Just fixed a broken ice axe handle with duct tape and hope

It was the kind of cold where your breath freezes in your throat before it even leaves your mouth. I was halfway up a frozen waterfall, gloveless, when the handle cracked like a dry twig. No time for panic—just fumbled through my pack, found the tape, wrapped it tight enough to not die. It’s ugly as hell, but it held. Now it’s my lucky charm. Weird how something so temporary can feel so permanent.