Dry Tool Picks

I use my Escape Climbing dry-tool picks to get in 3-5 routes on my CAMP X-Dreams every time I go to the gym. My goals are to mix up my gym climbing routine, train to hold on to my ice tools longer before there's ice on the rock, and get a little better at dry tooling. I have about 4 days of ice climbing experience with a few body lengths of dry tooling mixed in and 1 afternoon of dry tooling at the Ice Coop in Boulder.

These Escape dry-tool picks help me accomplish all three goals! They stick to jugs in the gym about like real picks perform on flat edges on real rock. They pop like real tools too, but I've been able to get up gym 5.9s and below and a few gym 10-s. They're super challenging on overhangs! I feel like I got my best core workout climb in a long time the first night I used these. I'm used to getting about 5 overhanging lead rock climbs including a roof climb in my gym routine. Climbing multiple routes in a row with these picks gives me the same pump I get on WI3-4 so far.

I asked my gym for permission to use these tools before purchasing them. Like the Escape website suggests, my gym requires me to use them with leashes and a helmet for the belayer. I additionally wear a helmet as the climber and consider eye protection when I use them. My gym's policy doesn't allow me to Stein pull on these indoors lest I damage the walls. I also wouldn't try to torque them in a crack.

In my first week, I graduated from getting hopelessly pumped on a 10 degree overhanging 5.9 to doing side pulls and getting up some overhangs. I think they have potential on flat-surfaced crimps and plan to check this out soon. I plan to try to do a figure 4 in the next few weeks. I won't be sure whether my training translates to improved dry tooling until I get outside, but I'm definitely looking forward to being able to hold on to waterfall ice climbs longer in a few months!

Excellent product. One can train with the tools which will be used for actual ice climbing. Do not bother with alternatives.