It’s that time of year again! While it’s undeniable that many of the country’s finest sandstone and granite destinations are currently in prime condition, the falling of leaves (and in some places snow already!) signals a lengthening shadow on the years’ rock season. Here in New England, chilly evening temperatures and even the occasional frost have many climbers starting to think more and more about trading in their pockmarked and threadbare rock gear in favor of razor sharp ice screws and the latest in tools and crampons. The past few years have seen several influential advances in ice climbing equipment, from innovative crampon designs to fine-tuning the latest leashless tool models.

With the advent of leashless tools and the freedom they provide, the standard of pure ice climbing is being pushed further and further with every passing season. Consequently, many mainstay ice screw models have been refined by their manufacturers to afford today’s waterfall walkers with the most efficient and trustworthy designs possible.

Black Diamond
The major difference between most screws today is the nature of the placement crank, which has become more or less standard on newer screw models. Gone are the days when placing a screw meant time-consuming and pump-inducing shenanigans. Black Diamond was one of the first manufacturers to fit their screw design with a simple yet ingenious placement crank, which cuts the placement time to 1/3 that of normal screw, even for the longest lengths. Mounted near the screw’s clip-in point, the placement crank consists of a retractable solid dowel onto which a spinning grip is mounted. Once the screw is initially set in the ice, the swiveling action of the crank enables a climber to obtain a bomber placement in mere seconds.

In addition to this critical development, now several years old, Black Diamond has refined their screw repeatedly for increased efficiency, such as tapering the tube width ever so slightly in relation to the teeth to create a faster yet secure placement action. Designers have also added a second clip-in point to the screw to increase versatility and clip-in options (a common complaint on the early Express screws) and a new anodized color-coding system to help climbers identify the proper screw length at a (sometimes frazzled) glance. In addition, Express screws come in wide variety of lengths (10, 13, 16, 19 and 22 cm), making them a suitable choice for a variety of ice conditions Overall, Express ice screws were, and still are, a notable success for Black Diamond and offer a solid standard for ice climbers of all abilities.

Cassin
Similar to Black Diamond, Cassin currently offers two versions of essentially the same screw. The Stream model comes in three sizes (12, 17 and 22 cm) and offers an economical choice for the climber on a budget. Lightweight and well-designed, this screw features an extra-wide clip-in point for multiple rigging options, but its bulkier stem can make it harder to place in tighter spots.

The Turbo Stream, available in identical sizes, features recessed placement crank mounted near the head of the screw for accelerated placement. While this design decreases circumference (making placement options easier to find), the location of the crank fails to maximize leverage and therefore placement speed. While this design seems to be a step up from conventional designs, it would be improved with a different style of crank.

Petzl Charlet
Petzl has taken an out-of-the-box approach to creating a faster-placing screw with minimal additions, creating a tightly designed model with little variation from tried and true concepts. The Laser Sonic has all the trappings of modern screws, including aggressive teeth to avoid snagging on ice bulges. Instead of a placement crank added to a basic screw design, the Laser uses a free spinning hanger, eliminating the need for extraneous parts. This clever approach also enables the screw to remain clipped to the rope during cleaning, reducing the risk of you butter-fingering a screw through your thick winter mitts. Similar to the BD Express screw, the Laser Sonic also features a reverse taper for faster placements and a hanger large enough to accommodate two carabiners.

For the more economical climbers, Petzl Charlet also offers a base-model screw. Identical to the Laser Sonic (but without the placement hanger), the Sonic offers a solid, lightweight and well-designed screw to climbers on a budget. Available in 10, 13, 17, and 21 cm.

Omega Pacific
Omega Pacific ice screws can be compared to the Express ice screw in design. The feature a small placement crank mounted on the hanger for quick deployment and an aggressive thread design to chew through the ice quickly. Unlike the Express, the placement crank does not retract, but this has not been a notable issue among climbers. Moreover, OP currently offers kits that enable the handy placement crank to be mounted on older OP screws that do not have this feature. The screw also features angled threads for increased bite in brittle ice. Best of all, OP offers the screw in three varied sizes (11, 17, and 22 cm) for a lower price than other name brands.

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