Introduction to ice climbing

Enjoying time on CCC Falls in Joe's Valley, UT.

It takes a certain kind of person to enjoy ice climbing. It can be mind-numbingly cold and mind-bendingly scary. By the same token, however, ice climbing can be mind-blowingly rewarding. The mountains have an entirely different personality in winter and are cloaked in a different kind of beauty. Yes, you could say that ice climbing is inherently more dangerous than rock climbing (and I would agree with you), but there are thousands of people all over the world that safely enjoy this amazing winter activity. It’s a great winter alternative and/or supplement to gym climbing or skiing. And once you’ve got the gear, there are no lift tickets to pay for

[Note: I'm writing this assuming that you can find someone more knowledgeable to climb with. This is definitely not meant to be a comprehensive list of everything you need to know before ice climbing.]

Speaking of skiing, the clothing you need for ice climbing is similar to what you’d need for a day on the slopes. That is, you need waterproof pants, a waterproof shell jacket, insulating layers (long underwear and/or fleece, depending on the temperature), waterproof gloves, and a hat. Layering is important! You can work up quite a sweat on the approach and then nearly freeze to death while belaying, so it’s key that you can easily shed and pile on the layers. The gloves should be warm, yet you should be able to easily move your fingers around. The more dexterous the glove, the better. Lastly, gaiters are great for 1) keeping snow out of your boots, and 2) protecting your pant legs from getting ripped by your crampons.

Boots. You need good, stiff, waterproof boots. If you’re borrowing or renting crampons, you need to make sure that your boots will accept the crampons. There are a variety of crampon binding options out there. Do some research beforehand. Plastic boots will work and are warm, but lighter synthetic or leather boots will be more comfortable. I’ve had two pairs of leather or synthetic boots, the La Sportiva Makalu and La Sportiva Trango Extreme Evo Light GTX (worst ever name for a boot). I’ve been happy with both of them. I had a pair of Scarpa Inverno plastic boots but sold them because they were too clunky and heavy for my tastes. Your mileage may vary.

As far as other gear goes, you need all the basics: rope, harness, belay device (don’t use a Grigri or other autolocking device; apparently they don’t work well on icy ropes), slings, biners, etc. Ice specific gear includes crampons (I have mono point and dual point crampons and find that they both work well), ice tools (leashless is the way to go, IMO. I’ve got the Petzl-Charlet Moser Quark Ergos and love them), and ice screws. If you’re new to ice, hopefully you won’t be leading anything soon, and you won’t need the screws except to maybe set up a toprope. Screamers are also nice if you are leading.

Make sure the weather is good before you go ice climbing. Make sure it’s been cold enough that the ice is in good shape (I feel like I’ve come close to dying only once in the mountains, and it was when I violated this rule. More on that experience in a future post.). Check the snow conditions. Getting avalanched on would suck and would be a great way to end your day and/or life.

And finally, above all, I’d say go with someone who knows what they’re doing. This is true for all types of climbing when you’re still learning and it is doubly true for ice. There are lots of ways to kill and injure yourself and going with a more experienced climber can hopefully get you through to live another day. A more experienced partner can set up a toprope for you or you can follow them up pitches, giving you the ice climbing experience without having to worry about leading and falling.

If you DO lead ice, don’t fall. Now, I’m not one of those crusty old “never fall” trad hardmen. I trad climb a lot and I am more than willing to fall on my gear and I do it more often than I’d care to admit. But I do NOT want to fall on ice. You’re covered in sharp objects that are more than able to skewer you. Ice screws can be solid, but remember that you’re climbing frozen water. It’s a much less stable medium than rock. Don’t lead until you’re confident that you won’t fall.

I think that pretty much covers it. What do you think? I’ve probably left something out. What else would you add here? Do you agree or disagree with something I’ve said? Got gear recommendations? Let’s hear it!