An ice axe is a multi purpose tool used by mountaineers climbing and descending routes that cross snow or ice. On gentle slopes it works as a walking stick, on steeper ground it can be swung pick first into snow or ice for extra grip, or buried in snow to anchor a rope for belaying. It is built from at least five parts, a steel head carrying a pick and an adze, a shaft that was traditionally wood but is now usually a lightweight metal or composite, a spike at the base, and often a wrist leash. Beyond aiding the climb itself, the ice axe lets a climber self arrest, using the pick to stop a fall while descending. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)The first true ice axe was created around 1840 by merging the alpenstock and the axe, according to Grivel, the earliest manufacturer of ice axes. 1 OriginThe ice axe descends from the alpenstock, a long wooden pole with an iron spike tip used by Alpine shepherds on snowfields and glaciers since the Middle Ages. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Ice Axe (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Grivel 1840 merger sentence
According to the earliest manufacturer of ice axes, Grivel, these two tools were merged to create the first true ice axe around 1840.
History section, alpenstock antecedent sentence
The antecedent of the ice axe was the alpenstock, a long wooden pole with an iron spike tip, used by shepherds for travel on snowfields and glaciers in the Alps since the Middle Ages.
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