How To Care For Your Ice Tools

• Posted on 3 February 2025
• By Eric Sanderson
• Posted in Gear, Ice Climbing
• 0

No matter what your level, taking care of your (very expensive!) gear is paramount to having a fun and safe time in the mountains. From rust to dull picks, here's a little guide on how to care for your ice tools.

Winter is here, and with it; ice climbing. Here in the Bow Valley, we have a collection of some of the highest rated, most consistent, and, in my opinion, the most fun ice climbs out there. From classics like Moonlight (WI4), Hydrophobia (WI5), and Cascade Falls (WI3-R), to beginner-friendly cragging areas like Haffner Creek and Bear Spirit, the Bow Valley area has something for every level of ice climber.

No matter what your level, taking care of your (very expensive!) gear is paramount to having a fun and safe time in the mountains. The biggest difference between ice & drytooling gear compared to rock gear is that it isn’t often made with nylon; ice tools are typically made with plastic, aluminum, steel, and sometimes even carbon fiber. With these more solid materials comes their own set of challenges for maintenance, with rust being the primary concern.

To handle rust, there are a few options available, depending on the severity of the rust. First things first, if there are flakes of rust similar to that of a very, very old car that threatens the integrity of the tool; retire and recycle it. Or, better yet; hang it on the mantle and tell all your guests about the time you and your buddy nearly died except for that tool caught you both and pulled you out of the crevasse. Now, was it -40 degrees Celsius that night, ot -45?

If the rust is minimal, then a good scrub with a wire brush should do the trick to remove the surface rust. From there, you’ll probably want to sharpen your tool with a single cut file, typically no coarser than Second (medium) cut. There are two ways to sharpen your picks & crampons, depending on the kind of movement you want to do. Sharper, narrower, more prominent angles at the tips allow for greater penetration of the ice, but wear out faster. Flater, wider, less prominent angles at the tips require more skill to penetrate the ice, but last longer, especially if you are mixed climbing on rock and ice. If you don’t use your tools multiple times a week, a light coating of oil or silicone grease helps prevent additional surface rust from accumulating in between uses.

You’ve spent all season chasing ice, and (especially this year) have had a great time with fat condies and minimal avalanche hazard. Soon, it’ll be late spring, the ice is melting, and the rock is beckoning. Ideally, you’ve been fairly diligent about keeping up with the maintenance of your gear all season, so doing an end-of-season rust check & oil layer should be standard practice. A big part of keeping your tools in working order for the seasons to come is to ensure you loosen off all bolts, washers, nuts, and screws just a touch. By loosening the parts of your tools, you minimize the risk of the connective bits seizing, and causing your regular maintenance or replacement part installations to be far more troublesome than it should be. It also helps you see and engage with more of the tool, and to ensure all relevant parts of the tool have been scraped free of rust, and coated in a thin coat of oil or silicone grease prior to end of season storage.