At the 2014 Ouray Ice Fest, DRY ICE Co-Owners George Fisher and Ben Carlson revealed their latest innovation, the DRY ICE Kronos, the world's First Wooden Handled Technical Ice Climbing Tool, slated for production Fall 2014.

DRY ICE Kronos - The Lowdown

The Shaft

The DRY ICE Kronos uses non-impregnated, densified beech wood laminate developed especially for a wide range of industrial applications including motor sport, aerospace industries, as well as for neutron shielding in the nuclear industry.  The grade specially produced for the these industries is constructed to the highest density possible using thin veneers producing a dense, stable, high strength laminated board with excellent wear resistance.

The DRY ICE Kronos handle material offers high stability, increased strength, stiffness and improved life when replacing hardwood, and on the other hand, reduced weight, shorter machining times, is non-sparking and non-conductive when replacing metals. Kronos handles have half the strength of steel at only one fifth of the weight.

The Kronos shaft is CNC machined in 2 parts allowing us to machine 'islands' inside the handle halves that fit into the faces of the custom designed pick. These two parts are then bonded together using Aerodux 185, a 2 part epoxy adhesive used in the aeronautical industry for, amongst other things, bonding the wings to light aircraft.

The pick islands then dovetail into the pick to transfer the energy from the pick strikes directly into the shaft rather than through the stainless steel hardware.  There is a 0.3mm gap between the islands where the pick is inserted. This clearance means that the pick is pinched by the wood shaft distributing the force evenly and avoiding stress hotspots.

The Pick

Kronos picks are CNC plasma cut from 4mm tool-grade steel and heat treated for strength and durability. They currently hand finished and individually inspected, and further innovation is expected as the Kronos takes shape.

DRY ICE Tools Co-Owner Ben Carlson going all in while testing the DRY ICE Kronos at the Ouray Ice Park.