DIY Mixed Hook

Ice hooks are great, bomber in rock, turf and mud. Unfortunately in ice they tend to be very marginal and should be treated like you would a size 1 micro nut. An ice hook should only ever be placed where nothing else will go, as a stubby screw will be stronger in thin ice, or an angle peg in an ice-choked crack. If the only piece that’ll go is a hook, make sure it’s placed deep, clip it with a screamer, use it with skinny ropes, and don’t expect miracles.

Thankfully ice hooks work much better on more esoteric ground, working well in turf, grass and general vegetable weirdness. They also work well in cracks, especially those choked with frozen mud and dirt. The problem with rock placements is that the hook is often overdriven, generally because you’re trying to create the correct pull, meaning the hook has to be fully driven. An overdriven hook in rock can be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove.

The issue is that for mixed climbing, where rock placements are common, a normal ice hook is far too long. What’s really needed is a hook of around half the length, so it can be placed fully but still removed easily.

At the moment no one makes such a hook, so the only option is to modify an existing design.

The basic idea is to shorten the hook by half using a hacksaw, then reshape the pick so it resembles your axe pick as closely as possible. Ideally, if it matches your pick, then if your pick finds a tight spot you can slot the hook in once it’s removed. Often this mini hook can be hand placed or just lightly tapped to seat. These shortened hooks can also be stacked with other gear to help hold them in place.

At present the best hook to buy and modify is the DMM Bulldog, both because it’s cheaper than the BD Spectre and because its shallower angle makes modification much easier.