If you’re nervous, you can let the person belaying you know that you’d like them to keep the rope fairly tight (as opposed to having a lot of slack). If you’ve never fallen while on belay before, try taking a few practice falls near the bottom.Digging your toe straight-on into the ice will give you the maximum grip for the lowest physical effort. Try to keep your feet level and at a 90-degree angle with the ice. It may help to picture yourself as an inchworm climbing up the wall. Try to climb up with your legs, rather than pulling yourself up with your arms.When you stop, try to have your feet wide and even to relax your muscles as possible.You may want to do a few test falls before beginning the full rappel after your climb // Photo: Suzie DundasĪside from keeping your head down to avoid tiny pieces of ice, there are a few tips you can try to keep in your head while climbing: In Canada, climbers are encouraged to use Avalanche.ca to monitor and report conditions. Many areas also have ice climbing forums where climbers can post updates (akin to trail reports). This is where a guide’s knowledge is invaluable. Otherwise, very rare but potentially deadline risks include avalanches and ice falls, both of which can be mitigated by choosing the right section of ice in the right conditions at the right time and temperature. For most beginners, the biggest risk will probably be from tiny pieces of ice that could scratch your nose - but as Walter told us, “practice putting your head down right before you hit the ice with your ax,” to let your helmet take the hits. However, while the potential for accidents is low, the consequences can be high. Ice climbing, especially under the direction of a certified guide, is an extremely safe activity in terms of accidents. W6s are very long, difficult, and technical, and W7s - well, forget about those, unless you’re an elite climber. W4s and W5s are more likely to have long, vertical sections with no natural spots to rest. A W1 or W2 means you can mostly do it without tools, and most people define “ice climbing” as starting around W3 - a climb requiring tools and ropes, but with solid spots to stand and take breaks. Ice climbing is graded on a one-to-seven scale. Other factors to take into consideration include the thickness of the ice and the thickness of the place where it connects to the wall, especially if you’re climbing on pillars. That’s important, as you don’t want the ice to be brittle and break off every time you drive in your ax or crampon. As our ice climbing guide told us, blue indicates that the ice has some plasticity, or give, to it. In general, the bluer the ice, the better. Beginner climbers may find that holding their weight with one ax while searching for a secure spot to drive in the other ax is more fatiguing than rock climbing, a sport where you can have two hands on the rock most of the time.Ī W3 ice climbing wall has a slight incline and natural rest points // Photo: Suzie Dundasīeing able to gauge what ice is or isn’t safe to climb is an important skill and one of many reasons first-time ice climbers should go with a guide. Your ice climbing ax will probably weigh around 1.5 pounds, and you’ll need to draw it back, swing it forward to dig it into the ice, and pull it back out each time you want to move up. On the flip side, if you’re used to using your legs, you may find ice climbing to be more taxing on your arms. If you’re already doing that, in some ways, ice climbing may be even easier, as the ice climbing crampons on your boots can grip onto the ice almost anywhere - you don’t need to search as hard for a foothold as you do with rock climbing. Skilled rock climbers know to use their leg muscles to stand as much as possible while moving up a route, rather than using their arms to pull themselves up. Yes and no, depending on your rock climbing strengths and weaknesses. The weight of the ice climbing axes can be taxing on your arms // Photo: Suzie Dundas
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