Michigan Ice Fest - First time on Ice, gear/sanity check

I'll be heading up to Munising for Ice Fest in February for my first ice climbing experience, and wanted to run my plan by some people more experienced before I head up. I'll be going up a friend of mine (her first time too), and two of her friends who've climbed up there for the past 3 years. Me and friend will be taking the ice climbing teaser half day course on Friday morning, then heading out with the others who are more experienced for the rest of the weekend, I'll just be top roping and observing/learning from them. I think that's a solid plan as far as actual climbing. What I'm mostly concerned about is making sure I've the proper gear for the brutal conditions Michigan is known for, so here's my gear list:

Upper Body:
-Merino Wool Base Layer
-Black Diamond Coefficient Hoody
-Either Outdoor Research Ferrosi Summit Hooded Jacket or BD Heat Treat Hoody (still deciding, open to other options)
-BD Stance Belay Parka
-Patagonia Alpine Houdini hardshell for super wet conditions

Lower Body: (My biggest concern. Do I need any extra for my legs?)
-Merino Wool Base
-Pair of fleece sweat pants
-Outdoor Research Cirque Pants
-AKU Montagnard Boots

Other:
-BD Half Dome Helmet
-BD Punisher Gloves
-55 Liter pack
-60m Petzl semi-static rope (maybe, typically only used for caving, canyoneering, and photography from the wall)

I don't have my own crampons or tools yet, so will be trying out different options with the demo gear. Is there anything obvious that I'm forgetting? I have an old North Face 3-n-1 that I'll throw in the car, but don't think I'll need it to climb in. Please let me know if theres any gear on here that I do/don't need!

I'd also appreciate any tips you'd have for a first time climber, especially on Michigan ice, and Ice Fest in general.

Appreciate your time to read this, and hope wonderful ice blesses you all!

EDIT - Obviously difficult to predict the weather next week, let alone a month from now, but any recommendations for driving up there. I'll be driving a 4WD Honda Pilot up from OH, and I have a fair amount of winter driving, but never anything like the winters I've seen in pictures and videos from the region. I'll have a shovel with me, as well as blankets etc... Should I pick up some snow chains just in case?

I'd reccomend at least another pair of gloves (2-3 might be better). A set of belay mittens wouldn't be a bad idea if it gets really cold.

I usually have a pair of climbing gloves and belay gloves. If I'm climbing the belay gloves go inside my jacket to dry out/keep warm. I then switch when belaying. Just be sure to put them in a layer tucked under your harness so they don't fall out.

When they get so wet that the above doesn't work I switch them out with extras I've brought. It's fairly common for me to have 3 or 4 pairs of gloves with me.

I agree: extra pair of gloves and belay mitts are the most glaring omission. Maybe another insulating midlayer for the upper body but you might be OK. Lower body layers are fine, legs don't need much. Can't comment on AKU boots.

Edit: just looked up that BD Heat Treat hoody and it's probably plenty warm. Not sure it's breathable enough to be an ideal active layer but it'll do for now if the forecast is particularly arctic (wear the Ferrosi otherwise). Do you already own these shells or are you shopping?

Edit 2: face protection is really nice if it's super cold. I like those Seirus neoprene masks they sell at all the outdoor stores.

As the others have said: Moar gloves. And maybe warmer gloves.

I climb mostly in Hyalite outside of Bozeman, MT these days, but the weather seems similar.

I always bring (and usually end up wearing) a pair of full zip hardshell pants. That being said, I only wear a midweight pair of long underwear and a light softshell pant otherwise. I climb down to 5 degrees in that setup...anything colder, and I go with heavier long underwear and/or heavier softshell.

For me, the Punisher glove is too big to climb in unless it is below zero. I belay in the BD work gloves and climb in the BD Terminator most of the time. I always carry 4 pairs of gloves minimum. Also, never make the approach in your climbing or belay gloves. If you sweat in them too much, they'll be done for the day. You don't need to go out and drop $400 on gloves either. I've climbed in the $15 hardware store gloves quite a bit. Just try and find a sheep skin palm or something similar so you can grip your tools. You get bonus point for bringing one of your tools into the hardware store...especially in Ohio.

Off topic (sorry): do you take the same size in Terminators and Punishers?

jdejace wrote:Off topic (sorry): do you take the same size in Terminators and Punishers?

I do. Some people say the Punishers run wider than the terminators, but that hasn't been a problem for me.

Get some cheap gaiters you can destroy with your poor footwork and save your nice shell pants. I'm 5 years into ice climbing and I still rip a nice hole in my gaiters at least once a season.

Not to mention keeping snow out of your boots on the approach. I consider gaiters to be a pretty essential piece of gear. I'd rather forget my extra gloves or even a hat.

EDIT: And good on you for doing a beginner course. You should have a stellar time and with any luck you'll end up addicted by Sunday.

Justin Griggs wrote: I'll be going up a friend of mine (her first time too),

Because prepositions matter. :-)

Have a great time on the ice!

I typically take a thermos of hot water.

Yes, take your extra gloves -- change of gloves to mittens & puffy coat parka for cold cold standing around, extra hat & clava. If it's relatively warm it's no big deal, but the ice base can be colder place.

tools are usually avail all over the place, but having your own crampons is a plus.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions everyone, I will definitely bring a few extra pairs of gloves!

jdejace wrote:Edit: just looked up that BD Heat Treat hoody and it's probably plenty warm. Not sure it's breathable enough to be an ideal active layer but it'll do for now if the forecast is particularly arctic (wear the Ferrosi otherwise). Do you already own these shells or are you shopping?

I'm still shopping for the shell. I just noticed the BD was on closeout for $115 on their website, so that made me consider it, as it's just a bit more than what I can get the Ferrosi Summit for with prodeals. I'm definitely open to other suggestions on shells

Kris Fiore wrote:Get some cheap gaiters you can destroy with your poor footwork and save your nice shell pants. I'm 5 years into ice climbing and I still rip a nice hole in my gaiters at least once a season. Not to mention keeping snow out of your boots on the approach. I consider gaiters to be a pretty essential piece of gear. I'd rather forget my extra gloves or even a hat. EDIT: And good on you for doing a beginner course. You should have a stellar time and with any luck you'll end up addicted by Sunday.

Good point on the gaiters, not sure how I missed those! And I certainly hope that I'll end up addicted! If for some reason I absolutely hate it, I'll still be right on the lake shore and be able to take some awesome photos!

Justin Griggs wrote:Thanks everyone for the suggestions everyone, I will definitely bring a few extra pairs of gloves! I'm still shopping for the shell. I just noticed the BD was on closeout for $115 on their website, so that made me consider it, as it's just a bit more than what I can get the Ferrosi Summit for with prodeals. I'm definitely open to other suggestions on shells

I'd just get the normal Ferrosi. The best part about it is the breathability. As best as I can tell the Summit just seems to use the burlier shoulder fabric in the whole jacket. You don't need more durability for ice climbing and you might be sacrificing breathability. You may like to have a little warmer midlayer for cold days though, it's not a warm shell. Maybe something like an R2. Or maybe something like a Nano Air or Atom LT (some people climb in these without a shell but they're not particularly durable). Maybe a Nano Air or Atom vest in addition to your Coefficient would do the trick, with the Ferrosi over the top.

I really like the Pata Dual Aspect hoody as my outer layer unless it's really windy. Those fleece panels breathe like nothing else. If you're OK with fugly colors you can probably find last year's on closeout.

If you need to save a little $$ in this process, synthetic base layers work just fine. Not as odor resistant but whatever.

I totally agree with the points mentioned this far, but also:

A few warm neck gaiters or balaclavas will feel great on your neck and face when the wind whips in from Lake Superior. You will want more than one because they will get wet from condensation when you breathe.

Also, goggles or sunglasses will be great when the wind picks up.

Snowshoes or cross country skis or skis with skins are great to have if you plan on getting out early or trekking out to the inland falls.

I put toe warmers in my boots and my feet were happy all day.

Be smart with your layers, you will likely get warm hiking out to some of the climbs and cold when waiting to climb or belaying.

When in doubt about gear, I recommend contacting Bill Thompson at Down Wind Sports in Marquette Michigan, he is also on Mountain Project.

And have fun!