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 best axe you can buy for the price. While you can certainly buy a model that is lighter or preforms better in more challenging conditions it is pretty tough to do some for less money. With that said the Raven used to be a runaway winner of this award and now it faces pretty fierce competition with models that perform near as well or might even work better for certain applications.

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.

We feel the Raven is the best ice axe you can buy for the least amount of money. At $85, it's half the price of a majority of ice axes we tested and while we would say that it is better than many of those models but for those looking for a companion for modest glacier climbs and basic snow routes this model more than fills the need.

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.

In softer conditions, which is when you are most likely to "trap-door" into a crevasse this model self-arrested great. In firmer conditions say while attempting to stop yourself after a sliding fall it proved below average.

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.

The Raven carries a CEN-B rating, which means it's suitable for use as an improvised anchor for crevasse rescue or to belay a second climber who is ascending steep snow. We appreciated several design features that make it easy to use as an improvised anchor, most notably its well-designed spike, easy-to-clip hole in the center of its head, and narrow shaft which is also a clipping option. Here, Michael Yarnall works on his crevasse rescue skills with a Raven on the Dana Glacier near Dome Peak.

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.

The Raven, along with the rest of Black Diamond's ice axes, was the most comfortable in our review. While they faced a lot of close competition for comfort when carried in self-belay/piolet canne (pick-forward position), they were a cut above the rest when carried in self-belay (pick-backward) position.

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).

John and Michael Yarnall appreciating several design characteristics that make the Raven easy to use as an improvised anchor while practicing crevasse rescue.

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.

This model features a wider-than-average pick that wasn't near as aggressive as far as its' downturn as many models in our review. This helped to self-arrest smoothly in softer conditions but required notably more work while low or mid-daggering in firmer snow.

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.

Top view of the Raven. You can see how heavily tapered the pick is, which helps it to provide better support and purchase in softer conditions.

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.

The Raven's spike is full-sized, which helps facilitates the shaft being driven in vertically. This is great for providing security while ascending steeper terrain in softer conditions, or to beef up anchors and back up belay stances.

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.

At 16 oz, the Raven is one of the heavier ice axes in our review. While we found the Raven to be a great overall value, it is easy to save 3-5 oz by spending $20-30 more. How much those 3-5 ounces matter depends on the types of trips you typically embark on. Here John, Luke, and Michael Yarnall traverse toward the Cache Col on the first day of the Ptarmigan Traverse.

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.

The Raven is an excellent option for general mountaineering, basic snow climbs, and simple glacier ascents. It works okay for steep snow routes, but there are certainly options that perform better and are more geared toward these types of routes. Pictured here is the Yarnall family crossing the Cache Glacier.

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.

This is a solid general mountain axe for a great price. The Raven works well for the types of trips that most people embark on, and costs only half the price of a majority of models. Photo: Putting the Raven to good use on day 5 of the Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades.

Conclusion