In regard to Whippet technique.... There was an extended discussion on the use of Whippets on Tellemark Tips before it went belly up. The discussion went on for months and finally involved the inventor himself. The upshot was that Whippets are not ice axes! They are best used by immediately plunging the picks into the snow with both your hands still on the ski pole grips (the traditional ice ax grip, with one hand on the ax head and one hand on the end of the handle, places too much strain on the ski pole and exceeds their design limits). This means you are counting on stopping your slide asap. The discussion on Tellemark Tips was full of people who attempted to use Whippets for a traditional Self Arrest with poor results.
What I got out of the discussion is that Whippets are marginal for stopping a fall once you build up speed. I used to carry one whippet on steep slopes, planning to use the self arrest technique I learned with an Ice Ax. After that web page discussion I went out and bought a second Whippet to increase my quick plunge stopping ability. In this context Whippets can be effective. In serious exposure I usually carry and use a full on Ice Ax.
