On Whippets

Occasionally when I’m out ski touring in Utah or Colorado, I see these contraptions on the top of people’s poles. They’re sharp, pointy, and resemble an awkward looking ski pole mated with the front end of an ice axe. They’re called Whippets, and in my opinion, nobody should be using them.

Okay, there is my lead, the blurb that will be extracted and reduced on social media, and either gets you angry, curious, or riled up enough to click on this link and read this piece. Now that we’re done with the trolling, let’s get to the fun part, which is more just a wholistic discussion of Whippets in general. 

The Whippet is a ski pole with the front pick of an ice axe mounted on top. Invented by legendary ski mountaineer Andrew McLean in the 1990’s, they’re a hybrid of an ice axe and a ski pole. SkiMo.com, a great backcountry and ski mountaineering focused shop in Salt Lake City, says of them: Designed as a self-arrest device, the Whippet is moderately capable of stopping a slide in progress. It’s better at preventing them, with the plunging pick offering purchase in consolidated snow. It can also hook on rocks and roots to give grip in mixed terrain. While not the lightest pole, it’s often enough security to forgo carrying a proper ice axe, reducing overall weight.

Okay, so let’s break down this description of a Whippet.