Introducing the Hydra Ice Tool: The Many-Headed Beast

For the past three years, the engineers, developers, and athletes of BD have coalesced under the cover of winter to iterate and innovate a new revolutionary ice climbing tool.
Through that in-depth testing process, the team came to a head. An aluminum head, to be exact. Shifting the paradigm from steel to aluminum in the heads of our ice tools allowed us to design a component exchange system of cast-tungsten head-weights, forged picks and hammer configurations that all seamlessly integrate into the head of the Hydra. This Integrated Component Exchange (I.C.E.) system allows climbers to optimize the Hydra for any winter climbing pursuit. From pure water ice, mixed climbing, dry-tooling, all the way to the peaks of the Himalaya, the Hydra is a many-headed beast that can send it all.

[matimikk]

Nomic users: "If its an ergonomic ice tool, its a nomic"

[ylanhernandezmotte]

As a proud nomic user, I’d love to try this tool !,

[sergierachmaninoff]

Black Diamond: Releases a new rope

Petzl users: Bro they just copied the Nomic

[TechRollToll]

You can pry my cobras from my cold dead hands.

Ok looking tool. Would’ve much rather seen a line of tools specialized for each discipline. I’ll still probably keep climbing alpine with cobras and mixed/tougher ice with fuels and look to try a higher end option from EliteClimb in the future. With as many snap issues as we see developing in handles it’s kinda unfortunate to see that handle construction remains unchanged from previous tool designs.

[fab]

how is that different/better than a field tested Nomic ?...

[motorradstation]

It looks like Nomic and X-Dream spent a night together.

[jakubpalenik]

Three years to copy Nomic is a pedestrian effort.

[FireRevontulet]

I have to say, the aluminum head doesn't make me that confident

[lavericklavericklave]

carboard box computer stand. using hand right next to impact test. cyclic testing at room

[johnsales]

If there is good availability of replacement parts, then this tool can be considered for purchase, otherwise it will simply be a waste of money...

[simonecima]

C’mon men…It’s always not a good thing pointing at other’s work: that ‘s for sure.
Maybe the quality of craftmanship is a little bit better than Petzl, pleagued by minor but not so minor material and mechanical problem but hey; the design of the whole tool is out dated right now.
Too open the angle between the tip of the pick and too gentle the bend in the middle of the shaft, to say the least.
Doesn’t matter if it seems a Nomic: this is not a tool i will use for climbing ice for the very end tech grade.
Next winter Blue Ice will exit with two new tools: one the same league of Grivel intermediate levels machine.
The other, a beast I guess, a marvel radically bending the shaft just near the head, like IceRock A’speed.
570 grams, no rivets, beautiful hydro shaft.
Oh, I’m not a Blue Ice troll!
I’m only a old veteran, starting in 1985 and not missing a single winter, despite all the injuries and epics of extreme ice climbing.
C’mon BD: technology and design are driven the future!!!