![]() Every night, we would drape all our gear (ice-axes, ropes, clothes, gaiters, boots, harness, etc.) around the car, and try our best to dry them.Īnd because the cabin wasn’t long enough, we had to use a bungee cord to hold the boot down, which couldn’t shut fully, so there would be 6 inches of snow on our sleeping bags every morning.Įvery day, breakfast was a solid fruit-cake log, lunch consisted of cold combat rations, and dinner was the only hot food of the day. As the name suggests, the climbing was a narrow gully in the mountains where there were several good ice-climbs.īeing poor recent graduates, we slept in my jeep. I was then s̶u̶f̶f̶e̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ training with the US Marines, and during our Christmas break, my buddy Patrick McKinley and I, instead of resting our weary bodies decided to make a drive up to Smuggler’s Notch in upstate Virginia near the Canadian border to go ice-climbing. The first time I went ice-climbing was almost 20 years ago. To all my friends – In 2019 let’s go chasing waterfalls! Wearing 19th century style leather climbing boots on my feet, with 20th century technology laminated jackets (that completely de-laminated and were saved by duct-tape) and the first time flying 21st century technology consumer drones with amazing video-editing soft-ware – exciting!Ĭold, hard and painful, but energising. ![]() It was very cold, very beautiful, very chiaroscuro-like scenery, like a Chinese 水墨画 ink painting! Some of the world’s most famous ice climbing venues are those that are consistently cold throughout the season, meaning the routes stay in good nick.I saw out 2018 in cold Hokkaido Japan, ice-climbing frozen waterfalls (or sometimes, not so frozen). So, the places where ice climbing takes place obviously have to be comfortably sub-zero. After all, what is ice climbing – or what does it become – in summer? It’s called ghyll scrambling in England’s Lake District, which is the act of climbing up a free flowing waterfall, which certainly gets your hiking shoes wet. Perhaps this should be where and when to go ice climbing. Where are the best places to go ice climbing? Although there’s no ice to be found at the Ice Coop, it’s still a great place to learn how to use an ice axe and many other techniques associated with ice climbing. ![]() These techniques come into play on mixed climbs, where you take on sections of snow, rock and ice. Dry tooling is where ice tools are used to climb even when there’s no or little ice. In the US, Colorado’s Ice Coop is a unique gym that’s been designed specifically with dry tooling in mind. Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands is home to the world's largest indoor ice climbing wall (Image credit: Getty) However, these have sadly since permanently closed, partly because of their large energy consumption. Up until the Coronavirus Pandemic, a company called Vertical Chill operated indoor ice walls in both London and Manchester. Still in Scotland but more accessible for many, there’s also a smaller ice climbing wall at Snow Factor in Glasgow. The village of Kinlochleven in the Scottish Highlands is home to Ice Factor, the world’s biggest indoor ice climbing wall, with over 500 tonnes of real snow and ice to get the front points of your crampons into. There are places you can practise ice climbing indoors with guidance from instructors. You’ll likely have to bring your own warm clothing, such as a quality down jacket, as it gets rather nippy when stood belaying. You might be able to rent some of the more specialised tools, such as technical axes and crampons, allowing you to get a taste for the climbing without the financial investment. The best way to begin your ice climbing journey is to book a day or two with a qualified instructor to show you the ropes. Many ice climbing routes form during winter and disappear in the spring (Image credit: Getty)Įxperience of rock climbing or winter mountaineering is a desirable foundation but not essential, though knowing how to belay is a good start for partner work.
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