Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ice Axe rentals?

How's it going guys?

I was wondering if there is any place where I cant rent an ice axe. The store "Elevation" only offers crampons, which I was planning on renting at their place. REI offers rentals for both, but they are way too expensive.

But, if there is no other place aside from REI, then I'll obviously swallow the cost hit and rent it at REI.

Thanks for the help.

I have rented them from one or more of the hardware stores in Lone Pine.

Probably too late for you, but may be useful to someone searching this board at a later date. If you're coming from the north, Wilson's Eastside Sports in Bishop rent them out.

I see you're from LA. Not sure what you're looking at for rental cost. There is a surplus store in Gardena that has them for sale. I talked them down from $50 to $40. They are not aluminum, or as long as the newer ones, but it will do. I then bought the material from REI and made my own leash for $1.50. Just a thought. If you're paying somewhere near the price for a rental then it may just be better to buy.