You leave the trailhead in the dark, headlamps blazing, it's cold up high, but do you need axes? Maybe just whippets? Who knows? For safety, you bring a whippet and lash your axe to your pack and head off towards your objective.

Fast-forward to 2019, you've got your axe strapped to your pack, but you no longer have to consider the whippet dilemma! In your pack you have two Black Diamond Whippet Attachments and your poles (like the Black Diamond Traverse WR2) are ready to attach these sharps if the conditions call for it!

Most of us carried just one whippet (if at all) due to the cost of the extra gear and the thought of carrying that extra weight in your hand for 8-12 hours. Now with the removable whippet head, you keep one or two in your pack and when you hit the bootpack and want that extra measure of safety, you just attach the picks to your compatible poles and up you go!

The whippet attachment also features what's known as the Canard Wing, a perpendicular plate which will serve to slow any momentum once the pick is in the snow and you're looking for additional vertical purchase.

As Black Diamond expands their line of compatible poles, you'll soon have your choice of well-made options, and in the meantime, poles like the Traverse WR2 are already a go-to for ski mountaineers around the world!

Weight:  150 g