Petzl Laser Ice Screw Review

Reviewed by Piers Harley (April 2021)

Ice and mixed climbing is challenging. There's nothing easy about it - it's physically tough and uncomfortable, the weather often decides the success or failure of a climb and the physical risks are significant. To make matters worse, the equipment we used in the past was heavy, expensive and often unreliable. This was especially the case with ice screws.  But things have changed ...

The Laser Speed Light ice screw is the latest offering from Petzl and is really rather good!

The standout feature of the Laser Speed Light is that it’s ... well ... light! This is due to the majority of the screw being manufactured from an aluminium alloy, with only the tip and teeth being manufactured from stainless steel.

Petzl's Speed Light is roughly 30% lighter than its steel predecessor - weighing 91g for the 13cm, 100g for the 17cm and 110g for the 21cm screw. However, these numbers don't really do them justice because compared to steel ice screws, they feel incredibly light when racked on the harness.