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><br>I have not. It might be better to think of "self-arrest" grips" as "traction grips" instead. (Post-edit: Like username says, above.) I've used them mostly for security - a little extra traction - while skinning or booting up steep slopes. I've never done the sort of self-arrest drills with ski poles that I did with an ice axe when I learned to climb. I'm ashamed to say this. It seems like a good idea.<br><br>Having said that, I think relying on self-arrest poles to stop a fall that has gained significant momentum may be a false hope. If they're going to work, it will be before you've gained any speed. What little I know about skier falls on steep slopes indicates that they quickly turn into cartwheeling tumbles. That's what happened to my brother Carl last October and he was on a slope (42 degrees) that is below the threshold most people consider "extreme" (45 degrees). He tumbled for thousands of feet to his death.<br><br>I've heard of other skier falls, and they too were tumbles. I think it's because your edges catch. It's a scary prospect. To practice skier self-arrest, you need to practice preventing the ski edges from catching. If you can ride it out, a head-down fall may actually be safer than one in which you get your skis below you, because of the edge catching problem.<br><br>The alternatives are to take the skis off, belay with a rope, sidestep with the self-arrest pick in the snow, or do the same thing holding an ice axe (either pick or shaft in the snow). You do these things if you're not willing to bet your life that "I won't fall skiing."<br><br>Regarding self-arrest poles, I think they are all designed to be held by the grip, not by the top edge of the pick, as you would an ice axe. The Whippet is definitely designed to be held this way. The wrist strap attached to the pick is what enables you to pull downward on the pick. The weak mechanism by which the Whippet attaches to the pole shaft is of no value during self-arrest, except to keep the pick from rotating out of the snow.<br>
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