The (Ice Climbing) Thrill is Gone (Or Is It?)

If you took an informal poll of a group of climbers and asked them what they thought about ice climbing, you’d probably get a mix of responses. “I love it!” “I hate it!” “Winter is my favorite season!” “That shit is scarier than Kim Jong-il with nukes!” However, if you only asked people who had just gotten into the sport, the responses would be probably be overwhelmingly positive. Ice climbing seems to have a major impact your first time around, and it certainly has its appeal. It’s a fun activity you can pursue in the winter, when most crags are sitting under a couple feet of snow, and the climbs are beautiful, like crystal castles you get to explore.

I remember my first climb. Heck, I think I was hooked before I even swung my first tool. Going to class every day and walking over the bridges around Ithaca, I would gaze longingly at the frozen drips and smears that lined the walls of the steep gorges there. Like most college kids, however, I couldn’t throw down $1000 to get all the gear I would need to try it on my own.  When I finally went on a school outing to the Adirondacks, I was psyched. It didn’t matter that it was super cold, or that I couldn’t feel my hands at the top. I was doing something rad, I was ice climbing!

And so the passion flourishes, especially if you live somewhere close to the ice. In Ithaca, good rock is hard to find (as in it doesn’t exist) but the ice, now that was a different story. All those wonderful gorges hid many beautiful lines. And who cares if many of those climbs were technically illegal, I was in college and welcomed the hilarity that would ensue from being arrested for ice climbing.

But then it seems that for many, at some point down the line, there is a waning of interest. Sometimes this happens because of a bad accident. A friend takes a rough fall, or worse, is killed by falling ice. Or maybe you take a bad fall, and get seriously injured. Whatever the cause, there is often a moment that makes you take a step back and realize, oh yeah, this stuff is DANGEROUS. (Way more so than rock climbing, anyway.)

I know a lot of good climbers, and it seems they all dabbled with ice at one point or another, but most have since moved on. A big negative for me personally is that you can’t safely push yourself on harder routes, because the harder it gets, the more dangerous it is. Kind of like kayaking, harder = more difficulty AND more danger. Now, I’m not talking about mixed climbing, which is just rock climbing with ice tools, and pretty darn fun. I’m talking about stepping up to WI5 or WI6 routes where you cannot fall. Most of us don’t climb rock routes very often with that kind of danger, and it has limited appeal. That being said, I’m always impressed when I watch a solid climber calmly ascend steep and/or thin ice, knowing the mental control they have over their nerves. (They also probably climb 5.11 R like it’s just another day at the Sport Park.)

And so many accept the fact that they may never lead the Fang, or the crux on the Ames Ice Hose, and that’s OK. There are plenty of fun, relatively safe routes out there to enjoy, and plenty of stronger rope guns to take you up the scary stuff! And if you love the adventure of ice climbing, the solitude of winter, and the beauty of a frozen waterfall, you know all this, but it doesn’t matter. You are a lifer. And every winter when the temperature beings to drop, you can’t help but drive out and hike up to the local spots with the giddiness of a child running down stairs on Christmas morning to see what the fat man has left under the tree. The sight of an ephemeral line sends your mind spinning with the possibilities, as you look for ways to probe its difficulties, and make your way to the top of another frozen gift.

As a reminder, the Redstone winterfest is this weekend. See you there!