Ice climbing facts for kids
Ice climbing is an exciting sport where people climb frozen water formations. Imagine scaling huge frozen waterfalls or icy mountain paths! To do this, climbers use special tools like double ice axes and sharp spikes on their boots called crampons. They also use steel ice screws to help keep them safe as they climb.
This sport started as part of alpine climbing, which involves climbing mountains with both rock and ice. In the 1970s, ice climbing became its own sport. Today, there's a system to rate how hard an ice climb is, with grades like WI6 or WI7 for very difficult, vertical ice. Sometimes, climbers even use their ice tools on bare rock, which is called dry-tooling, to get to even harder ice sections.
Since 2002, the UIAA (International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation) has organized competition ice climbing. These competitions can be about who can climb a difficult route fastest or who can climb the highest on an artificial wall using special techniques. In Canada, at a place called Helmcken Falls, climbers have found unique ways to create extremely challenging routes on overhanging ice, some rated as high as WI13, making them the hardest in the world!
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What is Ice Climbing?
Ice climbing involves using special gear like ice tools (which are like advanced ice axes) and crampons (spikes on boots) to climb frozen water. This can be frozen waterfalls or icy snowfields. Just like rock climbing, ice climbing can be done in pairs. One climber, called the lead climber, goes first and places safety equipment into the ice.
After the lead climber reaches a safe spot, the second climber follows, removing the safety gear as they go. The safety equipment used on ice routes are special steel ice screws. Using these screws correctly takes a lot of practice and skill. Because ice conditions can change quickly, leading an ice climb requires extra care and attention compared to traditional rock climbing. Climbers often say, "the leader must not fall" when ice climbing, highlighting the need for extreme caution.
Ice climbing can also be done as free solo climbing, which means climbing without any ropes or safety gear, only using ice tools and crampons. This is very risky. The safest way to try ice climbing is called top roping, where a rope is already set up from above, making it perfect for beginners.
Ice climbing is also a key part of alpine climbing, which is about climbing big mountains. If a route has both ice and bare rock, it's called mixed climbing. If there's no ice at all, but climbers still use their ice tools and crampons on rock, it's called dry-tooling. Mixed climbing and dry-tooling routes can sometimes have permanent safety bolts drilled into the rock, making them a safer option than traditional ice routes.
Different Kinds of Ice Routes
Ice climbing routes come in many forms. A common type is a frozen waterfall, often found cascading down a mountain. Climbers also tackle high mountain paths called couloirs, which are frozen all year round. Even giant icicles, sometimes called ice-daggers, can be climbed. However, these can be very dangerous because they might break off.
Most ice climbing routes don't stay completely overhanging for long distances. This is because ice usually doesn't form in that way for very long. This means that standard ice climbing grades usually go up to WI6 or WI7. WI7 routes are almost completely vertical and have extra challenges. However, extreme mixed climbing routes can go beyond this, as they can include climbing overhanging rock sections to reach ice.
At Helmcken Falls in Canada, something special happens. A constantly active waterfall keeps the overhanging rock faces covered in thick ice. This creates unique "overhanging ice routes." Climbers have put in safety bolts here and have created routes graded up to WI13, which are considered the hardest technical ice climbs in the world.
The History of Ice Climbing
For many years, ice climbing was just one skill used by mountain climbers. In the 1960s, climbers started using metal spikes called pitons to climb harder ice, but this was not very safe. A big change happened when Yvon Chouinard designed a new ice axe with a curved, serrated pick.
Then, in 1970, Hamish MacInnes created an all-metal ice axe with a sharply dropped pick. These new ice axes completely changed ice climbing. They eventually led to the modern ice tool, which has a curved, serrated tip, often called a "banana shape."
These new tools sparked a huge interest in climbing frozen waterfalls in places like the Canadian Rockies and the European Alps. By the early 1980s, ice climbing had become a serious technical sport. The skills learned on waterfalls also helped climbers tackle new, challenging alpine routes. For example, Slipstream (WI4+, 1979) in the Canadian Rockies showed how waterfall ice climbing could be used for big mountain climbs.
By the late 1980s, climbers had reached the limits of what could be climbed on pure ice (around WI6-7). The sport then evolved through mixed climbing. Pioneers like Jeff Lowe started using ice tools on bare rock overhangs to reach more extreme ice formations. His climb of Octopussy (WI6, M8) in 1994 was a major step, leading to modern mixed climbing.
In 2010, Tim Emmett and Will Gadd began developing routes at Helmcken Falls in Canada. The unique conditions there, with severely overhanging ice, pushed ice climbing to new levels. Over the next decade, routes were graded up to WI13, like Mission to Mars in 2020. Emmett and Gadd believe Helmcken could become a very famous place for ice climbing, much like Yosemite is for rock climbing.
Ice Climbing Competitions
The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) has organized and set the rules for competition ice climbing since 2002. That year, the first "Ice World Cup" competition took place.
The UIAA holds two main competition events: the annual Ice Climbing World Cup (a series of events) and the bi-annual Ice Climbing World Championships (a single big competition).
Most lead climbing routes in the World Cup are on artificial surfaces with bolts, so climbers use dry-tooling techniques. This means using ice tools on rock. For speed climbing, the routes are on a standardized 40-50 foot wall of real ice. Climbers race to the top, often completing the climb in just seconds.
Over the years, the UIAA has made more rules about competition equipment. For example, leashes are now forbidden on ice tools (to prevent climbers from using them for extra help). There are also stricter rules about using "heel spurs" on boots, which climbers sometimes use to rest.
Essential Gear for Ice Climbers
Ice climbing uses some equipment common in rock climbing, such as ropes, harnesses, and helmets. It also uses safety devices like belay devices. However, because ice is different from rock, ice climbers need special gear too.
Tools for Climbing
- Ice axes or ice tools: Modern ice climbing requires two ice axes or tools. A key choice is whether to use a leash (a strap that attaches the tool to your wrist). Competition climbing and extreme mixed climbing often don't use leashes. Without a leash, if your feet slip, you could fall immediately.
- Crampons: These are metal frames with sharp spikes that attach to your boots. Ice climbers often use crampons with a single front point (mono-point) for better control. Some front points are "vertical" for more cutting power, while others are "horizontal" for more stability.
- Ice boots: Climbers use stiff, strong boots to attach crampons. Advanced mixed climbers and competitors use "fruit boots." These are lighter boots with crampons built right into the sole. Fruit boots can also have "heel spurs" for climbing overhanging sections.
Safety Gear
When lead climbing on ice, the most important safety device is the ice screw. This is a hollow metal tube with threads and sharp teeth at one end. Climbers screw it into the ice. How stable it is depends on how well it's placed and the quality of the ice. Some ice climbs, like those at Helmcken Falls, or mixed and dry-tooling routes, have enough exposed rock to use permanent safety bolts, just like in sport climbing. This means they don't always need ice screws.
Besides ice screws, the ice itself can be used for safety. A common method is the Abalakov thread (also called a V-thread). This involves drilling two tunnels into the ice that meet to form a V-shape. A rope or sling is then threaded through this V-tunnel. This method is often used to create strong anchor points for abseiling (rappelling) down or for belaying (holding the rope for) another climber.
How Do Climbers Move on Ice?
The basic ways to move in ice climbing are easy to understand. However, it takes a lot of practice and skill to do them well and safely. This is especially true on very steep ice (WI4 grade or harder). If you don't climb efficiently, you'll get tired quickly. This can lead to breaking the "golden rule of ice climbing": "don't fall."
Kicking into the Ice (Front-pointing)
Modern ice climbing relies on a technique called front pointing. This means kicking the front spikes of your crampons into the ice to climb upwards. It's important to keep your heels at the right height. If they are too high or too low, the crampon spikes might break out of the ice, causing you to lose your footing. You also need to kick carefully so you don't crack the ice too much.
Moving Upwards (Squat-Stand-Swing)
To move up, ice climbers start in a balanced position. Both feet are level, shoulder-width apart, with crampons front-pointed into the ice. Their knees are slightly bent and touching the ice.
Climbers usually don't hold their ice axes at the same level. One axe will be placed higher, reaching as far as possible above them. The other axe will be placed below it.
Once the higher axe is firmly in the ice, the climber puts their weight on it. Then, they bring their feet up into a "squat position" until they are level again. After their feet are secure in the ice, the climber stands up straight. They then swing the other axe to reach the next high position. This whole movement is often called "squat-stand-swing."
Understanding Ice Climbing Grades
Water Ice (WI) Grades
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Ice climbing uses a WI (for "water ice") grading system to show how difficult a route is. These grades focus on the technical and physical challenge. Sometimes, a letter like "X" is added to a grade to show that a route is very dangerous.
The WI grade is for "hard ice" that forms seasonally. For ice that is frozen all year round in the mountains, called "alpine ice," an AI prefix is used. AI routes are usually firmer and more stable, making them slightly easier than WI routes of the same number.
Here are the WI-grades and what they generally mean, according to the American Alpine Club:
- WI1: Easy, low-angle ice. You might not even need two ice tools.
- WI2: Consistent 60-degree ice with some steeper parts. Good places to rest and put in safety screws.
- WI3: Steady 70-degree ice with steeper sections (80-90 degrees). Still offers good rests for placing screws. This is considered "proper technical ice climbing."
- WI4: Continuous 80-degree ice with long sections of 90-degree ice, but with occasional rests. Strong beginners can climb WI4 with a top rope, but leading it is much more serious.
- WI5: Long and tiring climbs on 85-90 degree ice with few rests. Or shorter climbs on thin or unstable ice where placing safety gear is hard.
- WI6: A full rope length of almost 90-degree ice with no rests. Or a shorter climb that is even harder than WI5. This is very technical. Even expert climbers might find reasons to turn back on WI6 routes.
- WI7: Similar to WI6, but on thin, unstable ice or long, overhanging ice columns that might break easily. Placing safety gear is very difficult or impossible, and it might not be very strong. WI7 is very rare and often debated among climbers. Some experts believe true WI7 routes are almost impossible to find in nature.
- WI8: This grade is still being discussed. It has only been claimed a few times and usually involves very unstable ice or extremely difficult physical climbing.
Helmcken Falls: Extreme Ice Routes
In 2010, climbers Tim Emmett and Will Gadd found unique routes at Helmcken Falls in Canada. Unlike most WI7 ice routes that are rarely overhanging, these routes hang out significantly, like extreme M-graded rock climbs. This happens because the waterfall's spray covers the overhanging rock in thick ice. This means climbers are mostly on hard ice, not just using their tools on bare rock.
These routes have safety bolts, like M-grade climbs. Emmett and Gadd used M-grades as a guide for their WI-grades. These new routes became known as the "world's technically hardest ice climbing routes." They started with Spray On at WI10 in 2010, then Wolverine at WI11 in 2011, Interstellar Spice at WI12 in 2016, and Mission to Mars at WI13 in 2020.
There has been some discussion about whether Helmcken-WI routes are truly ice climbs or more like M-grade mixed climbs. However, many climbers agree that Helmcken routes are "definitely harder" than WI7 routes. Helmcken is seen as a very special place for ice climbing, attracting some of the best climbers in the world.
Mixed and Dry-Tooling Grades
When ice climbing involves both ice and bare rock sections, it's called mixed climbing. For these routes, a separate M-grading system is used, going from M1, M2, M3, and so on, up to M13, M14, and beyond.
If a climb is purely dry-tooling (using ice tools on bare rock with no ice), the M-grade is sometimes replaced with a "D" prefix. Otherwise, the grading system is the same.
Famous Ice Climbs and Milestones
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Some ice climbs are very important because they pushed the limits of the sport. Here are a few notable examples:
- 1979. Slipstream WI4+ (Canadian Rockies): This climb was a key early example of combining alpine climbing with pure ice climbing.
- 1983. Gimme Shelter WI6 (Canadian Rockies): Considered one of the hardest ice routes of its time.
- 1988. Reality Bath WI7 X (Canadian Rockies): This route was extremely dangerous and has rarely been repeated.
- 2002. Rites of Passage WI7+ (Mount Kitchener, Canadian Rockies): Initially graded WI8, this was considered one of the hardest routes in the world at the time, truly above WI7 before the Helmcken Falls routes.
The grade milestones at Helmcken Falls are also very important:
- 2010. Spray On WI10: The first-ever WI10 ice climb, done by Tim Emmett and Will Gadd.
- 2011. Wolverine WI11: The first-ever WI11 ice climb, by Tim Emmett and Klemen Premrl.
- 2016. Interstellar Spice WI12: The first-ever WI12 ice climb, by Tim Emmett and Klemen Premrl.
- 2020. Mission to Mars WI13: The first-ever WI13 ice climb, by Tim Emmett and Klemen Premrl.
Free Solo Ice Climbing
Some ice climbers have achieved amazing feats by climbing in a free solo climbing style. This means they use their ice axes and crampons but no ropes or safety gear.
- 1997. Sea of Vapours WI6+ (Canadian Rockies): Free soloed by Guy Lacelle.
- 2017. Beta Block Super WI7 (Breitwangfluh, Switzerland): Free soloed by Dani Arnold.
Ice Climbing in Movies
Several interesting films feature ice climbing:
- The Alpinist (2021): A documentary about Canadian climber Marc-André Leclerc, showing his free solo ascents of ice routes.
- Touching the Void (2003): A docudrama about a famous mountain rescue in the Peruvian Andes.
See also
In Spanish: Escalada en hielo para niños
- Alpine climbing
- Dry-tooling
- Mixed climbing
