewHelmer47]

Fantastic video, really good demonstrations of the different situations.

[@isaacjamesbaker]

Such a helpful video!

[@jakeengland1430]

We love you Si

[@RollrightKnights]

What about when wearing a backpack, which is the most common scenario surely? How does that affect the ability to turn over quickly enough?

[@weichentechnikk8083]

Had the exact same question, especially for the last position. I would feel like turtle trying to turn to the side to engage the ice axe.

[@garyduran1]

Thanks for the lesson.

[@jaiguru8487]

With blizzard, tiredness, poor visibility i think the struggle would be real..and that took some time!

[@halibut1249]

Good info.

[@nelsonmolina1846]

Great videop, thank you

[@guerreroestoico83]

Great!

[@larsandersson5974]

Awesome :-)

[@flytoak]

Aren't we supposed to dig our toes too in the snow?

[@flytoak]

Vatrogasac Mirko I was guessing the same. But your confirmation affirms. Thanks for sharing! 🤘

[@NateAlmeida]

@@flytoak This is a simulation of having crampons on. If you're sliding without crampons, you should kick your feet into the snow repeatedly to try to make buckets to stand in. Doing that with crampons on would cause broken ankles.

[@flytoak]

Nate Almeida awesome! Totally makes sense! Thanks for sharing! :)

[@johnlindsay2166]

None of the arrests are shown wearing a heavy rucksack....

[@stevenjfrisch]

Appalling that misinformation this extreme is so common place. Yesterday, I beginner lost his axe TWICE because he didn't have a leash or "wrist loop". The change from soft snow to hard wind slab tore it out of his hand UNSURPRISINGLY. Even after it happened the first time, so he knew to be wary of that, he still had it ripped out of his hand a second time. I have saved my life numerous times by needing to use THE ENTIRE SHAFT in soft snow. Beginners need to train to change between the pick for hard wind slap and the entire shaft for soft snow.

[@stevenjfrisch]

@Artemio Medina He is only teaching to use the pick, which is nesessary for hard dense snow. When the snow is soft the pick will pull through it with no resistence and you will accelerate to your death; no joke. In that case you need to hold the ice ax vertically and use the bottom 1/3rd of the whole shaft dug into the snow to slow yourself down. I've NEEDED to do this MANY times in the mountains.

[@Luke-kw8jm]

Guide should try wearing their gators over their trousers. Would prevent damage to trouser cuffs from crampons.