You'll also notice that the walking axes are left holstered on the wall and its the latest exotic, leashless axe such as Petzl's Nomics, Grivel's X-monsters or BD's Cobras that are being wielded. The mixture of weird and innovative designs coupled with extortionate price tags, attract bored shoppers like a Chamonix seasonaire to a half decent looking woman.
In my opinion the BD Cobra is the sexiest looking axe currently on the market. The simplistic leashless handle and shapely, cobra-esque shaft with its glossy black finish ooze class.
In my opinion the BD Cobra is the sexiest looking axe currently on the market.
For those familiar with the BD Vipers, the Cobra is a lighter and slightly more aggressively angled version, as well as being one of the few carbon fibre axes around. The Cobra has the same head, handle, pick and trigger as the Viper but at 588 grams weighs nearly 50 grams less and has (in my opinion) an improved, more stable swing.
On steep ice I've found the feel and accuracy of the swing to be excellent, and unlike some axes I've used it has the right balance between being "head-heavy" enough to deliver a powerful punch for little effort, without being so top heavy it compromises accuracy. I also found that with the Cobras you get deeper, more secure placements in black ice. Probably something to do with the carbon fibre absorbing the shock which would usually make the head of the axe rattle and not sit square in the ice.
On mixed ground I've found the Cobra doesn't excel to the point that it does on ice. Although the aggressive angled pick and shaft make best use of even the smallest of hooks I find the BD pick doesn't have the same purchase when torquing as other mixed picks I have used. The width of the shaft also proves to be quite annoying when trying to access hooks in the very back of cracks as the shaft is often wider than the crack. The racking holes on the head of the Cobras are a perfect size for racking together whether it be on a snap-link karabiner, screw-gate or screw holder. This is a significant advantage on moderate mixed ground when you want to climb without tools. One final positive is that the Cobras are completely compatible with spring leashes with a conveniently sized hole to clip in to at the base of the handle.
(Spring leashes, also known as tethers, are commonly used by climbers when going leashless on long routes when the effects of dropping a tool would be disastrous. They attach to the base of the axe shaft and are clipped to a central point on the climber's harness, thus freeing up the hands but meaning the axes are still attached securely to one's person.)
Another advantage of carbon fibre shafted tools is that they are a much better insulator of heat than ferrous shafted tools which zap the warmth straight from your hands and freeze your gloves solid. This is especially noticeable on big routes as you may only hold the rubber handle for 30% of the day, choosing to hold the head and shaft on moderate ground. Although the shaft of the Cobra does get cold it doesn't feel like you're holding liquid oxygen and decreases the frequency of the dreaded hot-aches!.
Unlike on most leashless axes, the trigger half way up the shaft on BD axes is quite small and not as comfortable to grip when wearing large gloves. Hence they don't provide quite as much purchase. Although not noticeable with thin gloves when ice climbing, I found this to be a problem when wearing big gloves on moderately angled winter routes where you'd prefer to swing from the trigger rather than the lower handle to save energy.
I've found that the Cobra is also suitable for easy routes, glacier travel and ski touring if you don't own a walking axe as unlike many leashless axes it still has a practical spike at the bottom of the handle and only weighs a little bit more than the average walking axe.
...the Cobra is a brilliant all round mountain axe!
Conclusion
The Cobras perform brilliantly on big routes and ice falls, with even better looks. The fact that they're the weapon of choice for the likes of Simon Anthamatten and Colin Haley speaks for itself. Are they worth €300? To be brutally honest, probably not. The Cobra is in essence, a slightly more snazzy version of the Viper with slight differences in performance, but not justifying the 100 quid price difference. However, for all you gear freaks with money lying around or for those who are good at seeking out discounts, the Cobra is a brilliant all round mountain axe!
Price: £250
Weight: 617 grams (each)
Stockists: Black Diamond UK Stockists
What Black Diamond say:
The ultimate carbon fibre tool for leashless mixed, ice and alpine climbing, the Cobra's lightweight shaft has the most clearance of any of our tools without sacrificing balance or axis of rotation.
- Lightweight carbon fiber shaft with greatest clearance of any Black Diamond tool
- Balanced with weight in head for damp, accurate strikes
- Laser Pick, Cobra Strike and Fang included, modular head design
- Shaft CEN-T certified, patented
- Pick is CEN-B
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