Black Diamond Raven Review

The Black Diamond Raven is a solid all-around general mountaineering axe at a straight-up fantastic price. While you can certainly buy a higher-performing model, we feel that the Raven offers the overall best option for the least money. While more than suitable for moderate snow climbs and basic glacier routes, we would recommend a more performance-oriented model if you see steep snow or complex glacier routes in your future.

Performance Comparison

The Raven is best for general mountaineering, basic snow climbs, and simple glacier ascents. It works okay for steep snow routes, but there are several better options out there; if it's steep and icy, the Raven is a straight-up poor choice. Conversely, it will work for ski-mountaineering or alpine rock routes, but there are far lighter options available that will serve users better. If you are getting into the sport and don't plan on anything too burly early on in your mountaineering career, the Raven is an excellent option.

Self-Arresting

The Raven performed slightly below average in our side-by-side self-arrest comparison. In softer snow, its wider pick provides better bite or purchase, which helps to effectively slow us down.

However, when in firm conditions, the Raven struggled to "bite" as well as many of the other ice axes we tested. It features a straight shaft, which is decent for self-arresting, though all of our testers preferred the additional leverage that a slightly curved shaft provides.

Digging and Step Chopping

The Raven's adze was okay for hacking out icy tent platforms and chopping steps, as it didn't penetrate firm snow or ice as well as most others we tested. When the snow or ice was super firm, we had to work noticeably harder to chop the same ice away with the Raven as opposed to several higher-end models. In softer snow, while digging T-slots for crevasse rescue, the Raven ranged somewhere between average to slightly above average and was able to get the job done. Of note, tester Ian Nicholson saw one of the adzes shear off on Denali, something he has never seen another ice axe do in 10 trips to the mountain.

Use As Improvised Anchor

The Raven is CEN-B/ UIAA Type 1 rated axe, which means it is suitable for use as an improvised anchor for crevasse rescue, or to belay a second climber off of who is ascending steep snow (a CEN-B rating is what the majority of climbers and mountaineers require). Several design characteristics help the Raven to be used as an improvised anchor. The hole in this model's head easily facilitates a carabiner, which makes backing-up a seated stance or utilizing a standing or sitting ice axe belay easy.

We also liked that the shaft/head connection is narrow enough that we could simply clip a larger locking carabiner around the whole head or drive the shaft through the carabiner into the snow. Its full-sized pick makes plunging the length of the shaft easy, which is nice for a number of anchors mentioned previously (or to be driven in front of a deadman picket as a Saxon's cross).

Steep Ice and Snow

The Raven has several things going for it, but this is one particular category where it struggled. It features a wide pick that is not particularly aggressive, meaning better options exist for climbing steep snow, and the Raven was noticeably less secure in such conditions.

Its straight shaft offered minimal clearance; even compared to most models in its price range, none of which feature curved shafts, it was below the competition.

This is mostly due to its pick, which was decent for basic snow climbs or simple glacier routes; however, we wouldn't want it on anything more challenging. We found this true among Black Diamond's entire Raven line, which all feature an identically designed pick and straight shaft.

Comfort to Carry

The comfort to carry category is where the Raven really shines, along with the rest of Black Diamond's line of Raven axes. No other model was as comfortable to carry as the Raven in self-arrest (pick backward) position, and it was easily a cut above the rest. In self-belay/piolet canne position (pick forward), the Raven was top-tier for sure, earning one of the highest scores in the review.

Weight

At 16 ounces, the Raven is on the heavier side of ice axes we tested, though not by much. Weight is the primary difference between the Raven and its more expensive counterparts, the Raven Pro (14 ounces), or the Raven Ultra (12 ounces, but no spike). The Raven is our Best Buy because we feel it is the best ice axe you can buy for the price.

Value

The Raven is a fantastic value; at such a great price, it is half that of a majority of ice axes. While there are surely better overall performers, not many exist as far as general mountaineering models go. The Raven did face stiff competition from the CAMP Neve, which very nearly pulled the Best Buy Award rug right out from under the Raven. The Raven is more than suitable for a majority of general mountaineering users, and its price remains undeniably excellent.

Conclusion