Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that developed from alpine climbing. Mountaineers and alpine climbers have used ice climbing skills for decades, but many decided to forgo the mountain and search for ice.
Where there is ice, there are ice climbers. This subset of climbing is much like traditional rock climbing, yet on frozen water. One can top rope, lead, or free solo ice similarly. Besides using tools and climbing on frozen water, the significant difference is that the consequences of climbing challenging ice routes are much more substantial than those of climbing challenging rock routes.
Ice Tools
What exactly are those axe-looking things climbers are stabbing into the ice as they climb? You’re likely close to guessing that they’re ice axes, but there is some difference between ice axes and ice tools.
Ice axes can be used to climb frozen water, but the invention of ice tools has all but pushed them out of the game. Mountaineers use ice axes to traverse snow. Think of trekking poles for ice. They’re used to help with walking and in the case of falling. A mountaineer will stab their axe into the snow and anchor themselves to the mountain.
Modern ice tools stem from Yvon Chouinard’s curved, serrated pick in the 1960s and Hamish MacInnes’s all-metal aluminum alloy with an even more curved pick.
An ice climber typically uses two ice tools when climbing and treats them as an extension of their hands. However, the tools have sharp points that can stab into the ice. Many ice climbers attach a leash to their tools to keep them in place. This connects them to their wrists if they drop them.
Ice Crampons
But what are on their feet?
Crampons, designed for basic snow and glacier travel in the 16th century, can be traced back to 1933 when Laurent Grivel designed one with points in the front for stabbing into ice.
Adding points to the front of crampons transformed mountaineering and ice climbing, allowing adventurers to tackle harder and more dangerous terrain.
Crampons are made specifically for different winter activities. You can grab a pair for general snow walking, general or technical mountaineering, or ice climbing.
Three different materials are used to make crampons. Steel and stainless steel are typically used for general mountaineering, while aluminum is ideal for ice climbing. The lightweight design of aluminum crampons cuts out some unnecessary weight in the mountains, but they will wear out quicker than their steel counterparts.
Ice Protection
Like traditional lead climbing on rock, a climber inserts protection into the ice and clips themselves to it via a quickdraw. The protection is much different, though, and requires more knowledge to use in the safest way possible.
Ice screws – Hollow metal threaded steel tubes with sharp ends and a hangar on the back. Ice screws come in varying lengths and will be used in different depths of ice.
Understanding ice protection and dangerous conditions requires extensive experience. Just as identifying unsafe rock is a component of rock climbing, identifying unsafe ice is a component of ice climbing.
Dry-Tooling
Dry-tooling is a subset of ice climbing used for “mixed routes.” A mixed route combines rock climbing and ice climbing. Dry-tooling uses ice tools on rock and has become a popular activity for those who can’t get out to ice routes each year or when there isn’t enough ice to climb.
Dry-tooling is how ice climbers compete in the Ice Climbing World Cup (UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, or IWC). While many lead climbing routes employ dry tools on artificial walls, the IWC speed-climbing routes compete on a 40-50 ft wall of ice.
Ice Climbing Grades
Ice climbing routes are still variable and regional, so they are still evolving. The general idea is that ice routes are graded using WI—”water ice.”
WI 1 is the lowest grade, typically climbed without ice climbing tools, and is akin to hiking up a slope of frozen water. The highest grade is WI 8 and consists of thin and poorly bonded ice, with protection being nearly impossible or extremely difficult to place.
There is a grade for everything in between that can get cumbersome, but the grades run from the easiest end, WI 1, to the hardest, W1 8.