"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here’s what you need to know when choosing ice tools, along with my favorite picks for the best ice axes.

• Vintage elegant look. • Old style “ventilated” back panel. • Possibility to attach external loads on the top and on the sides. • Ice axe carrier. Info: www.grivel.com Planetmountain.com is a site ...

French manufacturer Petzl has been at the cutting edge of climbing and mountaineering equipment (including, of course, ice axes) for over half a century. What began as a family business producing ...

The ice axe you’ll want to use for mountaineering and couloir climbs is different than the type of ice tools you’ll need for pure ice climbing. A ski mountaineer or scrambler will have different needs ...