Whippet vs. Claw - a debate

Points well taken, Amar.  Thanks for clarifying your thoughts about the whippet.<br><br>I never remove the picks on my whippets. I've gotten used to skiing with self arrest picks and I've never gouged myself. Interestingly, Andrew McLean has said in internet posts that he also never removes the picks, in order to become accustomed to their presence. Over the years, I've accumulated several different sets of ski poles and if I'm going powder skiing, where an arrest grip is unnecessary, I just take the pair without the grips.<br><br>One thing to be aware of with whippets is that, because of the removable pick, you must put your hand through the wrist strap in order to use them for self arrest. If you don't the pick can rip out of the handle under load. This is not the case with Ramer claws.<br><br>If anyone has bought Ramer-style claw handles from Life-Link, you should be aware that some have been shipped with an assembly error. The pole strap is secured by a camming buckle that is screwed onto the top of the handle. On some handles I bought from Life-Link this winter, the buckles were installed with the hinge toward the claw pick, rather than toward the user's hand. As a result, if you tug upward on the strap--for example if you lose your grip on the pole or it snags on something--the camming buckle opens immediately and the strap comes loose. It's inadvertently a quick-release system.<br><br>The buckle should be installed with the hinge toward the user's hand so you can tug on it without the buckle releasing.  If you have a pair of mis-assembled handles, you can easily unscrew the buckle and turn it around. I told Tim Kelley at Life-Link about this and he confirmed that it was a production error and will be fixed. Apparently, since Paul Ramer died, there was some confusion about how his invention was supposed to be used.<br><br>Corey mentioned holding the Ramer claw on the top with the pick pointing back. I like to hold it with the pick forward, which Chouinard calls the "cane position" for holding an ice axe. Here's a picture of my brother using this techique to good effect:<br><br> www.alpenglow.org/themes/subalpine/cd-30...nite-ck-crampon.html

I also like that hand position with the claws, Lowell, especially when hiking out (downhill) with a load.<br>Also noteworthy in your picture is the "Skoog Inspired Optimum for Bulshwhacking Ski Carry". with a 'biner through the ski tips it cuts through brush like a knife through butter.

With just a little bit of padding, the old Ramer claws (and possibly the new ones?) make good emergency crutches. I vaguely remember one of his catalogs touting them in this way. He was masterful at designing multi-use gear.

Question for Claw/Whippet users: Do you use two claws/whippets or just one?

I'd like to throw a few thoughts of my own into the mix...<br><br>In soft snow conditions where the whippet is less useful, I don't feel the need for a self arrest device.<br><br>More than anything else, I use them for climbing, and I use two. Unless I'm really pushing to do something stupid/insane, I feel like I should be able to climb anything I want to ski with nothing more than whippets. To this end, I have two because they're really nice for use in a dagger position on steep snow. I generally take an ice ax if I expect to climb ice, or just for the sake of insurance should something go wrong travelling a glacier.<br><br>I've never used the Ramer grips, but when I want something for security, I want it to be metal. <br><br>Lowell, I think you're right about using the wrist straps for someone holding the whippet like a normal pole. There are exceptions, though. If I'm climbing a steep snow slope where I could slip, but there's no real exposure to hazards below, I tend to make my steps fast and careless, and when one of my steps fails to hold, I fall on the whippet holding it across the top. Then I return to rapid fire steps without further adieu. I also like to use them like a cane like Corey mentioned, and in that case it's very natural to plant the whippet holding it by the top.<br><br>Just for the sake of contradicting Amar (experimental physicists nitpick each other to no end, it's part of the job), I would like to point out I often use a whippet to scratch my face during a climb, it gets itchy from sweat, and I tend to smudge sweat and sunscreen onto everything using my grubby fingers.<br><br>Finally, I ski with whippets pointed away from my body, and no wrist straps. I've never had a close call with stabbing myself, but I don't know if I rip it up like Sam. Furthermore, it's better than running with scissors!<br><br>Do whatever makes you feel safe and lets you have fun.

Holding the handle too as you wipe the sweat off of your forehead would help prevent any damage