REASONS TO BUY
Good price
Excellent self arresting performance
Decent steeper snow climbing ability
Comfortable to carry
REASONS TO AVOID
Just okay steep snow climbing ability
Marginally on the heavier side
Grivel G1 Review
High quality and a decent price, it offers solid performance
Credit: Grivel
By Ian Nicholson ⋅ Review Editor ⋅ May 18, 2015
RELATED: The Best Ice Axes
Our Verdict
The Grivel G1 is a solid, well-designed ice axe that is made of high-quality materials for a sweet price tag. The G1 was above average in nearly every one of our comparison categories and is a fantastic option for general mountaineering applications. It's an okay option for steeper routes but doesn't perform as well as many of the other ice axes we tested with more aggressive picks and slightly curved shafts.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Grivel G1 is best for general mountaineering applications and is suitable for early season backpacking or ski mountaineering, but is a little heavy. It has okay steep snow climbing ability for more difficult routes, but if you plan to climb steep snow and ice routes more regularly, we would recommend the Petzl Summit Evo or the Grivel Air Tech Evolution.
Self-Arresting
The G1 earns a decent score in this metric. Our testers thought the G1's hot-forged pick bit into firm snow extremely well in addition to very good soft snow performance. We appreciated that the curved shaft self-arrested better than a straight shaft and, as a result, offered good performance in this metric.
Steep Ice and Snow Climbing Performance
The G1 was okay for steep snow and ice climbing performance and was slightly above average overall. The G1's pick isn't super aggressive (one reason it self-arrests so well) but was aggressive enough for moderate snow and ice routes.
Use As Improvised Anchor
The G1 is a CEN B rated ice axe, meaning it is suitable to be used as a deadman or in a “T-slot” type situation for moderate loads. We thought the G1 featured a well-designed pick that helped facilitate the axe to be driven into the snow for self-anchoring or as a backup while belaying on snow. The only thing our testers didn't love is that the hole on in the head of the G1 is a little difficult to clip and doesn't work super well with all carabiners.
Digging Step Chopping
The G1 offers above-average performance when hacking out icy tent platforms and digging anchors. It features a well designed hot-forged adze that chipped away firm and icy snow noticeably easier than the similarly priced Black Diamond Raven.
Comfort to Carry
The G1 was average to carry overall among ice axes in our review. Like many European models, our testers felt it was a little more comfortable to carry in self-belay (pick forward or piolet manche) position. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable in self-arrest position; it just wasn't as comfortable as the Black Diamond Raven, Raven Pro, or the Petzl Glacier.
Value
The G1 remains an excellent value considering its hot-forged high-quality pick and construction.
Conclusion
The G1 performed better in nearly every category compared to the similarly priced models.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Grivel G1 versus top competing products:
—Ian Nicholson
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