[Ice axe] ICE ROCK Idol

Review and Analysis of the ICE ROCK Idol ice axe

I have tried many ice axes over last 13 years, and Ice Rock’s idol is the best general-purpose ice axe that I have ever used for winter mountaineering. Idol’s profile and shape make it a great general-purpose ice axe, to be used for glacier travel, ski touring, and easy to medium alpine climbs. I have used it during all these activities, and I will continue doing so. In general, it does exactly what it is supposed to do: fall arrest and climbing support, and it does it really well. What makes it outperform all the competing models is its unbelievably low weight of merely 188 grams.

I have used Idol both in my exploratory winter expeditions to the mountains of Siberia, and during climbing trainings in the Alps. It helped me to climb some of the coldest mountains of the northern hemisphere, during solo expeditions to the Suntar-Khayata, Verkhoyansk, and Anadyr Ranges. These expeditions came with a mixture of ski touring, glacier travel, and not very technical alpine climbs. It did perform great and I will continue taking Idol for all my future undertakings.

Idol’s foremost distinctive feature is its low weight. At 188 grams, it is the lightest ice axe in the world by a large margin. At the same time, it’s quite robust. I have been using it for the last 3 years and it is still fully operational, despite taking quite a lot of abuse. This is possible thanks to a unique sturdy design (in which the shaft is fused with the head into one unit) as well as the used materials, including titanium, aircraft-grade aluminium, and carbon fiber. The additional advantages of the carbon-fibre shaft are preventing vibration when striking as well as lowering heat loss of the user’s hand. Finally, the axe is certified (CE-1019, EN-13089) and, what is definitely worth mentioning, it is the winner of ISPO BRANDNEW in the Winter Hardware category. All these facts speak for themselves.

Idol does well in all the ice axe related tasks. Its adze performs well at digging and step chopping. Its pick is able to penetrate the ice very effectively. While I did not use it as an anchor, I’d not hesitate to do so. Finally, it is very comfortable to carry.

The fact that Idol is made from carbon means that it is better suited for very cold places, and does not radiate cold as badly as standard ice axes. It played a big role in climbing in the very cold ranges.

Idol in Chersky Mountains in Yakutia in January. It was around -45 C.

Comparison to other ice axe models

Idol shines when compared to other models. In the figure below, I plot it together with other available models that weight less than 300 grams. Idol is much lighter than all of these models, while still being longer than many of them, i.e., Idol is 50cm (a 60cm variant is also available), while many competing models are 45cm long. It shows the potential to make this ice axe even lighter – I’d love to see a 45cm Idol being released.

Comparison of Idol’s weight to that of other lightweight ice axes available, focusing on models to be used for general alpine climbs

Note that I omit models that are specifically recommended for only ski touring or basic glacier travel, such as CAMP Corsa. While they are quite light (e.g., Corsa tips the scale at 202 grams), they are seemingly less versatile, and still heavier. Idol can be used on steep snow routes, it even comes with a handrest:

What to improve?

Is there anything that could be done better? Yes, there are some small things that I would love to see in the next Idol release. First, it would be great to see some rugged surface at the lower end of the shaft – to enable better hand grip. While this is not really needed when using the pick for easier climbs, it would help when using it on more technical routes – which I also did occasionally. Any weight increases would be marginal, and it would make the ice axe even more versatile. Second, I would appreciate if there is an Idol variant with a hammer. Again, while not going to be used very extensively (Idol is not really supposed to be used for technical climbing), I did have (rare) moments when having a pair of Idols, one with a hammer, would make sense.

Conclusion

All in all, Idol is an amazing choice for a ultralight ice axe for anything except for strictly technical climbs.

Photos

Idol goes very well with a CAMP ice pick protector. I highly recommend it, the pick is really sharp.

A beautiful morning in the Alps, with a light backpack thanks to, among others, Idol’s very low weight

Moving up on a delicate ridge in Verkhoyansk Mountains. It was late February and -30 C. On such days, you really want to move fast. Idol is perfect for such days, conditions, and routes.

Navigating a complex set of ridges, on a very windy and very cold (-30 C nominal temperature) day in Verkhoyansk Mountains, late February. On such days, you really want to move fast. Idol is perfect for such days, conditions, and routes.

Approaching the Mus-Khaya mountain in the Suntar-Khayata Range, in early Janaury. It was very cold (around -40 C nominal temperature). On such days, you really want to move fast. Idol is perfect for such days, conditions, and routes.

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