Sunday, March 10, 2013 5:52:07 AM
Looks like he was taking a rest, probably waiting for a climber above him. At the start of the fall he is not holding the axe. He then gets knocked of his feet by a lump of ice coming from above. Once you start sliding like that there is no way to get that axe back into your hand, hence no way to do an arrest!
Saturday, March 9, 2013 11:03:26 PM
I've never ice climbed in my life, but do you not: 1) take an ice axe in one hand and 2) grab the pick end with the other and 3) shove the wide end into the snow/ice? More or less?