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Why should I love ice climbing?
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Hi there, I'm mostly a sport climber at heart (bit of bouldering, trad as well is fun). I've tried ice climbing a couple times. I liked it, it was a fun thing to do, however I haven't found why I should gear up & pick it up seriously. Like I understood that my technic sucked and that I shouldn't be pumped that much so easily, however I don't see (at this point) how vastly different my technic would need to be in order for me to be able to lead more vertical ice without getting needlessly pumped - it seems I would mostly be doing the exact same thing, just a bit more efficiently (need fewer swings to get my axe in, grip a bit less hard). The body position in itself doesn't seem that hard to grasp - like I'm trying to find what the equivalent of a flag or heel hook would be, but seems to me that those type of moves are pretty useless unless you're doing crazy mixted climbing Will Gadd level stuff. Or is the "love of ice" not so much to be found in the gymnastic-like movement that you have bouldering/sport climbing, but rather closer to trad climbing in the spirit of excitment, adventure & really wild things? What do you love about ice climbing, and in case you're both a sport/trad/boulderer and ice climber, how would you compare what you like in each? |
Franck Vee wrote: This pretty much nails it for me personally! I also think its just plain cool to be climbing frozen water with medieval weapons on hand and foot. If you are looking for gymnastic movement ice climbing is not your huckleberry however, I do think the movement can be quite interesting even at lower grades and you will find yourself making "climbing shapes" when negotiating odd formations. |
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Come now, people, you can do better! As an aspiring ice climber, well, okay, as a neophyte who is supposed to have her sorry old ass hauled out IF there is ice, I've been reading up. Here's my list: 1. "Screaming barfies". How cool is that? 2. Hunks with muscles. Well. Somewhere in there. 3. Shopping! Fifteen pieces of stuff that doesn't exist in your size! And that's just for hands and feet! 4. Axes. Beat out anything in a brawl 5. Routes that only exist in mountain hunk guys wet dreams, and, if you find them, they could fall down while you are there. 6. Difficult approaches that require manly vehicles, just to get to the airport. 7. Did I mention hunks? 8. Even less people who do it. That treasure hunt aspect of finding a partner. 9. Compound fractures! Helicopter rides! And that's on the hike in. 10. Did I mention hunks? My way of saying thanks to the complete strangers who are helping to make this happen, hopefully. Just the fun stuff. Hunks, all, sight unseen. I'm actually getting stoked even after all the reading! Best, Helen |
Franck Vee wrote: You should not love ice climbing. You should not try it. It absolutely sucks. It's no fun at all. Suffering. Cold. Sharp stuff. Definitely stick with bouldering. Don't even think about ice climbing. So not worth it. Any smile on my face in any photo while I'm ice climbing is there purely for effect-- may even have been photo-shopped. Ignore it. Ice climbing is not good. Don't try it. |
Jonny d wrote: Some how it gets positive re-enforcement, through word of mouth. There is the scenic beauty of your burial plot. |
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I thought it was: "That feeling when you get to the car and realize all your bones and blood are still inside you." ;) |
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Pics like this (me in Canada)  |
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I don't love it either. Tried it a few times and I didn't receive the same immedaite joy I got from rock climbing. I stopped trying to convince myself it's my idea of fun. Just head to the desert in the winter! |
NatejWeber wrote: Did I mention hunks? And yes, actually, long hours at work... My coworker broke a foot, so of course they took two shots at fixing it. Why do in six weeks what you can do in twelve? So, I'm holding down the fort single handed. As of January, it will be half a year of long hours, one way or another. I truly am anticipating ice, though, as the next "first". Stoked doesn't begin to cover it. Having a biggish goal really helps through the ugliness that winter can be. I have had some extremely nice folks helping, too. The real reason for ice? The people, for me. Just hoping to entertain a few of the rest of you stuck in cubicleville. Best, Helen |
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I love what everybody ice climbing loves. How easy it’s become! 1. Fabrics that vent excess heat and moisture but keep you warm and dry 2. Gear that makes doing the thing easier and safer. Screws are easier to place. Axes that get good sticks the first swing and are easy to clean. Boots that are warm when it’s 15 out but climb almost as well as fruit boots. 3. More beta, lots of up to the minute pictures showing how easy or hard a route is. I would whine about hating, no wait!.. disliking crowds but we didn’t see anyone Friday and one person on Sunday. Saturday we did a bunch of climbs in the NEs most popular pass. We got lucky that every time we moved something opened up.
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Ice climbing is stupid. Don't do it. *whispering* "ok guys, hopefully that's one less we have to worry about" |
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Just remember: The number of (ice) climbers is growing. The amount of ice is at best staying the same. At least for general climbing, there are new climbing gyms popping up & new routes getting bolted all the time. |
reboot wrote: If it gets popular enough, you will see ice climbing outdoor spots opening up I'm sure. It may even be somewhat easier to run than an indoor gym: you don't need to worry about heating/AC, in fact you don't even need a building. You don't really need to set routes either. I could see that idea going somewhere (assuming ice climbers actually are down for that, which may not fit with the "really wild things" part of the thing. |
Franck Vee wrote: Ice climbing is most definitely "Type 2" fun, either it's for you, or it's not. If you are the kind of person who understands the art of suffering and what I mean when I say "the art of suffering", then you should ice climb. Most climbing is pretty simplistic, not so with ice climbing, it's a next level mental dance, some people really like that, some people don't "get" it. So, the question is, what kind of nut are you?!?!? |
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Yeah, I can get behind type 2 fun sometimes. Like treeplanting or ultaramathons say. I guess I might just be looking the wrong way. Also I probably shouldn't be doing it just at some lowly local ice fall. I've mostly done the equivalent of running an ultra, but on a 200m indoor track instead of trails. So screw the outdoor ice climbing venu it has no future - I don't see a way of bringing about type 2 fun. Actually, from the moment you need to get insurances for a business, type 2 fun is probably out of the question... So maybe it would be more about finding more entreprising ice partner who know where the type 2 is hidden. Being we have (apparently) lots of ice climbs. That's also part of my questionning about ice climbing - I keep hearing it's good here and feel like someone living in Kalymnos but not climbing for some reasons... |
Franck Vee wrote: Ever heard of Ouray? You may not need heating/AC, but you do need water & actual cold spell, which hasn't been very consistent the last several years. You are asking the question in an ice climbing forum, what kind of response do you expect to get? I do wondering if the peeps are encouraging you to drop a bunch of cash on gear (that you probably won't use very much) just to keep the gear affordable for them. |
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When I was climbing a lot of ice, I used to love to infuriate the ice climbers by mentioning that for WI ice, it's never that hard. Conditions can suck, gear can suck, you can be freezing, wet, sick, and tired, but at the end of the day, it's never (rarely anyway) more technically difficult than 10d, and a lot of the time it's a lot easier. Obviously mixed is different, and so are weird things like Hemleken Falls. When we talk about the joy of ice climbing, it's more macro. Some crazy balance between smash and tap. Feeling strong and confident in those conditions, ignoring screw placements because you feel good and what's the point anyway. Taking winter at it's worst and having a fun day, it truly is a joy. However, I'm missing friends in my life because it is unforgiving. I was literally one contemplative piss away from becoming one of the fallen myself (crazy story, I won't bore you here). Lets put it another way. When my mom worries about my rock climbing, I could always assure her that although things can happen, it was overall safe and for the most part the vertical environment was a lot more controlled than it seems. Even considering loose rock, free solos, lightning, and alpine, I wasn't lying to her. When she worried about ice climbing, I could not come up with a way to justify the risk to her. That isn't why I stopped. It's even more outrageous. It was as simple at the sole coming undone from my boot. I needed new boots. I honestly couldn't justify new or even used boots for how little I still got out of ice. Colorado has so much warm rock and warm cycling all winter, I simply stopped caring about ice. I'm sure I'll do it again, it feels good not to look forward to it though. |
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I can agree with, and so relate, to most of what highaltitude said above. I love(d) ice climbing. I looked forward to every season and planned big trips for big classics. I thought it was pretty darn hard, dangerous, serious, certainly strenuous (especially in the 70’s and 80’s) and almost every time out on a big ice climb, it was an EPIC. The wilder the better. The longer the approach the more memorable. I remember winds so strong it could blow you completely off the ice or the top of the climb, with tree limbs flying by, and blinding sharp spin drift. Sometime I was so cold I thought I would die. I still have sensitive knuckles from hitting the ice with frozen hands. I almost always came back bleeding from somewhere. I never really believed a screw would hold a fall, so I was often freaked out yelling: “watch me, watch me, oh crap, watch me”. Still not sure if they really hold and never tested one. I feel that I went through the whole evolution of equipment changes and improvements. One of my first big ice climes was Telluride’s Bridelveil Falls with wooden axes and Salewa screws (and no helmets) and one of my last ice climbs was Telluride’s Bridelveil Falls on my 50th birthday. But . . . . . if I looked back at my top ten days of climbing in a long fifty years at it - three or four of the best times would for sure be ice climbs. |
RKM wrote: A Well phrased respones which makes me doubt that you remember it right Ice Climbing Is hell Bride Fail Falls and straight tools took both my pinkey fingers nails off each season, Ouuch still hurts to typpe with them, And what about those Nighttime starts as the glow of dawn hit some 5 hours latter showed it had snowed 4 inches and the base with the stash was frozen too. all good, NOT! - broke a heel,50 % compromised ankle - end my ability to take the colder North East , so I'm jealous of your extra 12 years of enhanced mid-evil torture |
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Back in my college days on the rowing team my father would often ride along in the launch with the coach for 4am practice. Mind you this was Wisconsin and if the water was moving it wouldn't freeze and we would be out there. He would go on and on about how beautiful the sunrise was while we enjoyed icicles forming from sweat on our beards. At the time I hated him for the comments and would tell him from the boat to "Shut the fuck up!" about the damn sunrise. Now, I look upon that experience as character building and in hindsight, "loved" it. |
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What I think is cool about ice, besides the stuff above, is that you can just find some ice and just climb it. No need to worry about weather or not there is good gear. No need to scrape dirt, lichen, ferns, etc off for before hand. No need to be scared by seeping at sections. Ice is just ice. It is not as fickle as rock, so long as it's not falling down at the moment. |
