Ice Climbing

adventure · extreme sports · winter

Special crampons grip ice. Ice climbers wear rigid crampons with sharp spikes on their boots, kind of like ice skates but with pointy teeth that dig into frozen surfaces. These spikes are totally different from the flexible ones used in regular rock climbing.

Double axes like ice picks. Instead of one climbing axe, ice climbers carry two double ice axes, one in each hand. They swing these axes to carve handholds into the ice as they climb, almost like they're chopping their own path up the mountain.

Waterfalls turn into routes. When winter comes, frozen waterfalls become climbing routes that only exist for a season. Some ice climbers also tackle permanently frozen couloirs (narrow gullies) high up on mountains where ice never melts.

Steel screws for safety. Ice climbers screw special steel screws into the ice as they climb, similar to how rock climbers use bolts. These screws have to be placed perfectly because if the ice cracks, the whole route becomes dangerous.

Hanging ice formations. Some ice routes are massive hanging icicles dangling from cliffs, but they're only climbable when they're thick and solid enough. A single warm day can completely change these icy playgrounds.