Review

Heading off on a high altitude thru-hike of the PCT early in the season means you’ll be expecting a fair amount of snow and ice, so why the Corsa Camp lightweight ice axe?

Why Corsa Camp?

An ultralight backpacker on the Pacific Crest Trail may be deterred from purchasing an ice axe due to the extra weight, but the Corsa Camp ice axe comes in 3 different lengths, the shortest one being this one at 50cm and weighing in at just 212 grams. I already mailed my Grivel Helix axe up to a friend in Washington to mail back to me before I hit the Sierra and compared to the Helix at 437 grams it’s almost half the weight. Upon arriving at the gear shop in Idylwild I was notified that heavy snow and sheet ice lay ahead in the San Jacinto Mountains and that I’d need an ace for some sections. It would be too late to get the Helix mailed back so I went for the Corsa Camp due to its lighter weight and reasonable price.

How well does it work?

I was using it while traversing steep, icy slopes coated in a thin layer of fresh snow along with my Kahtoola Microspikes. Cutting steps as I went and using the spike to balance it worked exceptionally well. Compared to the Grivel Helix, because it’s not as weighted it was a little more difficult cutting steps large enough to make a platform safe to stand on, a few extra slices though and I was good to go.

What’s there not to like?

It would’ve been good if it came with a leash and the spike was quite sharp so a plastic cover for it, when stowed away, would have been beneficial.

Value for money

Decent ice axes don’t come cheap and the Corsa Camp is no exception, but it’s a good quality axe at a low weight. A necessary purchase for most thru-hikers at this price point.