I have the Altitude 70 and have been using it extensively for two seasons now. It is a great axe as far as it goes. Great for lower-angled stuff (<45 degrees) and moderate mountaineering. I've climbed some WI3 with it and it works, though is far from ideal, but it performs very well on glissades, couloir climbs, and steep traverses.
It should be noted that the shaft is aluminum, but the head is steel (unlike the similar, lighter XLA 210). This is a good compromise between functionality and weight. The pick length is noticably shorter than comparable axes out there (BD Raven, for instance) and the adze is a bit anemic. The spike design is adequate for soft snow, but doesn't work well in compacted glacier ice. A steel spike would be nice, but would be difficult to engineer into the existing shaft.
Pros:
super light weight without compromising functionality
easy to pack and light enough you'll have it with you when you need it
simple design
Cons:
aluminum spike doesn't work well in very hard snow/alpine ice
short pick/adze
stock leash is irritating and too short (remove and tie your own)
This is a great take-anywhere, pack-and-forget mountain axe. Four out of five stars.
CharlesD - Feb 2, 2006 2:01 pm - Voted 4/5
Untitled ReviewIt should be noted that the shaft is aluminum, but the head is steel (unlike the similar, lighter XLA 210). This is a good compromise between functionality and weight. The pick length is noticably shorter than comparable axes out there (BD Raven, for instance) and the adze is a bit anemic. The spike design is adequate for soft snow, but doesn't work well in compacted glacier ice. A steel spike would be nice, but would be difficult to engineer into the existing shaft.
Pros:
Cons:
This is a great take-anywhere, pack-and-forget mountain axe. Four out of five stars.