Ice axes

Mountaineering and ice climbing are increasingly the extreme sports of choice. Few sights can replace the sunrise at the top of a mountain. The experience of climbing remains in the memory forever because of the unprecedented kind of excitement that accompanies the experience. This is a rather dangerous sport, so the equipment used during this type of activity must meet certain standards of durability - it must not let you down in a situation that threatens your life or health. One of the indispensable equipment during this type of sport are specialized checks, which perform several specific functions.

The construction of the check is in the shape of a stick ending in a head. The elements that make up the tool are the spearhead - a sharply pointed piece at the bottom, which can be freely driven into the snow, ice for belay or support. The stylus - usually with a rubber grip for a better grip, and a loop so that a tool dropped inadvertently does not slip down the slope. The most important part, of course, is the head, which is the shaft for the bow - the serrated hook that you drive into the ice when climbing, and the blade, which can provide support for your arm or leg when approaching a steep wall. The stylet is usually between 50 and 90 cm in length and made of high-quality steel or aluminum alloys. The head, on the other hand, is most often made of carbon or alloy steel, less often of aluminum or even titanium. These are tools that perform several specific functions - from climbing, to carving stairs in ice, and as a staff for support during steep ascents and for braking when slipping while belaying. The forerunners of checks are alpine poles and alpenstok - an axe for clearing steps in ice. Interestingly, in the Polish Tatras the above role was fulfilled by suitably sturdy and designed for this type of task well known to all of us ciupagi, called rąbanica or rumbanica. Probably many of us had a grandfather or grandmother who, instead of a walking stick, used a characteristic wooden ciupaga ending in a rubber foot to prevent slipping on slippery sidewalk or asphalt. This is an interesting confusion of climbing culture that has found its way into everyday life.

Does this mean that the czekans are intended only for the Himalayas and climbing when climbing mountains above 5000m? No, of course not - for slightly smaller challenges there are tourist checks, which we can also meet in our Polish Tatras. Used, for example, by cave explorers and TOPR rescuers, they find their use in the Polish mountains, which, contrary to appearances, are not the easiest terrains to conquer. In our offer you will find just this type of tourist assortment in different sizes and a dozen models, which you can take with you on your next trip to the mountains. That's not all - the sport of climbing icefalls - i.e. frozen waterfalls - is gaining popularity. They are also artificially created for the sport, by pouring and freezing water on climbing walls, so that you can train your climbing skills in extreme conditions in a safe environment.

When preparing for such an extreme sport of climbing with the help of ice-checkers, it is advisable to seek advice and training from experts and to start with somewhat milder disciplines such as climbing walls. You need specialized full-body training and, of course, the right equipment. If you have already mastered the basic techniques, you will need to purchase such accessories as professional climbing crampons, rope and climbing harness, and most important - a helmet. In addition, you will find a variety of such accessories in our offer, and among them are, for example, durable snap hooks. Although on paper it seems an incredibly difficult challenge, more and more people are taking up the challenge of such a sport precisely because of the adrenaline rush and the unforgettable memories that are created during it. This is a sport during which you will always be surprised by something along the route, and you will be forced to face more and more new challenges not only to your body, but also to your willpower and survival. Is it worth it? According to the vast majority of climbers - most definitely.