Podcast

Ep. 30 - From Dreams of Flight to Ultralight: Crafting the World’s Lightest Ice Tools with Jarek Walewski of Eliteclimb

Aaron Gerry

on Aug 14, 2024

• 3 min read

From dashed dreams of becoming a fighter pilot to unexpected businessman, Jarosław “Jarek” Walewski has been creating innovative ice tools for over a decade by pursuing ideas that the larger brands have ignored.

🧊 About the episode

Eliteclimb makes the lightest ice tools in the world, and it’s not even close. It’s possible because Jarosław "Jarek" Walewski uses a mix of carbon and kevlar composites, and nothing else—the only metal in his tools are the bolts and picks.

The one-man brand has been bucking industry trends for over a decade now, and it’s his unique position as an independent craftsman that lets Jarek pursue solutions that the bigger brands ignore.

By being attuned to the community and working with some of the world’s best, their tools have been used on no oxygen ascents of Lhotse, expeditions to places like K2 and Broad Peak and at the highest-end of drytooling today.

In this episode, we discuss:

🧊 How Jarek came to understand composites by working in one of the best glider factories in the world
🧊 Why he chooses to make each tool by hand
🧊 The advantages of composite materials
🧊 Why moving fast and trying things is a good strategy
🧊 Being open to opportunities and feedback (positive and negative)
🧊 His philosophy on business, craftsmanship, and production

Sometimes people are thinking that it has to expand. You have to employ someone. You have to make a bigger factory.

But I'm thinking that I like to do this. And it's, it's a way of life for me and gives me really satisfaction to make all those tools. So I can stay on that level, it's fine for me.

I'm looking for the craftsmen in us, like, I don't know, Alpine Ludities or some other people like that. And I like the way of life that they are showing; they are making a business and that you don't have to constantly grow, grow the numbers and sales and everything.

So I think it's good to have the truth and your person in, in that thing. That I can write, 'I made. every tool by myself.' And I'm really happy about that.

🧊 Resources and links

To learn more about Eliteclimb’s tools, head to eliteclimb.com. All of their tools can be customized (from weight, strength, colors, etc.), so if you’re interested, be sure to reach out to Jarek.

On the website, you can also read trip reports from expeditions where their tools have been used. Lastly, there are more updates on their Instagram, @eliteclimb.

🧊 Credits

📸: Episode cover photo by Artur Małek courtesy of Jarek

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!). This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.

🧊 Sponsors:

A huge thanks to Aniiu Gloves and Furnace Industries for supporting this show!

Aniiu Gloves: What do you get when you combine 30 years of ice climbing and product design chops? Well, if you’re into gloves you get Aniiu — a boutique climbing brand on a mission to produce the best ice climbing and drytooling gloves around. Doug, Jun, and the rest of the team spare no expense in the pursuit of durable, dextrous and waterproof. Best yet, they are made from recycled textiles — which saves waste from the landfill — and they are robustly built so they won’t end up there anytime soon. To learn more about your friend in the cold, head to aniiu.com. That is aniiu.com.

Furnace Industries: We get it, ice season never really ends… it just kinda blends between rock, plastic, and plywood until waterfalls freeze over again. No matter how you train in the off-season Furnace Industries keeps you going ‘til your next bout of screaming barfies. With their gym-safe DRY ICE Evolutions you can keep up your fitness indoors. And if you’re looking to challenge yourself on your homewall, they have the largest stock of drytooling holds in America. Check out their full lineup of ice and drytooling gear at furnace-Industries.com… where It’s Always Ice Season.