Axes


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Why we name, talk to, and occasionally kiss our gear

After nearly dying while summiting Lunag Ri three years ago, Anker is still tackling tricky sends

Named after a national park in Sweden, the Sarek is a well-crafted ax meant for breaking down wood for the fire

Including five picks from expert Troop Breneger

The case for rethinking one of cycling's oldest and most misused components

Need fuel for your fireplace or home stove? Swing away.

Pretty enough to hang on the wall

Best Made Straight-Hold Hatchet

A new initiative aims to bring lumberjack fitness to city folk. How much eye-rolling should follow?

It’s seductive, manly, and primal—and really damn hard. After a few whiskeys, our writer tries to master the art in Jackson Hole with the guys at New West KnifeWorks.

Most ice axes are made from metal—and for good reason. But last month, the geniuses at Furnace Industries launched their new wooden tool that’s as strong as it is pretty. While you may be tempted to just hang it over the fireplace, please don’t.

The real fun starts once you get off the grid

A work of art produced by a 300-year-old Swedish company

Pulaski: A wildland-firefighting tool that combines an ax and an adze and is used to clear brush and small trees.

A beautiful tool that's actually useful

You don’t have to be a timber-hardened lumberjack to appreciate the satisfying heft of a well-balanced ax.

Patagonia's Jenna Johnson is on a mission to get women into high-tech gear that can take on real adventures.

Lighten up your kit for faster ascents.

Outside reviews the best gear in the 2012 Winter Buyer's Guide, including the Cassin X-All -Mountain ice ax

What's the best women's ice axe? The Editors Santa Fe, NM

The outdoor accoutrements that made the cut for our second annual celebration of the best in design and technology.

I took a nasty 300 foot slide on a hard-packed, black diond slope after slipping while snowboarding. On the way down I intersected with a tree and have lived to tell the tale. I would like some advice on an ice axe or smaller device that I could use to stop myself in the next hair-losing slide like that. Any ideas? Kirk Olivehurst, California

I’ve done a small amount of mountaineering and have been trained on how to use an ice axe. But now I’m getting more into the sport and would like to buy my own equipment. How do I pick out an ice axe?

You trust Outside Online’s Gear Guy to answer all of your pressing questions about buying, using, and rehabbing gear. Now get his advice on the best buys for your friends and family this holiday season.