UKH

Does it seems like a good idea to design a altimeter (height meter) that can be attached to your ice axe so you can read your current height/crossed height easily?

I heard there are designers developing this right now! They think this is useful for long steep climbs when your portable altimeter can' t be read easily.

In reply to mount everest 2:

Er... won't it get broken when you use the axe as an axe?

In reply to mount everest 2:

Not to me.

Provides fairly useless, usually imprecise information. Parameter changes slowly so could be checked occasionally at belays/rest stops. Harsh vibration/acceleration environment on the axe and prone to impact damage. Added weight where it's most draining.

jk

In reply to mount everest 2:

No.

In reply to JayPee630:

+1 on the No.

In reply to mount everest 2:
No. Will only make both the axe and the altimeter useless.

In reply to mount everest 2:

No. It would depress me if I was constantly reminded how slowly I was climbing.

In reply to mount everest 2:

I had the sort of same question a little time ago, about a electrical gadget. An idea that was widely supported was an accelerometer that can measure how hard you hit the ice!

In reply to Industrial design student:

I thought the consensus was that even if you could get batteries to operate well in freezing cold conditions people didn't want electronics on their axes (unless it was a hand warmer) You'd have better luck fixing a phone into a hammer for builders so they don't have to get their phones out of their pockets to make a text. People want robust tools that don't break, all these things are availible to wear on your wrist why put them in an axe?

In reply to mount everest 2:




Do they climb?

In reply to imkevinmc:

Does it matter if they do?

There has always been a strong market for the useless and conspicuously expensive. The point is to make sure everyone knows you have spent 500 quid on each axe. Actually climbing on the things would be missing the point.

In reply to mount everest 2:

Maybe if it detects a rapid loss of height it could beep to warn you that you're falling?

In reply to mount everest 2:

Most people ascending a big mountain route will know their height roughly based on location alone and prior knowledge. What would you do differently if it say 7500 and not 7300m?

If it matters that much, wear the watch over your outer clothing or gloves.

In reply to Industrial design student:


I thought I'd read a similar thread recently, does the OP go to the same college as you?

In reply to summo:


Well if the summit was 7400m I wouldn't fall off the other side.

In reply to jon:

fair point, your googles or glasses could have fogged up to the point where you could only see your feet, it's a white out, the snow is too hard to throw snow balls etc... there is no cairn or flags at the top... and your feet are numb so you can't sense the angle.

Yeah a watch based on your axe is essential. What about a chime on it, for every metre of ascent. With a blue tooth ear piece just so you don't miss it. Special beeps for every 10, 100, 1000 increments of ascent and descent. If you get a continuous tone when in descent you know things have really gone wrong.

In reply to summo:

I see you're embracing the possibilities that such a nifty and essential device could provide. Frankly I wonder how we've managed up to now.

In reply to mount everest 2:
If you really wanted that info and did not want a watch, they already produce goggles with GPS and altimeter HUD built in. Pointless still, but a better idea than having it on an ice axe.

In reply to mount everest 2:

This is one of the more useless ideas I've seen in a while. (Not to say that there isn't a clueless somebody out there that will buy one.)

In reply to mount everest 2:

Brilliant idea! Just as long as it can make me a nice warm cup of tea and give me a reassuring cuddle when I reach the belay

Seriously, not worth wasting heartbeats on.

In reply to mount everest 2:

when you say, "I heard there are designers developing this right now!"