oSIST prEN 568:2025

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2025
Gorniška oprema - Ledni vijaki - Varnostne zahteve in preskusne metode
Mountaineering equipment - Ice anchors - Safety requirements and test methods
Bergsteigerausrüstung - Verankerungsmittel im Eis - Sicherheitstechnische
Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
Équipement d’alpinisme et d’escalade - Broches à glace - Exigences de sécurité et
méthodes d’essai
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 568
ICS:
97.220.40 Oprema za športe na Outdoor and water sports
prostem in vodne športe equipment
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
July 2025
ICS 97.220.40 Will supersede EN 568:2015
English Version
Mountaineering equipment - Ice anchors - Safety
requirements and test methods
Équipement d'alpinisme et d'escalade - Broches à glace Bergsteigerausrüstung - Verankerungsmittel im Eis -
- Exigences de sécurité et méthodes d'essai Sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen und
Prüfverfahren
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 136.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 568:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Safety requirements . 7
4.1 Design . 7
4.2 Resistance to hammering of ice pitons . 7
4.3 Holding strength in the radial direction . 8
4.3.1 Ice anchors . 8
4.3.2 Ice anchors with a textile hanger . 8
4.4 Holding strength in the axial direction . 8
5 Test methods . 8
5.1 General. 8
5.1.1 Examination of design . 8
5.1.2 Test sample . 8
5.1.3 Apparatus . 9
5.1.4 Preparation of the test blocks . 9
5.2 Determination of resistance of ice pitons when hammered in . 10
5.3 Determination of holding strength in radial direction . 10
5.3.1 Test preparation and conditioning . 10
5.3.2 Test method . 13
5.3.3 Ice screw with textile hanger . 15
5.4 Determination of holding strength in axial direction. 17
6 Marking . 19
7 Product instructions and information . 20
Annex A (informative) Standards on mountaineering equipment . 22
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the essential
requirements of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 aimed to be covered . 24
Bibliography . 25
European foreword
This document (prEN 568:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 136 “Sports,
playground and other recreational facilities and equipment”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 568:2015.
a) introduction of a different strength for ice screws with placement length l inferior to 10 cm;
b) “manufacturer's instruction” replaced with “product instruction”;
c) requirements and test method for textile hanger;
d) update of figures.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
For relationship with EU Legislation, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this document.
Introduction
The first text of this document published in 1997 was initially based on the former UIAA Standard Q “ice
anchors” (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme), which has been developed with
international participation.
This document is one of a package of standards for mountaineering equipment (see Annex A, Table A.1).
1 Scope
This document specifies safety requirements and test methods for ice anchors, i.e. ice screws and ice
pitons, for use in mountaineering including climbing.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 566:2017, Mountaineering equipment - Slings - Safety requirements and test methods
ISO 7000:2019, Graphical symbols for use on equipment — Registered symbols
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
ice anchor
general term for ice screw and ice piton
3.2
ice screw
anchor which is screwed into the ice and is screwed out again after use
3.3
ice piton
anchor which is hammered into the ice and is removed again after use
3.4
placement length
l
length of the anchor from its end to the part of the eye/connector hole intended to be in contact with the
ice after it has been screwed or hammered in
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1 a) and Figure 1 b).
a) Example of ice anchor with metallic hanger

b) Example of ice anchor with textile hanger
Key
1 body
2 eye
3 textile hanger
4 crank
l placement length
𝐷𝐷 internal diameter of the ice anchor measured from the toothed end of the ice screw
Figure 1 — Examples of placement length, l
3.5
hanger
joint between the ice anchor body and the eye
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.
3.6
eye
part of the hanger intended as attachment point for a connector
Note 1 to entry: A hanger/ice anchor could have more than one eye.
3.7
crank
device intended to screw and unscrew the ice screw
Note 1 to entry: A crank can be foldable.
4 Safety requirements
4.1 Design
4.1.1 Ice screws shall consist of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical hollow body with thread. At the screw
head, there is an eye into which a connector can be clipped.
Ice pitons shall consist of a cylindrical or semi-cylindrical hollow body and have an eye into which a
connector can be clipped.
4.1.2 The head, the eye and the crank shall be free from burr and sharp edges.
The internal edges of the eye shall be rounded with a radius larger than 0,2 mm (see Figure 2 b) or have
a chamfer larger than 0,2 mm × 45°. See Figure 2 a).
Dimensions in millimetres
a) b)
Figure 2 — Attachment point eye dimensions
4.1.3 When tested in accordance with 5.1.1, the eye shall have an internal diameter of at least 15 mm.
See Figure 2 b).
4.1.4 The length l shall be expressed as a whole number of cm, e.g. “10,9 cm is rounded to 10 cm”.
4.2 Resistance to hammering of ice pitons
When tested in accordance with 5.2, ice pitons shall show no deformation likely to affect safety, e.g. cracks
or separation of components. The impact area of the head shall remain sufficiently intact so as to allow
further hammering.
NOTE Deformation due to hammering, as occurs with chisels, is not considered detrimental.
4.3 Holding strength in the radial direction
4.3.1 Ice anchors
If the ice anchor has more than one eye, each eye shall be tested.
When tested in accordance with 5.3.2, ice anchors with a placement length l superior to 10 cm shall
withstand a force of at least 10 kN in the radial direction, without being pulled out of the ice or breaking.
When tested in accordance with 5.3.2, ice anchors with a placement length l inferior or equal to 10 cm
shall withstand a force of at least 8 kN in the radial direction, without being pulled out of the ice or
breaking.
NOTE Permanent deformation after the above tests is permitted.
4.3.2 Ice anchors with a textile hanger
If ice anchors have a textile hanger, when tested in accordance with 5.3.3, the ice anchor shall withstand
a force of at least 15 kN.
If the textile hanger(s) have/has more than one eye, each eye shall be tested.
NOTE Permanent deformation after the test is permitted.
If the textile hanger is removable and made as a standard quickdraw sling, it shall comply to EN 566:2017.
4.4 Holding strength in the axial direction
When tested in the axial direction in accordance with 5.4, ice anchor shall withstand a force of at least
5 kN without the metallic hanger and/or the textile hanger breaking or becoming detached.
5 Test methods
5.1 General
5.1.1 Examination of design
Check the requirements specified in 4.1 by tactile and/or visual examination, design documentation
and/or measurement.
5.1.2 Test sample
Carry out the test according to Table 1.
Table 1 — Number of test samples
Number of samples for testing according to
Type of
ice 5.3.2 5.3.2
5.2 5.3.3 5.4
anchor
for l ≤ 10 cm for l > 10 cm
number equals to number equals to the
Ice
the number of eye(s) number of eye(s)
0 0
(largest
piton
a a a
length) (shortest length) (shortest length)
number equals to number equals to the
number equals number equals
Ice
the number of eye(s) number of eye(s)
0 to the number to the number
screw
a a
of eye(s) of eye(s)
(shortest length) (shortest length)
a
If ice anchors of different lengths, with the same design are available, the effect of the thread length in the
different length l of ice screws shall be considered, because the shortest placement length l might not be the
weakest configuration.
5.1.3 Apparatus
5.1.3.1 Steel ice container for ice piton
The steel ice container has the following dimensions:

minimum length 350 mm

minimum width 220 mm internal dimensions

minimum depth 330 mm

minimum wall thickness 6 mm
The base of the ice container shall be rigid so that it does not influence the test results.
5.1.3.2 Vertically guided falling body
The vertically guided falling body has a mass of (10 ± 0,02) kg with a flat impact area of (30 ± 10) mm
diameter of hardness, HV (40) = (800 ± 10) %.
5.1.4 Preparation of the test blocks
5.1.4.1 Ice block for ice piton: fill the steel ice container with tap water and store it at (–10 ± 1) °C for
at least 20 h. Smooth off any uneven surface of the ice.
5.1.4.2 Cellular concrete block for ice anchors with following characteristics:
— Material: cellular concrete;
— Density: (500 ± 50) kg/m conforming to EN 771-4:2011+A1:2015;
— Compressive strength: (4 ± 0,25) MPa conforming to EN 772-1:2011+A1:2015;
— Dimensions: Width: (200 ± 10) mm, Height: (200 ± 10) mm, Depth: (250 ± 10) mm;
— At least the top face shall be held with metal plates to avoid cracks.
5.2 Determination of resistance of ice pitons when hammered in
Carry out the test at (–10 ± 3) °C. Drive the ice piton into an ice block (see 5.1.4.1), using a vertically
guided falling body (see 5.1.3.2). Ensure that the ice surface is horizontal and that the ice piton is within
1° of
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