Black Diamond Viper Ice Tool Review

Enter the Black Diamond Viper, a high-tech all-terrain tool. Available with either hammer or adze, this fully modular unit is as functional and reliable as your longtime partner, perhaps more so. Weighing 1 pound 5 ounces (for the hammer), the Viper is light and well balanced. It swings in a natural arc, and, when fitted with the stock Laser pick, knifes cleanly even into brittle, sub-zero ice. The pick is tough, too. I torqued the bejeezus out of it numerous times and it didn't break. If you intend to use the tool more for rock than ice, simply outfit it with the thicker and toothier Fusion pick ($36.95), which can stand up to more sharpenings and works better for stein-pulling.