Whippet vs. Claw - a debate

Username (Justin) - I LOVE my whippet when snowboarding. It's a pole for balance on the ascent, and an adequate ice axe when it gets steep. AND because it goes on the pack when descending, I don't fear stabbing myself, but while skiing...<br><br>I've watched a freind slide down a couloir in the Sierra - a really bad fall - tumbling and rolling and the only thing that stopped him was his whippet. If he didn't have it he would probably still be sliding. After seeing this, I'll always ski with my whippet out - like savaiusini - the alternative would stink.

Larry

I really love my Ramer self arrest grips also, but I too made some modifications. For me the Ramer lettering on the grip and on the Ramer alpine style grips easily wore holes through my wool mitts. One feature not well thought out, a sacrifice to the marketing at the time.<br><br>I have used them in just about every position imaginable, such as a high dagger position or low dagger position (equivalent to ice axe positions). However, I have to admit that these were not in blue ice conditions. Given their utility across a pretty wide range of snow conditions, I have never felt unsafe using them or taking a fall with them. It is nice not to have still one more thing to deal with during a descent. I too am a skier who prefers to climb for the ski rather than the reverse. (That is, when I am on a ski trip.)<br><br>The wonderfull platform they give to the palm when using them as short walking sticks is amazing relief on long descents where one can take significant weight off of the legs (or more importantly the impact on the knees). Kind of like stilts that can launch one over low obsticles or assist in extra long steps down.<br><br>I've had these poles with several types of grips and I have gone through great pains to keep them functional. A couple of tube breaks replaced with new aluminum tubing and a hell of a time finding replacement baskets this year after my hard claw baskets bit it last summer! Gosh I am really going to miss those hard claws absolutely brilliant!<br><br>These grips also are great for bushwacking and hook branches, roots, whatever. But then so may the whippets.<br><br>Alan

I would just like to inform everybody that as of today, I am as cool a skier as Sky, Jason, Amar, and the rest of the whippet-wielding elitist snobs. <br><br>I looked at the Claw and it seems like it's so short it won't be of much use. That, and plastic is weaker than metal.

Love my claws (plural), shortened up and turned backwards while climbing, cane grip sorta thing. A friend glued some 1/4" neoprene pads on top of his and swears by it. Knuckel guard is usefull when booting up steep snow, mud , heather etc. I've never whipped it, so can't compare.

I know this thread was close to dead, but this is relevant:<br>Phil H's TR on the Baker Coleman-Deming trip (see April TR's) mentions "unsolicited advice - remove whipit before descending". I saw his stitches yesterday - a nice curved line below his right collar bone, a bit close to the neck for (my) comfort. Apparently it didn't bleed all that much, but was a pretty deep cut...<br>