Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25065
colu mn: gear_ e pursuits of the ice climber are inh",,",,,,n·tlvl routes never previously thought possible. In addition. waterfall ice climbing to skill, fear management and has jumped out of relative obscurity with its recent participation in the Winter gth. But there is one prerequisite that 0 Without ice gear a human couldn't make it off the deck: our hands and feet just weren't cling to frozen water. It makes sense, then, that the the gear, the greater the capacity of the climber to limits of climbing ice-whether it be glacier mountaineering routes of mixed ice and rock, waterfall ice. Waterfall ice has the greatest potential for due to its usually sheer, vertical nature. Many of innovations in ice climbing gear have evolved problems and demands encountered by waterfall the importance of all the ::afnl ,""'I'n "'n-l specifically orientated to seriously steep and gnarly ice. put together--gear. X Games. This, combined with the construction of human-made waterfall ice climbing facilities, has prompted technical gear companies to create tools Every year, tools are further developed to meet the challenges of safely climbing vertical. and sometimes overhanging, ice. Ice climbing man- ufacturers are leading the way by linking technology to design with an atten- tion to detail. Axes, screws and crampons are advancing in form as demand- ed by the climbers who need them to perform increasingly strenuous climbs. If you want to get out there. you'll need two ice tools (axes with frontal ice picks and rear horizontal adze blades), crampons, a harness with adjustable leg loops, several ice screws, ropes and a helmut. Here's at look a some of the latest innovations and developments in ice climbing gear. Some pieces are specific to waterfall ice climbing but most are designed to be used in a variety of alpine climbing situations. \ [' Black Diamond ANTI-BOT PLATES New this year from the folks at SO is an anti-snowballing plate that attaches to the bottom of their Switchblade and Sabertooth crampons. Made of latex, which snow doesn't stick to, these plates prevent snow buildup within the teeth of the crampon. (Simond also makes an Anti-bot plate for The Pitbull.) Black Diamond, 801-278-5552; Switchblade:$32.50 / Sabertooth: $42.50.