Is ice climbing dangerous reddit. Crossing the couloir can be a hit and miss.
Is ice climbing dangerous reddit. paraphrasing will gadd : ice screws are like airbags. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. I wouldn’t go longer unless my climbs contained long flat sections of hiking on glacier or rarely was steeper than 20-30 degrees pitch. We were a group of 8 with an experienced guide. It's not cheap. How do you push yourself to climb harder when ice climbing is an inherently much more dangerous sport than rock climbing? In rock climbing if you're trying to break into the next grade you can simply throw yourself at it taking whipper after whipper. Thing is, aid climbing (the alternate/opposite of free climbing) isn't any more safe than free, or at least the latter shouldn't be any more dangerous. I enjoy climbing, but I value the brain I have in my head too much to risk having it smashed right out of my skull for the thrill of ascending a wall of ice I'm just cautious about things like that. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. To get into leading ice, i. I want to avoid being on a climb when it falls down. Crossing the couloir can be a hit and miss. I hope they didn't get injured or killed during this incident. if you dont think you cant send an ice climb, you should bail another mantra: when the ice is solid and takes screws, climbing is easy and you dont need much protection. I want a beginner mountaineering experience, crampons and ice axe, etc. You do not need an undergraduate degree. It was absolutely wild. I have limited experience on ice and I'm curious where you guys draw the line for it being too warm (dangerous) Right now the weather is supposed to be in the upper 30's fri/sat/sun. Hood is unroped, with two ice axes (or ice tools but that's kinda overkill) per person, and in a small team (<3 people). There are currently two missing hikers in Rocky Mountain National Park. I use a 57cm axe as my all-purpose general axe at 6’2 (186cm). Reply reply tuesday3blackday • Hood is chill. Give it a burn! Haha yea traffic is the most dangerous. It is awkward to escape from so once you start so you basically need to commit to finishing. Try to keep calm and relaxed the whole time and you'll have a great time. Dec 9, 2024 · Ice climbing doesn’t have to be scary. " Free-soloing is dangerous, simul-climbing is dangerous, crossing glaciers is dangerous, driving to the crag is dangerous, crag dogs can be dangerous. first, its best to summit during late winter / early spring conditions. The climb looks more like a hike, so it doesn't seem that dangerous. climbing without setting up a rope in advance you need to have a solid background in lead climbing outdoors and in gyms. So the tour company I am going with recommended the ice cave tour but I'm claustrophobic and that didn't seem like it was going to happen so they booked a glacier hike for me but I'm scared of heights. Good question. I’m from the Midwest so I dont get many hiking opportunities. Yeah I'm a rock climber and love snow activities, but ice climbing just seems like a more dangerous and less fun variant of rock climbing. Specifically, how does weather affect it? Aspect? Recent Snow? I don't plan on leading for a while, but I would like to start learning things about screw placements, like how thick does the ice need to be? How do you evaluate it? Also, how thick does the ice usually have to be before you climb it I was on a denali climbing team with two “hikers” from New Hampshire. If you are serious about high altitude mountain climbing, you have to accept that you're playing Russian roulette. I'm going to toss Ice Climbing into the mix. Would have been impossible without and ridiculously dangerous. If you want to get some easy ice experience, get a partner and go to Breithorn, Allalinhorn, Weissmies, maybe Dufour Spitze or Vincent Pyramide, all peaks I did and Jan 23, 2024 · Though California is home to several ice playgrounds — including Lee Vining Canyon and June Lake — ice climbing season tends to be ephemeral. Also, I’m not sure how common avalanches are on Nevis but that would be something to be very aware of if Also, as far as I know, the only major technical part of Everest is Hillary Step (which I thing is just a ladder climb now). Rule #1 of ice climbing, don't go ice climbing. Reply reply Gomlb • I'm a newbie when it comes to ice climbing, and I'm trying to learn more about ice conditions. Another study (2) aimed to collect data at an ice climbing festival at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. Even since climbing E. Hi all, I’m planning my first mountaineering trip for this summer and just beginning research, but I have many questions. It's not a technical mountain either, no ice tools required. It's definitely more technical than ice climbing and probably always will be. It's perceived as more dangerous (and certainly is riskier in many regards). 50 degrees is just outside the avalanche sweet spot for that specific section but there might be slopes on or above other sections of the route that could be in avalanche danger. Falling on low angle rambly ice is extremely bad. In the past, I have avoided climbs that are steep and have slabby rock underneath when it is warm and melting. In fact, this study found that indoor climbing had the lowest injury incidence and severity of all sports. Go hiking. Yes, ice climbing is a dangerous sport for a variety of factors. It requires more gear, and thus is more expensive to get into. Edit: Actually, I just saw you already realized in the comments -1 Jul 30, 2022 · How difficult is ice climbing? Ice climbing is an inherently difficult sport. We took the path to the waterfall and scrambled from there on up with ice aces and crampons. And how to not get blown off while doing that. So light, smooth, easy to coil and work with, and cool looking. It's a Accidents on mountains How many of you have actually experience crevasse falls, avalanches, risky experiences? A while back I went trolling through medical journals trying to find whatever I could about skating injuries that wasn't behind a paywall. Interestingly I've been getting a bunch of ads recently for climbing Everest via the Chinese side, with avoiding the ice-fall being a large part of the marketting. Here’s our guide on some gear, basic techniques, and body positioning to help make your time on the ice rewarding. Since the sport by its very nature always involves a chance of injury or death, no matter how small, the risk is specifically said to be "inherent". Some of them teach pitched climbing on snow and ice, short pitching and roping on rock, and general rock and rope skills, but nowhere does it seem like climbing is necessary. In the summer there is a little waterfall here, but in the winter it gives us some great ice climbing. Climbing Everest in a pressure suit would be a bigger accomplishment than doing it solo without oxygen lol trading hypoxia for 100lbs of suit and no dexterity. Ice cave vs glacier hike: I'm scared of everything and I'm trying to find what I am less scared of. "That's what Ice climbing means, Krill. 23mi and 6700ft is a great base fitness, better than most people on the mountain will have. Basically it's rock/ice climbing in general. Dec 22, 2022 · But as autumn turns to winter, and climbing rock outdoors sounds too painful to be fun, many experienced rock jocks will try out ice climbing—and will be eager to continue pushing themselves. If you are climbing in December and aren't super experienced in snow, the most dangerous part is for sure going to be managing avalanche risk, not anything having to do with that slope itself. And you don't fall when you solo. What do you think? Closed• total votes GriGri's are safe to use in icy conditions GriGri's are an accident waiting to happen in icy conditions Voting Jun 30, 2020 · The ultimate conclusion was that ice-climbing was safer than many contact team sports, but more dangerous than mountain biking and rock climbing. If you don't want a situation like this to be possible, don't climb detached ice, and don't climb anything with water running under it. As with all things in the mountains, set objectives but do not fixate. Why climbing mount Everest is regarded as an impressive feat when it should be seen as a stupid thing to do ? Denali, like all mountains, is something that you must have the utmost respect for when climbing it, but if you have a guide, and you're physically and mentally (more important in my mind) fit, you should be able to do it whenever. As someone who has never done any ice climbing and knows next to nothing about it, is it as interesting or challenging as regular sport climbing? I am sure this is not the case and there are a million subtleties that I am missing, but it seems like with crampons and ice axes you don't necessarily need to find a route. Face climbing strength does not tend to transfer particularly well to crack climbing. terrain park). You sound ready for it though. Ski guiding is a qualification like climbing or alpine guiding, mountains can be dangerous environments. Typically taken on by only the most experienced mountaineers. This requires everyone on your team to be familiar with climbing exposed snow-ice slopes. From the abstract, emphasis added: Overall, climbing sports had a lower injury incidence and severity score than many popular sports, including basketball, sailing or soccer; indoor climbing ranked the lowest in terms of injuries of all sports assessed. Just had ice fest last weekend and got some great inspiration from a presentation on Link Sar first ascent from a local NH climber Mark Richey and Graham Zimmerman. The home of Climbing on reddit. "GIFs" is officially pronounced with a hard "J" I climbed Ben on Sunday. Ideally you can climb trad, but that isn't necessary. Not from the UK but one google search shows how incredibly different it is to climb in the winter. The more technical bits can be avoided but it's more fun to stick to the true ridge as much as possible. Ice climbing is definitely not safe. If you can ski it's definitely worth touring. 10b on top rope. I am starting to learn lead climbing, but I want to try ice climbing and alpine climbing. There’s a reason why K2 is nicknamed the “savage mountain” — learn why climbing K2 is so dangerous and how you can summit it safely. Hood Triangle"). It is a scramble and you'll need to use your hands and not be too scared of heights. The cold temperatures, risk of falling ice, and physical injuries that occur during lead falls are some of the reasons ice climbing is so hazardous. You may be entitled to *up to these benefits: Also what climbing experience are we talking about here? Rock climbing? Will be completely useless. It didn’t go super well. Climbers navigating though the Khumbu Icefall this past May, one of the most dangerous stages of climbing Everest. I am going to have a few days to kill in late August and early September in Northern Scandinavia, so I was wondering if there is any decent ice to climb there that time of year around Tromso area? But I can also drive a few hours to find ice. I’ve been unable to justify putting myself in dangerous positions when I know I could leave my family in a very bad position if I where to perish in the mountains. I've led an ice overhang of roughly 4m on a WI6 before and I'd consider that to be par for the course. mt hood is a bit unlike the other cascade volcanos for a couple reasons. Share Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Best Top New Controversial Old Q&A AutoModerator • Moderator Announcement Read More » Reply reply brocoli4life • “Well” Reply reply sav33arthkillyos3lf • “I pooped my snowsuit Climbing detached ice is risky as hell, especially late in the season. I climb V3, and 5. " "Define ice climbing for me again, because this surely can't be as stupid as I think it is. Good friends can save your life. It is physically demanding in a totally different way, and not the way that climbers who really want to push the physicality of climbing tend to get stoked about. After many years of using an ATC I finally switched over to a GriGri for rock climbing. One of the harder bits is right at the None of the mountaineering courses require climbing experience, and they do not teach rock climbing. It looks pretty damn fun though. Erlier editions used to have climbing skills and a mounteneering skill (proficency). The issue is I do not know where to start. Even experts will tell you its one of the most dangerous forms of mountain climbing right up next to free soloing. Think ACL tears or trauma from falling at high-speed on hardpack (ie. I’m an ice climber which was the first discipline that got me into climbing before any rock and while yes it dangerous, context and understanding around the accident is significant. 82 votes, 12 comments. Thanks in advance! Also, climbing mountains is fucking awesome. Nov 6, 2023 · This article explores the question of whether ice climbing is dangerous and examines the risks and safety measures associated with this extreme sport. Good place to set up a hotdog stand by the looks. jpg. Is Ice Climbing More Dangerous than Rock Climbing? http://trekamaze. The thing about ice climbing is that you have to think of it like crack climbing, it's an endurance sport. The difficulty of the South side route varies drastically from time to time. What about tieing a stopper knot at the end of your rope? Whitewater is the same way. Hey all. e. So it's perfectly suited for computer simulation, in order to experience similar challenges without actually being exposed to the risks. Now that ice season is here I am wondering if people use them to belay in the winter. As this Redditor said it was snow and ice from there on up. You will bounce down ledges and bulges, so even if the screw holds you will be severely injured. Yesterday, while out on a trip, I was given the very unfortunate news that one of my climbing buddies (and close friend) was in a grave accident. How come anchoring on 2 ice screws is considered acceptable, but 2 cams (in rock climbing) is often considered insufficiant? Don't they hole roughly the same? But ultimately, what I found was soloing isn't really compatible with climbing, because a big part of climbing--and particularly the type of climbing I wanted to do--is falling. The Khumbu Ice fall is one of the most dangerous sections on the way to Everest. Generally ice climbing is dangerous AF, but you can reduce complexity and consequence by top roping and having respect for falling ice and generally good systems and understanding. Where it differs from trad climbing is that you have to be consistent and repetitive in your moves to keep a good flow going. It's like falling in 4th class alpine terrain. Also, above certain altitude and climbing difficulty - this becomes a dangerous, extreme sport. I live in Seattle but am new to the area and I'm still working on meeting people, so I don't have any veteran ice climber friends yet. Embark on an adventure with our comprehensive guide to getting into ice climbing. when the ice is thin or weak and dangerous, screws wont protect. Maybe some of you Southern arborists don't experience the ice and snow, but can substitute it with heat exhaustion and fatigue. When you got a good level of (rock) climbing experience and move over to ice- and mixed-climbing, you won’t face too much fear, though keep in mind that most people don’t ice- / mixed-climb at their absolute limit like we are used to seeing with boulderers / sports climbers. Because of the dynamic situations you will be facing and the high level of risk, ice climbing is also considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world. The first 5000' of elevation gain are usually non-technical. 22M subscribers in the gifs community. youre hoping to get away with a broken leg instead of dying. Ice climbing being dangerous that is Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. " "You'll see in a minute. Ice climbing skills aren't necessary unless you're attempting the Kautz or Liberty Ridge routes. For example on the way back down, the fall line leads you astray and you have to consciously traverse or stay to climber's right to avoid getting pulled into a terrain trap (look up the "Mt. Climbing ice you have to know 100% that you are capable of climbing it before you lead it. It looks so cool to walk up on a mountain with ice spikes and ice axe but to be fair most of the snow in Norway would be soft, not glacier or hard enough to even use those, probably. In rock climbing, do you know the difference between a flat overhand and a flat figure 8? Without a proper education rock climbing can be very dangerous. Feb 14, 2022 · A comprehensive analysis of 30 years worth of data of climbing accidents recorded in Accidents in North American Climbing. My worry is that they would not handle frozen/wet ropes well. Nevertheless, a fatality risk remains, especially in alpine and ice climbing. You are climbing with 20 dagger blades on your feet and two medieval weapons in your hands just inches from your unarmored flesh and the piece (s) of floss keeping you off the ground, in theory, assuming some water is strong enough to keep your (also sharp) screws in Top locations and recommendations for ice climbing in Slovenia Fund out where the winter and cold create the best conditions for ice climbing in Slovenia and what you need to know before you climb an icy wall. Jul 25, 2025 · America Needs You. Learn the essential skills, gear, and training required to climb frozen peaks. it doesn't happen often. Outdoor and ice climbing are much more dangerous, sure, but still statistically safer than popular sports. I don't know how much writing/resesrch has gone into describing what its really like climbing k2 but in terms of danger and difficulty what is it that gives this mountain its reputation as one of the most dangerous mountains to climb? How would you describe it to someone who doesn't climb? Also does anyone have some pictures of the gnarlier parts of k2? Edit: thanks guys some excellent Be the first to comment Nobody's responded to this post yet. The climbers I know that have gone ice climbing seemed like they just did it because ice axes look cool Reply reply more replyMore replies EctoplasmicJesus • Crib goch isn't a dangerous line and there's almost no climbing involved. I'd worry much more Very good and creative approach - the skill system clearly is a weakness of 5th ed. If you have 0 winter mountaineering skills, get a guide or find someone to teach you how to use crampons, axe, how to self arrest. I'm curious what through process is for risk management relating to ice climbing when the ice is melting, with regard to structure and strength of the ice formation, not having to do with ice screws melting out. You can take as many precautions as you want but it will still be ridiculously dangerous. But be sure you know what you're getting yourself into in terms of skills and conditions. 3K votes, 260 comments. Know how to layer for winter. However, I am on a bit of a budget and dont think I can afford any courses or The real fucked up thing is that holding a CDL + climbing + chainsaws + ice and snow-covered limbs still doesn't pay as well as simply driving a CDL dump truck. May 15, 2025 · Ice Climbing: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide Ice Climbing is a thrilling outdoor activity that combines the adrenaline of rock climbing with the unique challenges of scaling frozen waterfalls and ice formations. For over a year I tried to get folks to understand the difference between hiking and a mountaineering mindset. this means that unlike a late summer 56 votes, 13 comments. It’s short enough to not get in the way when climbing anything steep and not too long when you’re side hilling. If you're inexperienced, out of shape and going solo you could definitely get in trouble. So go while you can. Def recommend double 70s -- for super long pitches and raps in the alpine. Popular among adventure enthusiasts and thrill-seekers, ice climbing has gained popularity in recent years for its physical and mental benefits, as well as its sense of camaraderie Hello! I recently (in the last month and a half) got EXTREMELY into climbing. While climbing Everest still requires a great deal of training and endurance, K2 seems to require much more self-reliance and mountaineering knowledge. the standard approach is not very technical, but a lot of people get hurt on this mountain. I would like to start training and potentially go on my first alpine in False! Climbing is inherently dangerous, and things like safety checks and buddy checks do their best to minimize risk, however risk can never be completely eliminated from climbing. I’m still sport climbing, trad climbing, and plan on skiing low angle backcountry and steep inbounds runs. Research suggests climbing isn't inherently dangerous. Linemen have balls and deserve a salute, for sure. The 'real' ice cave exploring is only available in winter and is pretty arduous going; many of the tour companies won't take you, unless you have ice climbing experience. Sweat is your worst enemy. I have the Mammut Alpine Dry 8mms and can't recommend them enough for ice and alpine rock climbing. To me, one of the great things about climbing (all of it, from mountains to ice to sport to trade, whatever) is that it's all about acceptable risk. If you ignore rule #1, don't ignore rule #2 which is don't let go of both axes at the same time. I took my brother up PG late season and he's from Texas with no mountaineering experience (except for ice climbing in ouray/canyoneering/rock climbing). com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/adventure-1850912_1920. I did a combined glacier hike and ice climbing at Solheimajökull called Blue Ice with Arctic Adventures with 3 other friends and it was a lot of fun! It was an 8 or 10 person group (can't remember) and we had some practice ice climbing before being dropped into a crevice and climbing out. That said, injuries can be fairly common. There wasn't much and some of it was old, I had to at times draw parallels from ice skating, inline skating, and skateboarding. America has been invaded by criminals and predators. this is because there is massive rockfall hazard in the summer that is protected by rime ice during winter conditions. Most people either do a mountaineering club course with instructors that teach proper rope techniques, how to use crampons, ice axes, ice tools, ice screws, and most importantly crevasse rescue. You "just" need to know how to use crampons and a single ice axe. Any of you who have climbed Everest; what was that experience like? What was the most difficult part and what was the most amazing part?. In ice climbing, though, be warned: the falls are rarely clean and often dangerous. We're recruiting. The training, the planning, the gear, and the technical skills needed to succeed take years to obtain but the rewards make it all worth it. if you want gifs, webms, and videos that cut off too soon you would come… Avalanche danger starts to become a reality. 1. You don't even permit the possibility of a fall to enter into your mind. The moves themselves are like climbing M6 but with the attendant risks that you want to ignore. . Without digging out all those papers again, here's a brief summary of what I can remember: Skating in a rink is less dangerous Mountaineering is dangerous, mountains are unforgiving. So Reddit, I want to know how you were introduced to ice climbing. These events are still rare though. If anybody knows of any good climbing nearby I'd love any info! Any multipitch or single pitch, almost any approach. Interestingly, in his book he says he'll never return, yet in one of the tea huts we stayed in on the trek to base camp, there is a signed copy from him dated 2012 (i believe maybe 2011). Matterhorn is hopelessly crowded and the guides can be, well, low on respect towards non guided climbers (IMO). Otherwise it's a lot of stepping. Fun Fact- Some of the top Koreans think actually ice climbing on natural waterfalls is dumb and dangerous, they only train and compete on the artificial stuff. Add your thoughts and get the conversation going. Also, it seems like such a straightforward mountain, but there are some hazards that are particularly dangerous in low visibility. Something challenging but not super technical or risky. Meaning, it can be an easy ladder one We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. In my opinion, the best and safest style to climb the main routes of Mt. The 'ice cave experience' is man made ice cave which is artificially lit and is available in the summer in the southern glacier. There are always freak accidents on mountains, but in general, people climbing steep,loose stuff are the ones who get into trouble. The last 400' of the standard South side route is basically an easy ice climb that requires all 4 limbs. Dangerous stuff is dangerous. Trad climbing up the ante a bit, again for multipitch or adventure climbing, again for ice and alpine climbing, and again for serious big mountain alpine climbing. Mont Blanc has become dangerous on the Goûter route, well it always was. 594K subscribers in the gifsthatendtoosoon community. I don't mind The title makes it sound as if that was somehow unexpected. The ice moves down 3 feet per day, causing ice blocks to fall with no warning. I've spent a lot of time climbing Mt Hood and have been involved in numerous rescues there and on nearby peaks. I have a wonderful gym near me and I have been progressing at a decent rate. One of Marks main talking points early on in the presentation was how the technical climbing in the whites prepared them for doing it on longer routes elsewhere. We are going to use the ice to make it to the top of the cliff. Hey guys! Heading to Durango this week/weekend and wondered if any of you guide or could recommend a guide to teach me in Ouray. Plenty of climbing experience but zero of it ice climbing. We need YOU to get them out. However, in ice climbing, falling on lead can mean broken ankles, knees, or worse. And yes we are scared of falling. There is so much great hiking in Alaska. tl:dr; I want to try ice climbing for the first time but don't know how to go about it. You do have to be mindful of your limits. I'll be in Denver/Fort Collins in late January for a climbing/skiing weekend, but the only thing I can find on Google is Clear Creek Canyon, and even then I can't really find where the climbs themselves are. 96 votes, 101 comments. glvxnynrjeuikdocqcxoxtcnkmlkdhqjnxluppiwlxcfpgy