I recently aquired a Grivel ice axe from a friend and see that the bottom can be removed via drilling out a rivet...my question is there somewhere i can get an extention for this and make it longer? I would like it to do triple duty as a hiking pole and axe/shovel.

My thought it if i can find an insert then i can drill the insert full of holes and then build a small quick release pin so that i can adjust the length...

Has anyone done this? Can it be done without having a machine shop built me an insert?

Mike

Edited by mphilip on 01/25/2010 11:29:24 MST.

btt


Come on someone must have some ideas..."I'm dying here Jerry"...

Mike

ttt

I don't think many people modify rated climbing equipment the way you are talking about, for various reasons. One comment that comes to mind is that the spike on the axe may very well be attached with glue as well as the rivet so removing it may not be as simple as you think....

Petzle makes an ice-axe with a trekking poll section in the bottom. You might look at that for ideas. Weather or not you need to have a machine-shop build you an insert is mostly a question of what skills and tools you have.

I can envision a plastic insert with a circular hole to take a tubing lower section. With a hole for a pin. Probably could be made with a drill press and some hand rasp work. Putting together a tubing section that would still be strong enough with the holes in it and not be really heavy sounds challenging.

You might consider building a trekking pole extention that straps onto the ice axe shaft without modifying the axe. I suspect it could be a lot less work to build. Something like the old ski-mountaineers taping there ice axe to there pole.