Long before front points appeared on crampons, climbers moved uphill on ice in a way that looks strange by modern standards: they went backward.
Piolet ramasse is a traditional technique where the ice axe is carried across the body, hand on the adze, shaft running along the forearm, and the spike planted behind for security. With early crampons lacking forward points, climbers faced downhill so all the points could bite into the slope. Progress uphill came from stepping backward while using the spike of the axe for balance and stability.
It worked going down, too, but it was primarily an ascent method. Awkward today, ingenious in its time—and still worth trying for perspective.