Grivel North Machine Plus

In Alpine terrain the North Machines are superb, like any technical tool they are not going to compete or replace a classic piolet on easy snow or glacial terrain but they’ll get by. Once you hit more technical terrain they excel. Their well balanced swing and easy penetration reduced fatigue on route and their light weight helped make the approach sack less of a burden. They have already become my favourite alpine tools (and its not just because of the sexy black and yellow colour scheme!). With the Scottish winter season upon us I will update this review after using the North Machines in the Scottish hills and maybe some european cascades with a bit of luck. Whilst I don’t envisage using them on truly technical mixed routes it will be interesting to see how the carbon shafts withstand the rough and tumble of typical Scottish winter climbs.