Whippet attachment strength/durability?

I just bought a whippet so that I have the choice of not carrying an iceaxe on mellow glacier tours (like volcanoes).<br><br>The way the pick attaches to the pole looks pretty weak to me. The pick is just held in a by a little notch, and the very thin, non-reinforced aluminum wall of the pole shaft.<br><br>How are people's whippets holding up at this spot? Has the aluminum worn down much? Is the pick looser than before? Has anyone had a whippet pick pull out of the pole? Has anyone considered or performed any kind of reinforcement or repair to make the attachment stronger?

I was horrified by the attachment mechanism when I first laid down seventy bucks for a Whippet, but it works fine and doesn't seem susceptible to wear or breakage. It's necessary to make sure the little tab engages fully; if it's not just the right shape, pull the pick from the pole and bend it slightly until the tab snaps into place authoritiatively.<br><br>Hope that helps.<br><br>Mark

The thing to remember about Whippets is that you've got to put your hand through the wrist strap! <br><br>If you do, then you don't need to worry about the Whippet pulling out of the pole shaft. Instead, you just need to keep a good grip on the handle.<br><br>If you don't put your hand through the wrist strap, then heaven help you! One time I casually used a Whippet to pull over a snowbank on the side of the road (without using the wrist strap) and it popped right off the shaft.

So the strap helps keep the pick on the pole?<br><br>Has anyone used these to stop a slip where you've built up some momentum? With the pole in an ice axe grip, as opposed to gripping it as a ski pole? It seems like that's how you'd be using it, at least on some hairy sections when you're off skis.<br>

So the strap helps keep the pick on the pole?

<br><br>The strap is firmly connected to the pick. The pick is weakly connected to the pole through a latch mechanism. Your hand passing through the strap and grasping the pole grip is what keeps the whole thing together. If you have a Whippet, you can easily verify this at home.

I recently took a long, uncontrolled ride down a slope on my back. I didn't get hurt. However, I got a taste of how things can go south real fast on an icey slope. I tried to use the tip of a ski pole to arrest, but that was no good. Gravity just sent me flying.<br><br>So, I decided to get a Whippet. REI and Backpackers Supply in Tacoma didn't have anything, so I was going to order online. I am still considering options. So if anyone has any recommendations I would really appreciate hearing them.<br><br>From the discussion here, it is apparent that a Whippet is not an ice axe. However, I assure you that when you take a tumble, you will wish for anything that you can arrest with.<br><br>I have had self arrest training with my ice axe and would really recommend having someone check you out if you haven't done this. Consider that there are roughly four scenarios: head first on belly or back and feet first on belly or back. When my brother got an ice axe, I hauled him up to Mt. Rainier and put him through all the moves.<br><br>I successfully self arrested on Mt. Adams when I caught a crampon on my pant leg and tripped. With the training it was an automatic move to arrest on first contact. And I have arrested several times when glissading got out of control.<br><br>I am also considering the Grivel Condor add on grip with a folding blade: www.grivelnorthamerica.com/products.php?gid=1&id=11