So I decided to learn some aid climbing this winter when I can't do ice. I have free climbing gears, gonna try to buy some aiders and daisies. Obviously the weather will be worse, but I think the techniques are the same. I'm just doing it at local crag, not worry about long days or hauling or anything too complex.

I'm wondering if there are some tips and tricks for winter aid climbing?

Yea dress warmly ,and you can get the screaming barfies from pullin on gear just as easly as you can pulling on tools ice climbing.


I like to do my aid climbing when the weather is nice BTW.

I like aiding in crappy weartheer because you can still get out.

My rocommendation is to do it single pitch to start and bring a puffy and ground pad for your belayer.

I cut the fingertips off a pair of fleece gloves, which have been awesome. Dress warmly an wear knee pads because freezing knee caps suck.

Be careful when it is really cold. I have done some aiding in the dead of winter, sometimes like -10 below zero and I am really used to throwing carabiners in my mouth as I do when I free climb. You donate a lot of blood to the rock gods when you do this as your tongue gets stuck to the biner and you have to rip it off. Makes for a great story to your girlfriend though haha.

O, yea. I'm definitely gonna bundled up, but I won't climb in subzero temp, I rather climb ice in that temp range. I'll probably climb when a warm spell hits and ice is gone.

I'll do mostly single pitch, get a crashpad for my belayer and a hot stove making tea or something. Hard to find a belay bitch for aid in cold weather.

divnamite -
have you thought about learning how to aid rope solo? I have quite a few friends who use this technique so they can practice without having to make someone belay for long periods of time.

Yes, one small problem, I don't have the balls for roped solo. I have reseach and read just about everything I can find on the internet and I don't see a single useful diagram and detailed instrument on how to do it properly.

Get your hands on a "silent partner" self-belay device. They are safe and pretty easy to use.

Humm... ok, what did I miss?