Black Diamond  Viper Adze Ice Tool

I took these (one hammer, one adze) up Mt. Hood for an early season summit. A big part of the climb involved steep snow and the flicklock pommels ensured my hands stayed right where they needed to be. The descent involved down climbing a 20' ice step and these babies delivered. Hood was a challenge for me but these tools really helped me feel safe and well-equipped. I had never used ice tools before, just a standard axe, but I'm so glad I bit the bullet and bought these. I don't think I'd want to climb water ice with them, but they sure fit the bill when a climb contains mixed conditions (steep snow, some ice, etc).

This tool does both good in both the words of mountaineering and light/easy ice climbing. Is this tool my first pick for hard mixed routes and steep ice? No. Is that why you buy this tool? No. You get this tool as a bit of a do it all for expeditions where your not sure if the route will end up being steep glacier traverse or AI-3 terrain. The piece for the versatility, weight. If you will only be mountaineering then perhaps the venom is the better tool for you. For me the extra capability to proper ice climb with these tools is well worth the extra weight on the pack or in the hands. Highly recommended these tools

I’m a little late to the game, better late than never, but after using tools with leashes for the past 20+ years of ice climbing, I can’t believe that I held out this long. Excellent swing balance on the tools, I have an adze and hammer and like having the adze to improve my screw placements when needed, place easily over bulges, overall very happy. I use the spinner leash since I’m usually climbing multi pitch ice but will likely not use it for single pitch ‘cragging’ days

I started ice climbing a few seasons ago and tested out a lot of different tools from friends and these always felt the best, so I finally took the leap and bought my own set! They feel good in my hands and have a nice swing. Definitely recommend!

Took them out for a weekend of climbing in Ouray. My partners and I all loved the new tools. Lightweight, a good swing, a comfortable shaft, and I loved the second pinky hook so I could choke up on the tool when needed.

Great Ice Ax with an awesome grip that keeps you moving up the mountain. Looking forward to using this more on additional adventures and wearing it in over time. Like that the tips can be replaced.

Just picked these up and they were amazing for steep ice heading up and also used for a nice little assist heading down on skis through a tight icy choke. Would def recommend.

I really like these ice tools. They're affordable, and have a nice feel to them. They have a slightly pick-heavy feel which I think helps for technical ice climbing.

Great for alpine ice, think I'll need a different pair for Hyalite climbing

From vertical ice to general mountaineering the viper does it all!