3 Ways to Attach an Ice Axe to Your Pack

3 Ways to Attach an Ice Axe to Your Pack

Sometimes it doesn't make sense to carry your ice axe in hand. Knowing how to carry or attach an ice axe to your backpack is important. By attaching the axe correctly to your pack, you will prevent further injuries during falls and protect other team members during sudden movements.

There are two ways you can carry the axe in your pack:

1. The first way is by using the loops and traps that are on a lot of winter and overnight backpacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leRgGYWEL-c

When attaching the axe to your pack using the straps, it's important to keep the pick facing downward and pointing to the center of the pack. It's also best to keep the rubber or leather guards on for further safety.

2. The second way of carrying the axe is to carry the axe between your back and the pack so that the spike faces downward. Carrying the axe this way should be temporary and done on short stretches when you want your hands free. With this carrying method, you will be able to access the axe when you need it. When you are about to take off your pack, remember to first remove the axe, so it doesn't fall.

We also wrote guides on how to attach a bungee cord and sleeping pad to your backpack.

Other articles that might interest you:

• Hiking Without a Backpack: 3-Pack Alternatives
• Complete Guide to Backpacking Snow Shovels
• How to Pick the Right Snowshoes

Why Where You Carry the Axe Actually Matters

This isn't just a style choice. Bad ice-axe attachment gets people hurt in three specific ways:

• Accidental deployment. A loose axe flops forward on a bend and stabs your thigh or calf. This is the most common injury in guided mountaineering courses.
• Slow access in an emergency. If you're sliding on an icy slope and need to self-arrest, you have 2–3 seconds. An axe buried under three stuff sacks is useless.
• Shifting load. An axe that flops around changes the pack's center of gravity, which accelerates fatigue and makes you more likely to fall.

The right attachment method balances access speed, security, and terrain. Different objectives need different answers.

Method 1: Classic Ice Axe Loop + Upper Strap

The standard method every pack manufacturer designs for:

• Shaft inserts into the axe loop at the bottom of the pack. Head down, pick pointing away from the body.
• Flip the axe upward 180°. Head now points up, spike points down.
• Secure the shaft with the upper bungee or elastic keeper. Most 40L+ packs have a dedicated strap for this.

Access time from pack to in-hand: about 15 seconds. Security: excellent. Used on any approach where you're not expecting to need the axe on that section.

Method 2: Trekking Pole Attachment (Side-by-Side)

Useful when you're alternating between axe and trekking poles on mixed terrain:

• Slide the axe into the pack's side compression strap, pick inward.
• Bundle with a single trekking pole on the same side.
• Cinch the side compression strap tight.

Lets you grab the axe without removing the pack. Slightly less secure than Method 1, so not ideal for technical scrambling where bodies and packs twist.

Method 3: Shoulder-Strap Carry for Fast Access

When you're on a route where self-arrest could happen any minute:

• Slide the axe shaft through the gear loop on the pack's front shoulder strap.
• Hook the pick or adze over the shoulder strap for a second attachment point.
• Wrap the leash around the shoulder strap webbing so the axe stays oriented.

Access time: 2 seconds. Used on exposed traverses, couloir approaches, and any terrain above 30° slope angle. Downside: the head is near your face during falls, so it requires practice.

The Head Orientation Debate

Head up or head down is the single most argued point in how to carry an axe. The consensus rules:

• Head up is the default for pack attachment. Visible to others, balanced on the pack, pick away from the body.
• Head down is the default for hand-carry on ascent. Shaft angles forward, head ready for immediate self-arrest.
• Head down on the pack is specific to certain pack designs (Osprey Mutant, BD Speed series). Check the manufacturer's instructions.
• Pick facing in or out: always pick-in against the pack body. Pick-out snags on branches and gear.

What to Avoid

• Loose bungee straps as the primary attachment. They stretch; a bounced axe can work loose over miles.
• Axe strapped to the top of the pack. Catches on branches, high center of gravity, hard to reach.
• Pick facing your back. In a fall onto the pack, you can be stabbed by your own gear.
• Mixing axe + crampons on the same external carry. Crampons puncture axe sheaths.
• Carrying without a sheath. Even the best attachment eventually shifts. A sheath prevents cuts to you, your pack, and anyone near you.

Ice Axe Attachment FAQ

Should the pick face up or down on my pack?

Head up is the standard for external pack carry. Pick should face inward (toward the pack) so it doesn't catch branches or stab anyone behind you.

Is it legal to carry an ice axe in checked baggage?

Yes for checked luggage in the US and most countries; sheathed, wrapped in clothing. Not in carry-on — TSA classifies it as a weapon.

Do I need a leash on my ice axe?

For technical climbing, yes. For general mountaineering and snow travel, leashes are optional — many guides now teach without them because a dropped axe during self-arrest is usually preferable to being tangled in the leash during a fall.

Can I use a trekking pole instead of an ice axe?

For flat snow travel, yes. For any slope steep enough to require self-arrest, no — trekking poles don't have a pick and won't stop a slide.

What length ice axe should I get?

Stand upright, hold the axe head with arm at your side. The spike should reach your ankle bone. For general mountaineering, 60–70cm fits most people 5'6"–6'0".

Before You Rely on Your Attachment

No matter which method you choose, do the bounce test before setting off. Put the pack on, sinch the hipbelt, and jump up and down five times. Then shake your torso side to side. If the axe shifts at all, re-attach. The bounce test has saved more stabbed thighs than any single written guide.

Also practice un-racking the axe at a trailhead where the consequences of dropping it are zero. On an icy slope at dawn, fumbling the attachment for 30 seconds is exactly the moment you would have needed two hands on the axe. Muscle memory matters.

For a matched gear setup — axe + spikes + layers — see our winter hiking safety tips and Kahtoola MICROspikes writeups. One single tool rarely handles every surface a winter hike throws at you.

One more tip most packs miss: carry your axe with the spike pointing down when on the approach, and the head up when you are moving through tighter terrain. The spike catches less on pack fabric and branches that way. Switch when the terrain changes — 10 seconds to re-orient is much cheaper than a torn pack 5 miles in.

Finally, never loan your ice axe attachment bungee out for trekking-pole duty. That little piece of shockcord was designed for one job and has a short shelf life if stretched for anything else. Carry a spare 18-inch length of 2mm cord in your pack — it costs nothing, weighs nothing, and handles every improvised axe attachment you are ever going to need.