Grivel 360 ice screw, by Stevie Haston

Grivel's 360°, that's meduim and small

The Grivel 360 is my favorite screw, its not the only one I use, but it’s my favorite for nearly every situation.  All Grivel screws are good screws but they are all a little different, for slightly different end use. The tube and teeth of all the screws is the same, and its smoothness rigidity, and sharp teeth are all that Grivel can screw out of material and design. The efficiency of the tube and teeth are all affected by misuse and wear. If you want all your screws to work well, try and understand how a screw works and this might help you pamper your screws to lengthen their life and keep them working to their maximum efficiency. Ice screws are very expensive, sorry I wish they weren’t, but they are more than worth it when you trust your life to them.

Meduim good size for everything.

The 360 is my favorite because it is the fastest and can go where no other screw can! If you want to maximise speed of screw, always try to think about placement before you place it. Pick your spot to make it easier for yourself. You are looking for a foot ledge with a good bit of either flat or concave ice at about waist height. The easiest place for screwing (man I am laughing because I am thinking about an old joke) is where you can push the best from a good stance and exert  good pressure to start the thread on the cutting teeth. This is not above your head although it’s possible, its always really just above your hip. This position also makes clipping easy. Another tip is to look for a tiny groove or bubble to jam the end in, it’s not necessary but I always do this. Don’t angle your screw to far down or too far up, 90° to the slope or two degree up is good. Try not to place belay screws in the same square meter of ice if you can.
When you are placing a screw in anything apart from pure water ice, try and feel the screw going in. If the ice is thin as soon as you contact rock stop, don’t keep madly trying to screw it in, it wont screw into rock! If you are on alpine ice, the ice  will often have rocks, or gavel in it, so the same thing applies.

The screw comes with a clever cap (absent in photos) for the tread tips, keep it on when not in use. Take it off when you climb or ski so you are ready to use it.

Shorty very good for Scotland and mixed climbing in general.

As with everything practise makes perfect and the best place to practise screwing (laugh) is in a safe place, not your first major lead. Practise at the bottom of ice falls, make it difficult and fun, try funky placements above or at weird angles from your body. Notice how much less pressure you can apply away from the ideal sweat spot by your hip! I can do it with my eyes shut, at any angle (laughs) but I still practise (more laughs) and always will.  While your there practise your ice threads with your eyes shut, one day you will break your lamp, or your batteries will go dead, and dead is where you don’t get to practise a good screw!
check out www.grivel.com

What it's all about, 360° exposure.