Simond Piranha ice tools seem to have arrived on the scene in the late 1990s to mixed reviews though with so many ‘experts’ chipping in with their views in the various climbing forums it’s hard to get a good review on anything.

The modular system with interchangeable picks, is pretty standard on most specialist ice tools these days though good engineering to avoid loosening isn’t always the case. The Piranhas seem to be well engineered and they also have the standard bent shaft to avoid ‘ knuckle bash’. The fairly large adze is/was popular with Scottish climbers as it dealt well with unconsolidated snow…so to parody an old Irish joke…put all these ice tools in a corner and take your pick!

We found this pair, virtually unused, buried in a pile of excreta in an old shed and destined for the skip. A pal of ours decided to shot blast them and we re-sprayed them in their original colours to save them for posterity.