Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25233
Adrenaline shot through my system. Bright open air filled the space where the ice should have been. Before I could will it to, my right hand clamped above my left on my left ax. My body slowly lost its momentum and I kicked the ice desperately with my free right foot until I found a hold. Dangling from one ax I realized I wasn't going to fall and started to laugh. Ice climbing, along with rock climbing, was once considered a sport that most people called mountaineering. The first half of the 20th century saw this "game" played throughout the world in a quest for national honor. While Europeans were dying regularly on the North Face of the Eiger, Switzerland, in a race to claim the first ascent, international attention was focused on the great peaks of the Himalayas. Expeditions were like military missions: regimented, expensive and involving dozens of people. The stakes were high and the risks were often lethal. The first attempts on the Eiger were done in heavy leather boots with sharp spikes for gripping ice that had 10 points only, pointing down; this made it almost impossible to find purchase in a vertical wall of ice. Ropes were made of various types of hemp and too often broke if the climber fell more than a few feet. A wet ten-pound rope would easily double in weight and become evil when frozen. Equipment limitations demanded that climbers be a daring and skilled bunch. As the obvious alpine prizes were claimed, mountaineering entered its renaissance. Climbers repeated ascents but by more difficult routes. Cumbersome expeditions evolved into smaller, faster teams. Climbing produced specialists in rock, ice or alpine. A century of equipment evolution gave bold, skilled climbers excellent tools to make the impossible a reality. Today the quality of ice gear and innovations in the sport make ice climbing more accessible than ever. Good instruction is available, area guidebooks abound and anyone can buy or rent high quality, reliable gear. Today's novice ice climber can feel the same rush by yesterday's seasoned Positive desire is the first and foremost ingredient of a good ice climbing experience. The joys, of which there are many, will outweigh the hardships, of which there are also many. Be reasonable about the difficulty of your first excursion. Don't try to do too much and scare yourself into never wanti ng to go again. Read books on technique but avoid tales of desperatefepics! In preparing for your first attempt, take some time to get your gear smartly organized. Check that it fits securely in your backpack. Double-check that you understand how to I looked down the rope, through each of the screws, into the hands of my trusted partner. If I fell, she cou Id hold the rope but couldn't protect me from the sharpened ice tools I had attached to each hand, nor the dozen sharpened points I had strapped to each boot, as I bounced down the ice. Stepping up with my right foot, I kicked at the ice three times before the two front points of my crampon stuck in. My left foot went into the ice no better. My right ax went in with the first swing but my weaker left took two swings. I repeated this sequence three times and decided it was time to put in my final screw. Fifteen feet more of vertical ice and I should be standing on the relatively flat top of this hanging icicle. While hanging from my left hand and standing on two marginal foot placements, I tapped a small starter hole in the ice at the level of my armpit. I swung my right ax into the ice and heard it stick solidly. Letting go of the handle, I took my hand out of its leash to take a screw from my harness. I started twisting the screw into the hole, but still I had no leverage-I needed to distribute my weight to the left so to gain some force to get the screw started. Hanging by my aching left arm, I kicked my left boot over. Instantly, I sensed my mistake. In shifting my weight left, the force holding my right boot in place disappeared and the boot pivoted out of its purchase. I began to fall backwards while rotating away from the ice on my left foot. hold your ice tools and how to put on and take off the crampons on your boots. Check your clothing/harness combo to be sure that when nature calls, you can open the door. Pack a tasty lunch and bring a thermos of your favorite hot drink. Hydration will help keep you warm through the day so be sure your water is insulated. Take two rolls of film. Know the area, the route, the conditions and your partners. Below are some things to consider as you start out.