Ice Axes/Hammers: Black Diamond

Ice Axes

Alpine

↑ 030: Black Diamond Alpamayo

Made in USA [1998].
700x290 mm.
Weight: 870 g.
Aluminum Shaft.
Shaft: 33x23 mm.
Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
Straight adze with straight edge.
Adze: 70(l)x60(w)x0(arch) mm.
Curved Alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 11 ventral teeth.
Pick: 150(l)x25(h)x5(t) mm.
Triangular plate spike.
Spike: 65(l)x31(w)x5(t) mm.
Equipped with Black Diamond leash..
A standard general-purpose ice axe of the 1990s.
Bought in 1997 as a loaner for a friend.

↑ 071: Black Diamond Raven

Made in USA [2024].
750x260 mm.
Weight: 580 g.
Aluminum Shaft.
Shaft: 30x20 mm.
Fixed Head with carabiner hole.
Straight adze with straight edge.
Adze: 60(l)x51(w)x6(arch) mm.
Curved Alpine pick with a negative-clearance chisel tip and with 11 ventral teeth.
Pick: 100(l)x23(h)x6(t) mm.
Triangular plate spike.
Spike: 34(l)x29(w)x5(t) mm.
Equipped with Black Diamond leash. This leash is more suited for technical ice climbing than for mountaineering, so I may swap it it with the leash on my X-15.
A standard general-purpose ice axe of current vintage.

Modular

Black Diamond offered an alpine pick, a straight Alaska pick, and three recurved ice picks for their modular ice axes and hammers. Two of these appear identical in photographs. One (the Titan) met the CEN-T standard for pick strength. The other (Laser) was thinner and gave much better performance for finesse climbers like me. I do not have an example of the third (the Fusion).

↑ 249: Black Diamond X–15

Made in USA [ca. 1995].
560x250 mm.
Weight: 875 g.
Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
Shaft: 33x21 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Semi-modular head with carabiner hole.
Curved adze with a straight edge and no arch.
Adze: 65(l)x55(w)x0(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 2 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 123(l)x24(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed plate spike.
Spike: 18(l)x24(w)x4(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
I find the straight shaft easier to drive as a backup alpine anchor.

↑ 204: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [early 1990s].
500x265 mm.
Weight: 740 g.
Rubber-covered Shaft.
Shaft: 36x24 mm.
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Triangular adze with notched edges.
Adze: 95(l)x65(w)x12(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 ventral teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x24(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 27(l)x27(w)x4(t) mm.
An older and heavier version of one of my favorite ice tools.
I find the straight shaft less comfortable than the bent shaft version for waterfall ice.
The unusual triangular notched adze is designed for crack wedging but also works surprisingly well for clearing waterfall ice. This one has a polished finish.

↑ 203: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [early 1990s].
500x265 mm.
Weight: 740 g.
Rubber-covered Shaft.
Shaft: 35x23 mm.
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Triangular adze with notched edges.
Adze: 95(l)x65(w)x12(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 ventral teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x24(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 27(l)x27(w)x4(t) mm.
An older and heavier version of one of my favorite ice tools.
The unusual triangular notched adze is designed for crack wedging but also works surprisingly well for clearing waterfall ice.

↑ 038: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [ca. 1998].
500x260 mm.
Weight: 770 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 36x24 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Triangular adze with notched edges.
Adze: 76(l)x62(w)x12(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 3 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x27(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 20(l)x32(w)x9(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
The unusual triangular notched adze is designed for crack wedging but also works surprisingly well for clearing waterfall ice. This tool has the thinner Laser Pick that better suits my finesse (vs. haul off and whack) style of ice climbing. The double spike works but is not my favorite type.
I bought a third Black Prophet to replace the heavier X-15 that I had been using as my third tool. The new Black Prophet had orange trim, so I made it my adze tool.

↑ 037: Black Diamond Cobra

Made in USA [ca. 2011].
500x270 mm.
Weight: 745 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 24x32 mm. (Grip: 35x22 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Triangular adze with notched edges.
Adze: 76(l)x62(w)x12(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 12 standard and 5 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x29(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 20(l)x32(w)x9(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
The curved shaft provides extra clearance compared to the straighter Blaxk Prophet shaft.
The unusual triangular notched adze is designed for crack wedging but also works surprisingly well for clearing waterfall ice.
The Cobra came out after I acquired my Black Prophets. Fortunately, they use the same head accessories.

↑ 222: Black Diamond Cobra

Made in USA [ca. 2015].
505x235 mm.
Weight: 620 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 28x22 mm. (Grip: 30x21 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Triangular adze with a notched edges and a moderate arch.
Adze: 55(l)x42(w)x3(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 14 dorsal and 14 standard and 6 U-shaped ventral teeth (Krukonoga pick).
Pick: Krukonoga: 125(l)x40(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 25(l)x23(w)x11(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
Great ice tool for pure ice climbing. The curved shaft gives great clearance for bulges but limits the tool's usefullness for alpine climbing.
Equipped with the Fang as shown, it is a good tool for leashless climbing.
Equipped with Micro Adze.
The black picks are Black Diamond picks as used on my other Black Diamond technical ice tools.
I replaced the Black Diamond picks for Krukonoga PF1(A) mixed climbing picks because of course I did, they look cool.

Ice Hammers

Modular

↑ 042: Black Diamond X–15

Made in USA [ca. 1991].
440x220 mm.
Weight: 755 g.
Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
Shaft: 35x26 mm.
Semi-modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 36(l)x28(w)x30(h) mm.
Hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 13 ventral teeth.
Pick: 120(l)x29(h)x5(t) mm.
Triangular spike.
Spike: 35(l)x31(w)x6(t) mm.
Equipped with an aftermarket Charlet Moser leash.
An older tool with a full-length rubber-coated straight shaft. The previous owner filed the tip to a neutral clearance.

↑ 164: Black Diamond X–15

Made in USA [ca. 1995].
500x200 mm.
Weight: 825 g.
Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
Shaft: 33x21 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Semi-modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 36(l)x28(w)x30(h) mm.
Hammer head.
Adze: 12(l)3x2(w)4x5(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 2 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 123(l)x24(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed plate spike.
Spike: 18(l)x24(w)x4(t) mm.
I do not know who made the leash (it has no tag).
I find the straight shaft easier to drive as a backup alpine anchor.
I do not know who made the leash (it has no tag).

↑ 043: Black Diamond X–15

Made in USA [ca. 1995].
510x200 mm.
Weight: 835 g.
Aluminum Shaft with Rubber Grip.
Shaft: 33x21 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Semi-modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 36(l)x28(w)x30(h) mm.
Hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 2 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 123(l)x24(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed plate spike.
Spike: 18(l)x24(w)x4(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash. This leash is more suited for mountaineering than for technical ice climbing, so I may swap it it with the leash on my Raven.
I find that the bent shaft makes technical ice climbing more comfortable.
This was my original backup tool. Although heavier than the Black Prophets, it was what I could afford at the time.

↑ 205: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [early 1990s].
500x210 mm.
Weight: 750 g.
Rubber-covered Shaft.
Shaft: 36x24 mm.
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 39(l)x28(w)x33(h) mm.
Modular hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 ventral teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x24(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 27(l)x27(w)x4(t) mm.
An older and heavier version of one of my favorite ice tools.
I find the straight shaft less comfortable than the bent shaft version for waterfall ice.

↑ 197: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [early 1990s].
500x210 mm.
Weight: 805 g.
Rubber-covered Shaft.
Shaft: 36x24 mm.
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 37(l)x28(w)x33(h) mm.
Modular hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a neutral-clearance chisel tip and with 13 ventral teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x24(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 27(l)x27(w)x4(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash..
An older and heavier version of one of my favorite ice tools.
Hammer head is loose, does not fit slot tightly.

↑ 040: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [ca. 1995].
500x200 mm.
Weight: 710 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 35x24 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 27(l)x28(w)x33(h) mm.
Modular hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 2 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x27(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 20(l)x32(w)x9(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
I love my Black Prophets. This tool has the thinner Laser Pick that better suits my finesse (vs. haul off and whack) style of ice climbing.
My original pair was subject to a recall inspection, so I had the pleasure of sending a package to "Black Prophet Returns" in the Mormon Salt Lake City.

↑ 041: Black Diamond Black Prophet

Made in USA [ca. 1995].
500x200 mm.
Weight: 710 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 35x24 mm. (Grip: 35x23 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 27(l)x28(w)x33(h) mm.
Modular hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 2 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x27(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 20(l)x32(w)x9(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
This is my current backup tool. It duplicates my other Black Prophet Ice Hammer.
My original pair was subject to a recall inspection, so I had the pleasure of sending a package to "Black Prophet Returns" in the Mormon Salt Lake City.

↑ 039: Black Diamond Cobra

Made in USA [ca. 2011].
500x200 mm.
Weight: 745 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 24x32 mm. (Grip: 35x22 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Modular hammer head.
Adze: 76(l)x62(w)x12(arch) mm.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 13 standard and 3 U-notch teeth.
Pick: 130(l)x27(h)x5(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 20(l)x32(w)x9(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
The curved shaft provides extra clearance. I use a hammer face instead of an adze on my second tool.
The Cobra came out after I acquired my Black Prophets. Fortunately, they use the same head accessories.

↑ 223: Black Diamond Cobra

Made in USA [ca. 2014].
505x220 mm.
Weight: 670 g.
Carbon Fiber Shaft.
Shaft: 28x22 mm. (Grip: 30x21 mm.)
Full modular head with carabiner hole.
Hammer: 43(l)x28(w)x33(h) mm.
Modular hammer head.
Modular waterfall ice pick with a positive-clearance chisel tip and with 14 dorsal and 14 standard and 6 U-notcch ventral teeth (Krukonoga pick).
Pick: Krukonoga: 125(l)x40(h)x4(t) mm.
Double-pointed spike.
Spike: 25(l)x23(w)x11(t) mm.
Equipped with a Black Diamond leash.
Great ice tool for pure ice climbing. The curved shaft gives great clearance for bulges but limits the tool's usefullness for alpine climbing.
Equipped with the Fang as shown, it is a good tool for leashless climbing.
Equipped with Alpine Hammer
The black picks are Black Diamond picks as used on my other Black Diamond technical ice tools.
I replaced the Black Diamond picks for Krukonoga PF1(A) mixed climbing picks because of course I did, they look cool.

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