Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork WR
Most versatile
It’s a tent pole. It’s a camera mount. No, it’s an ice axe. Actually, the Alpine Carbon Cork WR is all three, thanks to a cork and foam handle topped with a rubber head, which can be swapped out for multiple accessories. In pole mode, the Alpine Carbon Cork WR’s two flip locks held strong when we leaned on it while traversing snow in the Sierra. We used the camera mount ($20, 1 oz.) to capture the trek to camp in North Cascades National Park, and then screwed the handle into the brow of BD’s Distance Tent ($265, 1 lb. 9 oz.) for the night. The Alpine Carbon Cork WR is also compatible with BD’s Whippet accessory ($60, 5.3 oz.), an ice axe head that screws on for steep, snowy ascents—it affords enough protection for climbing early season snowfields that you won’t need to carry an ice axe.
$200; 14.4 oz. per pair; 24-51 inches