Black Diamond Venom LT Classic Ice Axe
If you’ve ever thought to yourself “man, it’d be really cool if I could use my ice axe as a shovel handle,” you’re not alone. For years, weight and space-minded ski mountaineers have fantasized about the mythical ice axe that acted as a shovel handle. If you’re anything like us, you may have even tried all sorts of axe and shovel blade combinations, but haven't been satisfied. Alas, Black Diamond has come to the rescue again in the form of the Venom Classic LT. This UIAA and CE-certified axe is built for ultralight versatility in the mountains, with its athletic weight, replaceable pick and spike, and ability to “add on” a hammer. Perhaps most impressive is its ability to mate with the Black Diamond Transfer Shovel Blade, negating the need to bring both a heavy shovel handle and an ice axe. If your words of affirmation include “versatile,” “functional,” and “light,” the Venom Classic LT is for you.
- Hammer, Tech Pick, Adjustable Pommel, and Transfer Shovel Blade Compatible make this a Transformer of an axe.
- Replaceable steel Hot Forged Classic LT Pick and steel spike so go ahead, knock the snot out of it.
- Grooved Aluminum shaft for extra grip.
- CE and UIAA certified.
Specifications | |
Lengths (cm) | 45 |
Weight |
241g |
Specs Verified | Yes |
Design | |
|
Hot forged pick, aluminum head and adze, aluminum shaft |
Skimo Co Says | |
Usage | Mountaineering, ski mountaineering |
Notes | Transfer shovel blade compatible |
Bottom Line | Light and versatile mountaineering axe |
Compare to other Ice Axes |
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Questions & Reviews
Aside from the weight savings of skipping a shovel shaft/handle, that was about the best that could be said, and it worked especially poorly for scooping up any sort of loose snow.
That experiment jaded me on any similar setup, and the stats years later for the Shaxe did nothing to dissuade me from that. Grivel also had a rather odd attempt in this genre.
BD though has now atoned for its earlier attempt and then some. On its own, the axe has at most about a single-ounce weight penalty compared to the lightest competition, and it has both a real spike (that really does penetrate for self-belay, and really won’t jam up with snow/ice unlike the spikes that are merely cut-off shafts) and a real pick (if you need to self-arrest for real). The Transfer LT shovel was already my favorite, and now, whoah, the mating of the axe and shovel blade is both quick and secure, with excellent ergonomics once assembled.
Overall, the only drawback of this combo is probably the bad reputation from prior attempts (i.e., BD, K2/BCA, Grivel). Plus this just isn’t the kind of ultralight innovation expected from BD. But BD here has really outdone all the competition that specializes in such innovations.
I do not believe this would work with the standard Transfer shovel. Looking at the Transfer shovel blade and shaft, it locks with the button in a different position (on the side) compared to the Transfer LT which has it on the back (which is how the axe interfaces with it as well). So I don't think they would line up and function as intended.
I just weighed one of the Transfer LT shovel blades and it clocked in at 204g. Hope this helps!
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