Climbing Technology

Alpin Tour

£65 434g (50cm)

excellent value uncomfortable head Materials: anodised aluminium with steel alloy head and spike Technical rating: T

Grip: none

Leash included?: yes Lengths available: 50cm, 60cm, 70cm climbingtechnology.com

Italy-based Climbing Technology is a brand known for no-nonsense technical gear at accessible prices, and the Alpin Tour is an excellent example of this. The looks are clunky, but this tool does everything it should and is available at less than half the price of some of its competitors.

The steel head has a cataphoresis black coating, and is solid and functional. The pick is well chamfered with plenty of backward-facing teeth of various sizes. The adze is broad and deep. My only gripe is that the top of the head has a pronounced bump that isn’t very comfortable if you have small hands.

The anodised alloy shaft is roughly oval (with flattened sides), which is comfortable to hold. The gentle curve in the top third is good for angling around bulgy terrain. There’s an asymmetric spike at the bottom with a clip in point.

This is a T-rated axe, and as such is very strong indeed, and suitable for all sorts of mountaineering applications. To offer such an ice axe at this price is really impressive, and this tool is one that I’d recommend in a heartbeat to anyone on a budget.