Cassin ghost ice axe

imported
#1

anybody use the cassin ghost ice axe? it comes in three sizes (50cm 60cm and 70cm), which is the right size for me? TY

cheeserTOM

#2

Hey TY,
Heather and I used the Cassin Ghost this year in the Sierras, in very high snow conditions. Very light (7 oz.- 50 cm.), and really all you need for backpacking (don’t listen to anybody who tells you it’s not heavy enough to cut steps. Even with the snow as it was this year, we never needed to do that). pretty much the only problem we found with it was tha

Remy

#3

Oops… let me finish that…

…was that because the shaft was hollow, after a few times stabbing it in the snow ice colleced inside. minor problem, which you can solve by shaking the axe. overall, i would highly recommend it.
As to the sizing, that depends on your height and preference. the conventional way of measuring the neccessary lenghth is to stand straight, holding the axe by the head in your hand. an axe is the right lenghth when it’s tip reaches your ankle. for me, at 5’10", that means a 60 or 70 cm.
However, this year we could only find 50 cm. axes for us, so we bought those. since we never had to cut steps, it was never a real problem, so you could use a shorter axe if you wanted to.
Another issue is finding the axe. As of last winter, it was very hard to find the Ghost in the States. Even if a Retailer on the internet says he has it in stock, i would call to make sure.

Remy

#4

thanks remy, that s exactly the info i was looking for…did you need crampons when you were in the sierras?thanks

cheeserTOM

#5

tom
i hiked with remy and heather this year and can agree what he said. i used the 60cm and it was fine. i didnt use crampons and glad i didnt. everyone who bought them seemed to barely use them or once they put them on it was a little too much. as for finding the ax go here:

http://www.telemark-pyrenees.com

it is this place in france i believe. when everyone else couldnt find them in the states i found this retailer who was awesome. i explained that i was leaving soon to hike the pct and they shipped the ax expedited no charge. if you cant find the cassin ghost try out th xla camp or something like that.

panda

#6

Length depends partly on how comfortable/experienced you are with ice axe self arrest. If you really only intend to use the axe while falling, a short axe will do. Practice ice axe arrest techniques before you get on the trail. If you intend to use the axe to prevent falls, i.e. by digging in the axe while traversing steep slopes, then you need one that is long enough to reach the ground while you are standing upright. When the slopes were steep or icy, I dug the axe in with every step. I never fell on the PCT. (I did fall on the CDT a couple of times, when I was less cautious because the drop wasn’t much. The axe stopped me about half the time. A tree stopped me the other times.) By digging in the axe with every step, whenever I felt conditions warrented it, I was slow, but safe. Others I know were less cautious - and a few needed to do some serious self-arrests.

Ginny

#7

Tom: i used both the Ghost (borrowed from Jackalope for San Jacinto) and the Cassin Dragon Fly (my trusty, old faithful) on my PCT thru-hike this year. I agree with what Remy and Panda have to say - its a great axe and very light, but the hollow shaft was a pain in the butt and the shaft itself is unpainted - the mirror like aluminum surface stays cold even in direct sunlight (not fun when your bare-handed). If Cassin still makes the Dragon Fly axe, i would recommend buying it instead. Its about the same weight, but has a closed shaft that is painted black, which warms up nicely in the sun. Also, it has a sliding lanyard which is quite usefull when shifting hand positions on the axe. As far as the lenght, i would recommend the shortest shaft - its lighter, smaller and still adequate for self arrest & glissading. The longer shafts or “walking” axes are usefull for long steep slopes/traverses where the axe is used like a hiking pole for balance, but most of the PCT traverses are short and sweet & i don’t think the added weight/size is worth the seldom used benefit.
Happy Trail, freebird

freebird