Pickel - Pickel (English spelling) German

In English, it is called an ice axe. Mountaineering equipment. A pickaxe-like tool used as a fulcrum for ascending and descending icy slopes, for cutting footholds, for preventing falls, and for securing. It began to be used in the golden age of mountaineering in the European Alps in the mid-19th century, and at first it was simply a walking stick with an iron hook, but it gradually developed and the head had a sharp pick and blade. After World War II, many were made with holes in the head as a fulcrum, or similar to ice axes for climbing (with the pick part replaced by a hammer for climbing ice walls, also called ice hammers). The shaft was originally made of wood, but now it is often made of metal or synthetic resin, and the size and length of the shaft and head have changed, and many are relatively light and have short shafts. It is necessary to undergo sufficient training before using an ice axe, and inexperienced climbers often get injured by it on snowy fields in summer.

[Tokuhisa Kyuuou]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

英語はice axe。登山用具。氷雪上の斜面の登降の支点、足場切り、滑落防止、確保の支点に利用するつるはし状の用具。19世紀中ごろヨーロッパ・アルプスの登山黄金時代に使われ始め、最初は単なる鉄鉤(かぎ)のついた杖(つえ)状のものであったが、だんだんと発達し、頭部は鋭いピックとブレードをもつ形となり、第二次世界大戦後は、確保支点として頭部に穴をあけたものや、登攀(とうはん)用のアイスバイル（氷壁登攀用にピック部分がハンマーになったもの。アイスハンマーともいう）に類似したものが多くなり、シャフトも初めは木製であったが、現在はメタルや合成樹脂製が多く、シャフトや頭部の大きさや長さも変化し、比較的軽量で、シャフトも短いものが多くなった。ピッケル使用は十分に訓練を経てから行うことが必要で、夏季雪渓などでは未熟な登山者がピッケルで負傷する場合も多い。

［徳久球雄］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例