The Stubai Blue Star is a well-proven classic that has been voted ‘Best Buy’ in past Trail reviews and has proved a popular low-priced option for many years. The design is fairly standard with a straight shaft. It has a very substantial rubber grip and comes with a slide-adjusted leash. The head has a wide adze for hacking out snow and is well-balanced. The pick is not as aggressive as some, which is just what you want if you only need the axe for ice axe braking. You also get a rubber protector for the spike. This is a good basic low-priced axe whose shaft weight bias means that it is best suited to general hill-walking and glacier travel. But the weight is the main drawback with the Stubai Blue Star. The head is not as aggressive or as well-finished as some others either.
Classification basic
Materials alloy shaft, forged steel head
Sizes 60, 65, 70cm
Weight 675g (size 60cm with leash)
Made in Austria
Stores in the UK 29