REASONS TO BUY
Lightest weight mountain axe with a spike
Great price
Very comfortable
Solid self-arrest performance
REASONS TO AVOID
Only comes in one size
Just okay steep snow performance
Petzl Glacier Literide Review
One of the most versatile axes for the weight, this model performs surprisingly well at a wide range of tasks
Petzl Glacier Literide
Credit: Petzl
RELATED: Best Ice Axes
Our Verdict
The Petzl Glacier Literide is a surprisingly versatile axe for ski touring, general mountaineering, or moderate snow climbs and is a former Top Pick award winner for the best ultralight ice axe. At 11.2 ounces, its weight certainly falls in line with other ultralight models, but it doesn't make many of the typical performance sacrifices that are common with ultralight options. It strikes an excellent balance between light weight and quality features, such as its pick, steel spike, and a full-sized adze - something that almost no other model under 12 ounces can attest to. Check out our review of ice axes to see how it ranks versus competitors.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Petzl Glacier Literide | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | Best for Light Weight |  Best Bang for the Buck | ||
| Price | $109.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $139.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $109.95 at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $110 List | $89.99 at Public Lands Compare at 4 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A surprisingly versatile axe considering its impressively low weight | Incredibly versatile, there are very few mountaineering objectives that this model doesn't perform well on | A solid all-around mountaineering axe that wont break the bank | Nearly half the weight of many of its all-mountain counterparts, it has a steel pick and proved surprisingly versatile | A solid general mountaineering axe for a great price |
| Rating Categories | Petzl Glacier Literide | Petzl Summit | Petzl Glacier | Petzl Ride | Black Diamond Raven |
| Self-Arresting (15%) | |||||
| Digging & Step Chopping (15%) | |||||
| Use as Improvised Anchor (15%) | |||||
| Steep Ice & Snow (25%) | |||||
| Comfort to Carry (5%) | |||||
| Weight (25%) | |||||
| Specs | Petzl Glacier Literide | Petzl Summit | Petzl Glacier | Petzl Ride | Black Diamond Raven |
| Measured Weight | 11.2 oz/320 g | 12.6 oz/360 g | 12.3 oz/350 g | 8.4 oz/240 g | 16 oz/437 g |
| Category | Ultralight | General | General | Ultralight | General |
| Rating | CEN-B | CEN-B | CEN-B | CEN-B | CEN-B |
| Pick Shape, Material, and Construction | Forged steel, classic positve curve | Hot-forged steel, Classic Positive curve | Forged steel, classic positve curve | Tempered steel, classic positive curve | Laser cut, stainless steel, classic positive |
| Lengths Available | 50 cm | 52, 59, 66 cm | 60, 68, 75 cm | 45 cm | 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90 cm |
| Included Pommel or Leash? | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Hammer Option | No | No | No | No | No |
| Shaft Design | Straight | Bent | Straight | Bent | Straight |
Show full specification details ▼Hide full specification details ▲
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Petzl Glacier Literide is lighter than many ultralight models, sans typical downsides found in many of these designs. Most ice axes that weigh less than 12 ounces have an undersized adze, don't feature a real spike, or make countless other sacrifices to save weight. That is simply not the case with the Glacier Literide, which features all of those aforementioned designs, and performs similarly to a general mountaineering axe.
Performance Comparison
The Glacier Literide functions well for a wider range of mountaineering applications than many people might give it credit for. It's lighter weight than several ultralight models and performs in line with most general mountaineering models. It's ideal for basic glacier climbs, general mountaineering, early season snow climbs, ski mountaineering, or alpine rock climbing. It can also be utilized anytime someone is after a fairly featured mountaineering axe but still desires something fairly low weight.
The Glacier Literide truly blurs the lines between an ultralight ice axe and a more traditional model. It is lighter than several ultralight models that don't feature a spike or a full-sized adze (which puts it more in a weight category with those models), but from a functionality standpoint, its performance is in line with most general mountaineering axes. With the Literide, you get a solid general mountaineering axe for the weight of an ultralight one.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Self-Arresting
The Glacier Literide performed above average during our side-by-side self-arrest testing, though it was lacking the leverage that some models provide via their curved shaft. The pick of the Literide bites into firmer snow effectively, and our testers found it could also be driven in smoothly. The Glacier Literide self-arrests noticeably better than the similarly priced Black Diamond Raven and Raven Pro, and defeats the other “lightweight” axes by a wide margin.
The Literide's steel pick tapers down to 3mm, allowing it to penetrate firm snow and ice well; far better than many sub-12 oz models. We like the positive curve pick design for performance self-arresting and on steep snow climbs, and we like that Petzl removed all the teeth from the gripping area (easily visible in this photo) which makes this axe far more comfortable to carry.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Digging and Step Chopping
For digging and step chopping, the Glacier Literide earns high scores, thanks to its hacking ability. Its adze cut effectively into all but the hardest of ice and dug “T-slots” and deadmans better than many other contenders. It only scored just barely behind the Petzl Sum'tec and Summit, which are two high scoring models.
Like many European models, the Literide is more comfortable to be carried in self-belay position. Its low profile head coupled with a lack of teeth on the gripping area of its pick helped several members of our team favor this model in this position. Photo: Descending the Boston Glacier below Forbidden peak with a Glacier Literide being carried in self-belay position.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Use As Improvised Anchor
The Glacier Literide has a CEN-B rated shaft, meaning it is suitable for use as an anchor to belay off of for snow climbing or during improvised crevasse rescue. The hole in its head is large enough to clip a carabiner for retrievable rappel anchors, standing ice-axe belays, or the rare time when you might drive the axe in vertically for use similar to a picket. Its well-designed, functional spike aids the Glacier Literide in its ability to be driven in vertically and quickly to self-anchor or to provide a quick backup while belaying others.
The Literide scored above average in our review for its adze performance and was at the top of our review for its hacking ability in sub 12 oz models.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Steep Ice and Snow
The Glacier Literide performed slightly above average in its steep snow climbing prowess.
The Literide self-arrested and ascended steep snow slightly better than average, mostly due to its well-designed steel pick. Here, Jussi Tahtinen boots it out of the Argentiere Glacier with a Glacier Literide.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
It features a pick that effectively penetrated even the firmest of snow whether swinging, in mid-dagger or low dagger better than nearly all of the other sub one hundred dollar models, like the Black Diamond Raven and Raven Ultra. The ripples on the lower part of the shaft also provide additional grip while swinging the axe.
While not geared toward extended steep snow and ice routes, the Literide proved itself worthy at providing security on moderately firm snow slopes to 50 degrees. While we wouldn't want to climb routes much steeper than that, the Literide certainly proved itself capable for our testing team on a dozen of steep booters, alpine rock climbs, and moderate glacier routes. Photo: Jussi Tahtinen and friend climb over the Col du Passion near Chamonix, France.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Comfort to Carry
The Glacier Literide offers a decent amount of comfort when carrying in self-belay or self-arrest position. Like many European designed models, it is most comfortable in self-belay/pilot canne position (pick forward) but is still pleasant in self-arrest (pick backward position). The Glacier Literide is ideal for folks with smaller hands, as it is lower profile in general.
At 11.2 oz, the Literide weighs less than many ultralight models that feature undersized adzes, aluminum picks, or don't feature a spike. The Literide is also more versatile than all of them. More Literides strapped to packs than you can shake a stick at while ascending to the Col du Superior on the first day of the Haute Route.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Weight
At 11.2 ounces, the Glacier Literide is on the lighter side of models currently on the market, and the only fully featured sub-12-ounce axe. It's not quite as light as the CAMP Corsa (7.4 oz), Petzl Ride (8.4 oz), CAMP Corsa Nanotech (8.7 oz), or Petzl Gully (9.4 oz), but does feature a full-sized adze and real spike; compared to those lower in weight, none feature said adze or spike.
The Glacier Literide truly blurs the lines between an ultralight axe and a more traditional model. One of the design features that help it be more in line with traditional models is its fully functioning spike. Overall, it was the lightest model we tested to feature a real spike.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
The Literide works great for any trip where you need an ice axe, but weight is at a premium. Classic examples of this are ski-mountaineering, alpine rock climbing, and early season backpacking. We are pleased (and surprised) to say we found the Literide incredibly versatile, and it could be taken on basic snow climbs and moderate glacier routes with confidence.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Value
Sub one hundred dollars, the Glacier Literide is a pretty darn good deal for a rad, multifunctional axe. It's less expensive of all the “ultralight” models and is incredibly versatile. While several of the aforementioned options do excel at a specific function, the Literide can perform most tasks adequately. If you're after a tool for a specific job, we'd recommend seeking something else out.
The Glacier Literide isn't just a versatile ultralight axe; it is actually a surprisingly capable general mountaineering axe that happens to be impressively lightweight. We found it to offer equal performance to most general mountaineering axes while weighing less, and it was certainly more versatile than several ultralight models. Jussi Tahtinen and friend on top of the Rosablanche in the Swiss Alps.
Credit: Ian Nicholson
Conclusion
Don't let this model's “ultralight” label fool you into thinking it's not versatile. Other than its 50cm length, it's equally capable as most other mountaineering-oriented models like the Black Diamond Raven, CAMP Neve, or the Petzl Glacier. It's perfect for folks who want a lightweight axe but still desire something more well-rounded for a cross-section of activities, such as basic glacier climbs or moderate snow routes. It's also ideal for ski mountaineering, alpine rock climbing, or early season backpacking. Best of all, it's less weight than several non-fully featured "ultralight" models; while some of these models might offer definite benefits, not all offer such exceptional across the board performance.
—Ian Nicholson
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