New Petzl Quark?

New Quark buried in Neve with a lwt C-T adze. 

Hardly new now as the first tools showed up here in the States back in Oct/Nov. of 2010.  The issues with the new Nomic and Ergo appeared and for one reason or another even the unaffected Quarks weren't available in large numbers again until mid Feb. 2011.  I played with a pair at the Bozeman Icefest.  But wasn't able to get my own pair until the week before I left for Chamonix in late March. For may folks in the warmer parts of the US the ice season was winding down by that time.the tools were available again.  Hard to justify new tools at full price at the tail end of your season not knowing what will be available next year.
(I don't know of anything new coming along for 2011-2012)

More than a few waiting for the new Nomic.  The Nomic may be worth the wait for some but easy to over look the more durable and likely a better all around tool, the Quark.  Many will have a the option of even more/better choices for their own use by having the new all around Quark and the even more technical (than the Nomic) new Ergo available.

The new Quark is certainly built in the Nomic's image.  The handle contours are very close and most importantly the aluminum heads are exactly the same profiles.

You have to look back at the original Quark to make a good comparison.  Petzl has changed more than just the head of the tool.  But changing the head made a new hammer and a new adze required on the newest tool.  Even the picks were changed.  Making them now T rated instead of B rated in both versions, the new ICE and New DRY.  Add to that you get a slightly deeper pick angle on the newest Quark.

Below: pictured is the new pick angle on the top over lay.  The new pick is slightly steeper, may be 2 degrees..  Middle is the newest ICE pick tip profile.  The  DRY version is the same tip profile.  The bottom picture is the older Cascade Nomic pick profile.

So as you can see, it aint your old Quark.  The new Quark with a hammer weights in at 588g or 528g with no hammmer.  The old Quark with a hammer installed is 682g.

With the new Quark that includes a second higher grip in both over all weights.  With after market hammers and adzes available for the new Quark and the additional factory movable second grip the new Quark has a lot of options. 

The newest Petzl factory hammer on the left on a new Quark.  The C-T hammer on a original style Nomic right. Weights vary from 30g for the low profile C-T hamemr to  60g for the Petzl hammer.

The other improvement that Petzl made on the new tool is a full size carabiner hole in the spike to clip umbilicals into.   Big improvement. 

 This one of my personal Quarks, with fixed trigger for high daggering, a rubber grip wrap and a C-T hammer installed.   Lots of options on how you set this tool up.  And an incredibly versatile tool on any terrain.  The Adze in the opening photo is its mate.

Snow slogs...

Used here to good effect on hard technical dry tooling.  Jack Roberts on a bolted M7+ @ a dry tooling area in France.

I have climbed with the Nomic almost exclusively since it became available.   The Quark before that.   Abandoning every other tool in my quiver sometimes to my detriment.  Only the new Ergo has swayed me until now.   The new Quark has taken the majority of technical advantages of the Nomic and added them to a more vestal shaft of the older Quark.  All the while giving you a majority of the Nomic's advantages in one form or another (the moving slider grip)  while offering some additional advantages on less technical ground.  The new Quark is one of the few tools imo that rivals and generally betters the original Nomic as a truly all around tool. 

Hard not to be pleased with the newest Quark.  For many the Quark will be a better (and more appreciated) all around tool.

Seems a lot like this one, just done up a little better :-)

The durability of ice tool picks?

This is just an observation not a condemnation of any manufacturer's gear. I have a reputation of bitching on the blog about every one's gear.  This is just a reality check.  Ice climbing gear breaks and bends and fails.  It is also a reality check on what is acceptable and what is not.  This is the kind of stuff you expect to see from differing manufactures.

When you start measuring there is always going to be someone who comes out on top.  Fact of life.

I had a chance to visit with a lot of climbers and manufactures this winter both in NA and Europe.

I have made high quality picks for my own tools and BD tools in the recent past and still make the Petzl lwt weight hammers.  My real job involves working in metal every day and making a "better" pick is no doubt the most difficult project I have taken on in that arena.

This is a commentary and photo essay of what does happen to picks.

Everyone, if you climb enough, will eventually have a pick failure.  I have broken tools but never broken a pick.  I have how ever bent any number of them, starting with the Terrordactys.

Photo credt to: Eric Dumerac photo from Grav Sports of BD picks going back several generations and a decade or so.  BD seems ot have solved that problem with a redesign of the picks last winter
 ('09/'10)

Then my partners started bending Grivel picks as they switched from BD tools to Grivels five years ago or so.  And finally I bent the last generation Petzl picks on this trip.

That was a new one to me.  But then I have never really put any effort into dry tooling either. 
Come on I still have an adversion to putting good steel on rock instead of ice.  Old habits die hard :)

I had heard of it happening but never thought I'd actually see it in person. 

The pictures below come from  Jon @ http://climbs2high.blogspot.com/  Pretty much what mine looked like though before I took a hammer to them in the tunnel on the Midi.   They (Jon and crew) generally bend them by doing figure 4s off the first couple of teeth while on full body weight upside down.  I try to never to get upside down!  I did the same by pulling full weight (200+#s ) on my Nomics in some knife blade crack in the alpine..  Having a hammer is critical to straightening these guys out.  But easy enough to do even in the field.  Blade is never going to be the same again though.  My bent ones are now straight but used only for dry tooling at road side crags

.

So it happens, failure, on some level, to all of them.

I've included some photos of the wear you can expect to see climbing mixed.


Petzl....

Old and new BD C/Ts from Chamonix..

Current BD from last year on Mt. Bradley  http://huntingtonsouthface.blogspot.com/

Old and new BD Aermet off the Cassin

   

The two used  picks above were new 2 short Chamonix mixed climbs earlier. Granite and a foot of new snow is like taking a grinder to a set of picks...any pick. No file used on these two and "good" by some of the standards I saw in Europe as "usable picks". Set is compared to a new Cascade Petzl pick in this picture .  Trust me...picks in that condition really suck on ice.  And now I ama beginning to understand why no one wants to bring a file on route.  Why bother? 

A well worn Nomic with an old  Quark Quad pick installed.  The older 4mm Quark Quad mixed picks have some distinct advantages on alpine mixed ground. 

The wear on C/T (top) and BD Aermet (bottom) from one trip up the Cassin.  New picks in profile under the used picks.

If you happen to have some good pictures of well worn dry tool picks send them along and I'll post them in this thread with what ever credit you'd like to see along with them.

Hammers for the Petzl Quark?

Having climbed on the Nomics for so long now,  my favorite ice tool from just a few years ago, the Quark has been ignored as of late.

In fact the last pair of Quarks I did climb on had been chopped up pretty dramatically to take advantage of the best of everything I thought Petzl offered at the time.

Details here from the Spring of 2009:

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/850659/How-to-trash-a-300-ice-tool

The end result?  Awesome Alpine tool!
These two were eventually passed on via "Pay it Forward" along with thousands of dollars in new and used gear that was donated on CCcom.   Fun project that!

http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/923346/1


Same tools spent the past season in Patagonia.  By the looks of it they were put to good use.

http://jensholsten.blogspot.com/2011/01/jardines-japoneses-new-route-on-mermoz.html

http://colinhaley.blogspot.com/2011/01/jardines-japoneses.html

So I guess it comes as no surprise that I really like the newest Quark based on the original Nomic's head.  I was never a big fan of the head shape or hammer and adze combo on the old Quark.  So I put my money where my mouth was and made both a lwt weight hammer and a light weight adze for a Nomic 2 years ago.  (Just the one adze, mine, sorry!)

Very cool that Petzl decided last winter that what I was doing,  was what they also wanted to do.  Great minds think alike and all ;-)

So now you can buy the production version of a design I thought was a great ice tool several years ago.  Big improvement on the old Quark I think.  But the one place I still think Petzl missed the boat on the new Quark is in the hammer and adze.  So it is really fun that the hammer I designed for the Nomic fits the new Quark perfectly.  The lwt weight Cold Thistle hammer makes a much better balanced and super sweet alpine ice tool. 

This version of the Quark is one of my main alpine tools.  Petzl delivers the best production picks on the market.   What is not to like on this tool?    Nothing!

Production runs sell out quickly.   If you are off to Alaska this spring.  It is time to get your order in now.

The Cold Thistle hammers can be purchased here:

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com/2010/08/ice-climbing-gear.html 

Pictured are my personal set of new Quarks.

Sharpening picks specifically for mixed?

I don't agree with everything shown here but then I don't climb a lot of hard modern mixed either.
If you do or just aspire to, Mark is likely a good voice to listen to.



Check out Mark's web site and blog. 

http://www.beverlymountainguides.com/

Nomic, Quark and Ergo low profile Hammers?

"Colin Haley photo of Bjørn-Eivind Årtun on their new route, Dracula, Mt Foraker, June 2010."

Finally!

At Bjørn-Eivind Årtun's suggestion after his successful '10 Alaskan season, we have redesigned the C-T Nomic hammer to make it even lighter with a 4mm hammer face instead of the previous 7mm face. The new hammer will also fit the newest Petzl Nomic, Quark or Ero tool heads and the newest picks cut for a hammer or adze.   The hammer face is thinner to shave some weight and balance better but the hammer still gives complete coverage to the back of the Nomic.

We are FINALLY shipping them AGAIN!













This hamemr will fit the previous and current production Nomic, the new Quark and the new Ergo.
With the 7mm hammer I preferred a one hammer set up. The newest 4mm hammers have changed  that.    The balance is better with the 4mm hammers.  A technical tool like the Nomic will never be ideal for pounding pins (that won't change) because of their large clearance of the handle shape, but our smaller profile hammers certainly make it a lot easier and save the head of the tools from damage. They are easy to attach with perfect fit and finish.

The C-T makes the newst Quark an even better (sweet!) tool for all technical climbing.

For long committing alpine climbs they are a minimalistic option that works.   On the scrappy mixed route where you need to pound the occasional pin or your own tool, they work.

Our current 4mm hammers *easily* fit the newest picks from Petzl. They are CNC machined from bar stock chromoly steel and then heat treated to hammer hardness and hand finished in our shop.

Not all Petzl heads are created equally.  I have found a few that require very minor hand fitting the pick and hammer with a file.  It won't take much  and is easy to do.  If you can sharpen a pick any fitting required will be easy.  The new Petzl picks require cutting the back off  the hammer interface from .15" to .04" on the bolt hole.  Again easily done with a hand file.  Just cut enough material to  line up the bolt hole on hammer and pick.   You want to be just shy of the bolt hole when done.  Way easier than it  looks or sounds.

Hammers are $60 ea.   These will fit the current production picks and is now even lighter with a 4mm hammer face...@ 30g per hammer and much easier to fit than the Petzl offering

Buy them now while I have them in stock and ready to ship.  We do four production runs a year and generally sell every run out before the next.

More here:

http://coldthistletools.blogspot.com/2010/08/ice-climbing-gear.html

Just how strong is "your" technical ice tool?

With all the comments and multiple blogs on  umbilicals I have made it is worth asking (as some did) just how strong is the next link in the chain?   How strong is your actual attachment point on the tool?

May better asked,  "how strong is your tool where you clip in?"   I use my tools all the time as an anchor (may be the only anchor) and expect them to do the job if required.  (hold a top rope fall and me)

I like to climb on Petzl tools.  But  with the exception of the newest Quark just out this season it has been a while since Petzl has made a high priority of a full strength attachment point in their design work..  I have no clue what a new Quark will hold on the spike.  But I will ask and post the results here next week.

Doesn't take much imagination to figure out what a Nomic or Ergo was designed by Petzl to hold for weight.  The answer is?  Not much.

I like how "bomb proof"  the BD tools are (just not always the picks) and use them as well.   There are good reasons climbers have a preference in ice tools.  I respect reliability.  And I also value performance.  

This from Black Diamond when I asked on the subject:

"One thing I will clarify; there is no requirement for spike ( load ) strength even though it is now used as an attachment point for leashes on some tools.  BD proof tests every tool we sell (technical and mountaineering) to 1000lbs (pulled end to end). We have an internal requirement for the ultimate end to end strength to exceed 2000lbs (we usually exceed this by a large margin).

We were the only one in the business to do this and test for it to my knowledge. I have tested many other manufacturers' tools and most do not meet it, and some tools (with plastic type spike/pommels) only went to a couple hundred pounds at room temps before they broke.

The only exception to the 2000lb internal requirement is the Fusion. Fusion spike will go to around 1500lbs with the maximum amount of spacers allowed(3) before the bolt breaks (the threads do not fail). We worked a bunch to maximize the strength of that area."

Bill Belcourt, Black Diamond


More on the UIAA and CE tests.
Tools sold in Europe must pass CE (Conformité Européenne) standards that the product has met EU consumer safety requirements. The CE standards for climbing gear were adopted from the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations D’Alpinisme, based in Berne Switzerland) 15 years ago. For climbing UIAA certification meets a more stringent standard than CE certification. Some manufacturers require both UIAA and CE certification on their climbing gear.

Ice tool definitions from the UIAA website:

Type B = Basic,  lower strength, glacier travel use and/or ski mountaineering.

Type T = Technical type, high strength, water fall ice climbing,  M (mixed) climbing.

Ratings                                                        B                                            T

3-point bend test on the shaft            2.5 kN*                      3.5 kN

Strength of head/shaft (ourward)       0.6 kN                         0.9 kN

Strength of head/shaft (across)         2.5 kN                           4.0 kN

Torque test of pick                             127 N                                 182 N

Fatigue torque test of pick              No test                            80 N

Attachment point of shaft to spike    2 kN                              2 kN

Can you date this axe?

Here is an interesting axe.  Grivel for sure.  Pre 1980 but how pre 1980?  50cm and looks unaltered except for some sharpening.    I asked Grivel for a production date. 

"This axe was in producton between 1978 and 1985 (more or less).  The shaft is in rexilon.
Ciao,
Alexis
Grivel"

This week I was told Grivel was offering a similar axe as early as 1970.  Virtually the same time as Chouinard had his Piolet available, which was late fall of 1969 by Doug Robinson's recollections.  I'll look into that further.

"Certainly by the next catalog the date of introduction of the Piolet is listed as 1969. And by October of that year Yvon delivered to me on the edge of the Palisade Glacier the hickory-handled 70 cm one (and that hand-forged Alpine Hammer) that we put to good use on the V-Notch the next day."
Doug Robinson,  Jan 2 '09

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=382806&tn=0&mr=0

Up date #1

The Grivel axe is a 45cm. not a 50cm.  Really short for those days.   Teeth and 2nd notch along the pick blade are all original.   Import date into the USA is unknown at the moment but first varified sighting of something similar in the USA was Sept. 1970.

"I first saw the axe in September, 1970, at Dakins Vermont Shop where Vermont products like cheese and maple syrup were sold. Helmut Lenes had a corner of the shop where he sold european climbing gear.  I didn't buy that axe because it was too expensive and weird looking. Too short and too curved." JB

More to come asap.

But I suspect, this and another story I am working will put a couple of long standing ice climbing myths to death.

Petzl picks?

I've been asked several times what the difference between the new Petzl ICE and DRY picks are compared to the older Nomic Astro and Cascade.

Both of the newest picks are now T rated  instead of the older style picks that were B rated.  Still  with the same 3.3mm tips on the DRY and Astro.  And 3.25 on the old Cascade with the ICE at 3.3mm.  None that I have examined are the 3mm claimed by Petzl.

More on picks and ratings here by Andy Kirkpatrick:

http://www.psychovertical.com/choosingatechnicalaxe:

"All technical tools these days sold in Europe must pass minimum CE norms. The shaft of a technical tool must pass the T (technical) test, guaranteeing a minimum strength of 350kg. This is carried out by applying a load to the shaft as if it was being used in a snow belay, which although far from practical - after all you'd be hard pressed for an axe belay to hold more the 35kg - does mean that when you're jamming the shaft into cracks and standing on it, it should be up to the job.


Of far more importance is the pick rating, which is either denoted by a 'B' or 'T' stamped on the pick. The 'permanent deformation' test does not necessarily relate to practical application either; picks are clamped in a vice, a lever of 330mm (often the shaft of the tool itself) is used to apply 42 (B) or 60 (T) Newtons of force for 60 seconds. At the end of the test period the lever must not show more than 70mm of permanent deflection from its start position.

Unfortunately, most picks that are noted for their 'high performance' are B-rated, which suggests a contradiction between the best performance and the greatest strength. The 'cyclic fatigue' test applies only to T-rated picks, which must endure 50,000 flexes at the end of a 250mm lever in order to pass. What this means to you the climber is that B probably stands for 'bent' if used for full on and intensive mixed climbing, while T stands for 'Tourquer', aimed at some serious twisting.

Of course. this doesn't mean that if you climb mixed routes then you need a T-rated pick, just as climbing ice doesn't mean you need a B-rated pick. What it tells you is what they were intended for, meaning you take more care with a B-rated pick when it comes to a full-on horizontal torque."
Andy Kirkpatrick

The big changes for Petzl are on the the tooth profile of the newest picks.  I find that they hook better and are also more difficult to clean on ice because of the first tooth change and more defined teeth.  The original Nomic Cascade and Astro picks will work fine with no changes in all three of Petzl's newest tools, Quark, Nomic or Ergo.   Still great picks.  Little change in actual strength past the new CE rating.  They were relisble and durable before and are even more so now.  I've seen bent Petz picks from the past generation.  All bent  indoors mind you.    But I have yet to see a broken one.

When we are discussiong Nomic picks, old picks fit new tools, new picks fit old tools.   Same with the new Quark and Ergo.   Old picks will fit the new tools,   New picks require a spacer...which is a major PAIN to replace in the field if you use Petzl's spacer.  Buy the old Astro or Cascade if you need to carry spares and think you'll break or bend a pick or need to replace them on a climb. I like the original Cascade pick design with the weights on pure ice. Fine a hardware store washer and fit it as required to use as a spacer before you take the tools climbing.


Cascade and Ice picks show in comparison.  The differing tooth designs do make a noticeable difference in actual use.  First tooth the most.  DBl click to enlarge the photo for details.

The Astro and Dry picks...are how ever very similar with the exception of the larger front tooth.

Update!

2/17/2011

Just when you think you can sleep soundly again something is bound to pop up.  This week it is broken Black Diamond Sabertooth crampons  Uneasy on that topic at best.   If i had more time I would look for more info on that issue.  Instead I'm taking mine out on some ice.  You'll here the bitching at home behind a closed door if I break a pair...trust me.

But back to the Petzl pick issue and why an update?

Turns out there is some clever mods going on at Petzl that are unspoken.  Can't figure out why a company would do a change and not make it public.  In this case I think it is a big change.  Besides the T rating and the extra long front tooth on the picks.  Petzl has also changed the pick angle on the Cascade not Ice ice between 2 and 3 degrees.  It is a big deal.  I noticed it climbing on them in Bozeman in early Dec.  Just figured it was a change in the teeth.  But it isn't.    BD went to less angle on the shaft of the new Fusion.  Petzl changes the pick angle so all the tools will have a deeper angle...Nomic (old or new) Quark and Fusion.

Some how I wasn't asked. 

Top is an exact over lay of the Cacade on top of a new ICE.

Ice pick in the middle and a Cascade on the bottom of the picture.

Close up in the over lay of the 2 or 3 degree increase of pick ange and extra hook.  Cascade on top ICE underneath it.

New ICE below that and a Cascade in the bottom of the pictuure.

Black Diamond's Fusion 2

I intentionally stay away from writing too much on ice tools.  I am very specific in my likes and dislikes and obviously swayed by them.  It isn't fair to to allow my prejudice to blanketly sway people too far on ice tool choices.

I have been doing this stuff long enough to realise if you know what you are doing that almost any good club with a big nail through it will get you up most any ice.

You don't have to climb hard by today's standards to know the difference. (and I don't climb that hard)   But I know what I like and why and why I don't like other tools.  I continually get surprised by my judgement of the cosmetics.

Case in point.  The Petzl Nomic (old or new) looks to have been almost perfectly cloned by the now last year's version of the Green Machine, Black Diamond's Fusion.

Pictured are a Fusion (the Green Machine) and a last year's Nomic over layed.

While they are close there are subtle and meaningful differences.   Which most will readily recognise climbing on either tool and making a comparison. 

To no one's surprise who worked on the Black Diamond design effort, the new Fusion was not, even given the hammer and removable spike, an all around tool.  Its performance on pure ice could be better.   The Nomic, as much as it might appear not to be (with no spike and no hammer),  works well on ice and on hard mixed.

Black Diamond, to their credit, has from the beginning marketed the Fusion as an expert's tool for modern mixed.   Petzl did the same thing on the Nomic as well, and missed a wide audience at first.  Black Diamond in this case was well advised to "stick" with their plan.  I get asked more often about the Fusion than any other tool..."how do I make it climb ice better."

Obviously the Fusion will climb ice, as hard of ice as it comes these days.   But if you are capable of climbing that kind of ice you aren't asking me how to "fix" a Fusion.  

Where the Fusion really shines is on hard mixed.  No surprise as two of the guys intimatly involed in the design work were Roger Strong and Raphael Slawinski.  Both are known internationally for their abilities on hard mixed.


Raphael Slawinski

Roj.....Roger Strong.

So when some one asks me what I think of a Fusion as a intermediate's ice tool I suggest they look else where.   But if you want to really push your mixed climbing the Fusion is a shoo in.  One of the best no question.

I can argue the pick angle and pick design with the best of them.  But when it comes to hooking hard thin moves (which I can't do btw) I know what works and why.  One of the major advantages of the new Fusion over most anything else currently, is the rigid, hydroformed shaft.   No or less flex in the shaft means less pick shift, ie, movement and angle change. 

Again to no one's surprise, I literally can feel the flex and bending of the shaft with every pick set on some of my favorite tools.   I know the limitations of that flex and address it accordingly by using it on terrain where it isn't going to matter.  Great idea but poorly done in over all design for the intended audience. 

The hydro forming is great technology and way ahead of everyone else in the game but if I was a BD athelete I'd be asking for the next generation of Fusion with a *carbon fiber* shaft :)

No question here it is the INDIAN not the arrow....but a bad arrow will miss the mark no matter how good the Indian.

Markus Bendler won the first two Ice Climbing World Cups this winter - with the new Fusions!

Josh Warton has won three consecutive Ouray Comps on Fusions....2 on the Original orange Fusion and the last and I think the most imopressive win on the Green Machine..the newest Fusion.

If you are capable, the Fusion is a scalpel.  Just thought a great design, done specifically for one reason in the climbing community,  when so few things are, should get the credit it is due.

Petzl issues a statement on the New Nomic and Ergos

copy and paste the URL below for full details:

http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/news/products-news-0/2010/12/21/information-griprest-nomic-ergo

As it was pointed out quickly to me this morning Petzl has not issued a recall.  Nor is this a safety issue. (in my opinion and Petzl's)  But call it what you will, Petzl will fix the faulty tool pommels in the short term and replace them with a new version once they are available in the fall of 2011.

Bravo to Petzl! for doing the right thing and doing it as quickly as possible. This response is less than a week after seeing the first pair of damaged tools.

Petzl is also setting up a very quick return  and repair program (one day turn around in Utah after Jan 1st) for any effected tools.  Call your local Petzl rep for the details.   The fix is an additional  pin through the handle.  Petzl  will have a team on site at the Ouray Ice Fest adding the pin and extra pommel support to anyone with the newest tools.  How cool is that?  

What follows is the text of their message.


"Information concerning autumn 2010 versions of the NOMIC (ref. U21 2) and ERGO (ref. U22) ice climbing tools :

It has come to our attention that the adjustment system of the GRIPREST (the lower hand rest at the bottom of the handle) on the 2010 NOMIC (U21 2) and ERGO (U22) in some cases may not stay fixed in the desired size position.

This issue concerns NOMIC and ERGO ice tools with serial numbers between 10208 and 10329 and all GRIPREST (U21 GR2)
accessory parts. It does not concern the new QUARKs or the older versions of the NOMICs, QUARKs and QUARK ERGOs.

Following conversations with end users and extensive lab testing, we have determined that this problem can occur when an inward force is applied to the GRIPREST, damaging the adjustment teeth at the base of the tool's handle that mesh with the GRIPREST (see photo). Once this damage occurs, users may lose the ability to fix the GRIPREST in the desired size position.

Petzl has developed a solution to reinforce the GRIPREST, which permanently fixes it in the position of your choice (S, M, or L). This procedure will be expedited to reduce any interruption to your climbing season. Because this solution eliminates the ability to adjust the grip's size, we will replace your tools with redesigned versions of the NOMIC or ERGO once they are available in autumn 2011.



Warranty procedure
Anyone with a damaged NOMIC or ERGO or who has concerns about the durability of the GRIPREST adjustment system, is encouraged to contact the Petzl distributor in their country or return the tools to the store from which they were purchased for further information about the warranty procedure. You will be provided with directions on what to do next, as well as an
estimated time to modify your tools and have them returned to you.

We would like to thank the climbers that alerted us to this issue.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you,
Paul Petzl (President), Romain Lécot (General Manager) and the entire Petzl team"

More on the new Ergo....

I am beginning to love this tool and I really liked the Nomic.  But this thing is addictive.  As I described the Ergo this morning to a buddy...."think a Nomic after a massive dose of steroids".   Ya, a big step up even at my level of climbing.  This tool is going to open even more climbing than most ever expected.  Even with pommels that strip out the Ergo is good enough to even over look that fault short term.

Here is a good read on the new tool.  I was of the same opinion originally....too radical.  Now I am thinking it will go into the alpine with me.  Some might recognise the climber in the You Tube video, uber hardman, and obviously  still stick'in it, Scott Backes.

http://www.pembaserves.com/2010/12/petzl-ergo-versus-the-hate-factory/

A quick fix for the "new" Nomic or Ergo pommels..

Petzl is now offering to fix any new tool under warrenty.  Petzl's is adding a pin through the pommel which is a much better solution than epoxy imo.  Petzl was quick to respond and offer a fix and a replacement.  They are a good company to support. 

This is not an authorised Petzl solution for beefing up the pommels on the new Nomic and Ergo but it is the best I can come up with and not alter the handles.

Alter the actual tool handle and you void the warranty.  Which you don't want to do!

The issue is that the pommels themselves are stripping out the adjustment  system and wrecking the handles.
Pommels are easy to modify and inexpensive to replace.   Petzl should love what I am about to suggest as it will protect both your investment and Petzl's at least in the short term.

Couple of cautions first from my own experience.  Make sure of the size you want the grip set at.  Doing what I will suggest makes them bolted and glued into place at only one size.  You could buy extra pommels when they become available through Petzl and do the same thing but with a different hand size setting if required.  And have another size grip, bigger or smaller or all three.  Just takes a extra pair of pommels for each grip size you'll require.

I found that I could climb on the smallest size setting on the first day but by the second day of climbing my hands were swollen enough that I had to go up to the medium setting as the smallest size had become just a bit too tight and slightly painful.  And these weren't the first days of the season for me. 

That surprised me as the new tools have slightly different settings from the original Nomics.  A bit smaller and a bit bigger in the same settings it seems. 

OK, the short term fix?  I used an industrial strength steel epoxy to fill in the bottom of the slot in the pommel.  But first and the most important,  if you want to maintain the warranty,  is be sure to use an epoxy that can be used with a release agent.  I used Steel Bed from Brownell's.  (http://www.brownell's.com/)   A number of similar products out there but that is one I am very familiar with.  It will certainly reinforce the pommels...but no idea if it will keep them in one place long term.  Seriously...I doubt it.   Knowing the abuse these tools take it is not the best answer but an easy fix, short term..  But not a lot of options at the moment either.  
Back to the fix I used.

Be sure to give the end of the shaft a liberal layer of release agent and cover everything including the nooks and crannies.  Then add just enough epoxy (a layer 3 or 4 mm thick in the bottom of the pommel cut  should do) of your choice to have it pushed out the end of the pommel on either side when you bolt your pommels back on.  It won't take much so don't over do it here.   Make sure the pommels are in the correct position that you choose before starting.  Make sure both tools are the same position!  Wipe off the excess that was pressed out when you slide and then bolted the pommel down.    Let the parts dry the suggested 24 or 36 hrs.  The longer the cure time usually the stronger the resin-epoxy bond's strength. 

I'm off for 5 days of ice climbing in the morning so we'll see just how long the "fix" lasts.


Factory shaft with umbilical attachment hole pre drilled and beveled by Pertzl.  Nicely done.  And the three obvious pommel adjustment notches that are failing on the right hand side of the shaft.

 4mm cord easily fits into the factory umbilical hole if you want a lower profile umbilical attachment.

 Cord and pommel in place at the medium setting..but not bolted down yet.  It had better be right when you put this all together  because you won't be moving it again other than to replace it after you have added the epoxy bedding material.

 Easy to see here the tiny bit of pommel I ground off to fit an umbilical clip cord if that is something you want to do while you are working on the shaft.   The new pommels are an easily replaceable part and inexpensive.

In the pictures below I am holding the pommel so you can look down into the shaft's slot and see the single steel engagement tooth.  I laid a thick layer of Steel Bed Epoxy into that slot which covered the single steel "tooth."  Putting your chosen bedding compound-epoxy here will help prevent the shaft end of the tool from being stripped out by excess movement of the pommel in hard use.  The idea is to reinforce the steel notch pin in the pommel by adding some support with the steel based epoxy in the other adjustment slots.  

If you want to run umbilicals Petzl has made that easy now by the hole in the shaft able to take 4mm or 5mm cord.  Easy to grind off the back end of the pommels and thankfully not change the feel on the grip.  4 or 5mm cord will generally be about the same strength as the commercial umbilicals like Grivel's and BD's.