Journal

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

BD Sales Rep Roger Strong on how to properly place an ice screw

This video (made by our friends over at Arc'teryx) shows Black Diamond Sales Rep Roger Strong giving a clinic at Hyalite Canyon during the Bozeman Ice Festival on how to properly place an ice screw. Roger provides some great insight into what to look for in a placement, angle of placement and method of placement.

Recent Talk (1)

  • Claude Gauthier
    15 Jan 2010, 6:35AM

    As for ice screw placement I may have few hints here. I'm engineer, so I see it from a very technical perspective. Placing the screw 10-15deg downward is a must practice. Why ? Because at its surface, the ice is brittle. Therefore, following an impact, the few cm of ice on surface will simply break, hence leaving few cm of screw without any support. This is where the angle downward help to prevent or to minimize lever effect on the scews. The scew barely slip from the hole, it is more a ice plate that simply explode. See more on: http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/petzl-tv/videos/ice-climbing

    There are great video with scientific approach on abalakov and ice scew resistance...

  • Roger Strong
    12 Dec 2009, 12:37AM

    Howdy Jacon,

    Thanks for taking the time to consider the vast and ever changing scenarios of our beloved ice world. When I get the time to dig up Craig Luebben's extensive research on ice screw placements in multiple conditions, temperatures, and screw lengths, I'll defer to the the BD QA crew that can give you more of the science and data behind why placing any screw upward in any vertical orientation is a much stronger placement than the leverage imposing angle of the downward placement. Hold tight, get out and swing em' and play safe,

    Cheers...

    Roj

  • Jacon
    29 Oct 2009, 1:16PM

    It seems worth noting that placing screws at an upward angle is only a good idea if it's really cold and they're not going to melt out at all. If they are going to melt out, better to place them angled downward. An ice screw that's melted out and is going to act as a lever is still better than one that isn't in the ice at all.

Talk!

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