The Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe is designed to give you the greatest comfort and ease of use possible. The ergonomic, stainless steel head has a flat top and hourglass shape at its connection to the shaft. This creates a shape that's comfortable to hang onto and allows fast transition to self-arrest. The Raven's pick shape is very secure in self-arrest, and the large adze makes the dismal job of chopping a belay ledge a little more bearable. You're going to be walking for days with your ice axe. The Raven's comfortable head will make all the difference.