UKH

Just did a search, but much info seems to be possibly old, and maybe things have changed?

I'm off to do some winter mountaineering in the Alps. PD to TD. Things like the chere couloir and crossing glaciers etc. But might do some lower altitude ice if the weather craps out. 

I was thinking of buying a pair of quarks, as I believe they are light (?), and when I last played in the white stuff (a long time ago) axes with true handles were seen as only for the hard girls and boys and for really technical stuff. But is this no longer the case, i.e. do lower grade types like me use modern handled tools in the mountains?

These will be the only axes I plan to buy.

Thanks for any advice.

Have e mailed you Dave

If you have no particular ambitions to get on steeper alpine or Scottish winter ice/mixed, Quarks are fine. Depends if you like the funny trigger thing they have (you can take it off but then you won’t have a second handle). BD Vipers are another option.

Quarks are pretty good all rounders. Not what I would choose for glacier work but I have pressed mine into service for walking when I have had limited luggage capacity or a climb planned.

My tools and crampons are still for sale.

Happy just for an offer for the lot

For an all-round axe to play in the alpine on the classic routes including handling snowfields, vertical ice, mixed ground, ridges, snow aretes, glaciers etc, the Quark is a sure pick. They would serve you well for walking down the midi arete, crossing the col du midi, climbing Chere couloir, abseiling down and then heading back via Cosmiques Arete. There are axes such as DMM Fly that would fit the bill as well (DMM Apex also looks similar but has a more aggressive curve and is designed for the steeper side of things). If you are looking for all-round crampons I'd also recommend Petzl Lynx for their adaptability.

I had a pair of first generation quarks - really not that different from the current ones - and now have BD Vipers. You can obviously cross glaciers with any old ice axe, but for mid-grade ice climbing they are brilliant (true for both Quarks and Vipers). Tools like that work great on vertical ice too, but if you think mountaineering might be more what you will end up doing, I'd look at the SUM'TEC https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Ice-axes/SUM-TEC The bottom handrest on Quarks and Vipers DOES make them a bit harder to push into firm snow. The Sum'tec have a moving hand rest, so if you are climbing steeper ice, you can use them leashless well enough to swing, but it moves up and out of the way if you are using the shaft of the axe in snow.

Thanks everyone!