Black Diamond Express Ice Screw

I bought this specifically for completing my alpine/crevasse rescue rack. Used it for the first time whilst playing around on the glacier Argentiere to hone my crevasse rescue skills, taking it in turns to jump into crevasses with my climbing partner and pulling each other out (Argentiere glacier is great place for doing this btw). When you get this 22cm ice screw in is it feels bomber and gives you confidence to transfer the load onto this whilst you either set up your pully system or back it up with a secondary piece of kit. Its rapid to get in and really light for the size of the kit, BD have done a superb job.

Caveat - Only used this for crevasse rescue and not ice or even mixed climbing. My initial observations are as follows:Pros:Relatively light and very intuitive 'feel' which gives real confidence in its placement, especially if under pressure. V well made with effective teeth for initial placement and entry and a smooth action given the collapsible handle. Cons:None that I have come across, although they are on the pricey side, but then when it comes to protection I would always pay for the best, wouldn't you?Probably go for the longest length possible for crevasse rescue for that extra assurance.

Black Diamond often let the products speak for themselves. The all highest quality and a very good design makes you really feel you can trust these ice screws. This is the easiest and best screws I have used. They are compact and hangs nicely on the harness. They are easy to handle even with gloves. They are very quick to put in place. I can not find anything negative to say about these and would recommend they strongly.

I carry a Black Diamond ice screw for occasional protection and emergency anchor. They are very quick and easy to install and in my experience utterly reliable. Mine held a big fall on steep ice recently without incident. I keep the plastic trellis in place to protect my other gear from the threads, but I recommend taping up any ragged ends on the trellis; it's quite aggressive to tape slings hanging nearby.

Easy to use, rack very nice, and works on all types of ice. I use a combination of grivel 360 and BD express and that is a perfect set-up. If I should use only one type of screw, I would go for the BD express due to its easy racking and functional properties.