Activity Ice climbing

Ice climbing: The Vertical World of Ice, Snow & Rock

Ice climbing is one of the most beautiful pastimes in the world

Your complete set of Gear for ice climbing, dry tooling and mixed climbing

As soon as the temperatures drop, the thundering waterfalls fall silent, and the mountain world slowly goes into hibernation, all those with a love of ice climbing start to get itchy fingers. If it is cold enough, the first thin layer of ice forms as early as the fall. This grows layer by layer over the course of the next few weeks and months until the first picturesque curtain of solid ice has formed by early winter.Ice climbing has evolved from a special mountaineering discipline to a sport in its own right, which has enjoyed ever growing popularity for years. And this is no wonder as the shimmering crystals, pillars, and icicles coupled with the winter ambiance are quickly captivating. There are also the physical and mental challenges as well as the cold, the wet, and the constant question of whether or not the ice is stable enough.


 

Unlike rock climbing, where a route remains the same for years, ice constantly changes. Ice climbing is all about trust: in the ice, in your partner, and, of course, in your gear. 

You can rely on EDELRID equipment. From our premium-quality ice tools, crampons, and high-end climbing ropes through first-rate climbing harnesses and helmets to belay devices, carabiners, quickdraw sets, and webbing slings, we’re sure to offer you the perfect technical ice climbing gear.

For ice tools and crampons, we rely on modular systems with a wide range of accessories so that you can adapt your equipment exactly to your requirements

    Ropes for ice climbing

    When ice climbing, your rope is bound to come into contact with water and should always be impregnated to prevent it becoming soggy and help retain its weight and handling properties. After all, you can’t use a wet, frozen rope to either belay or tie knots. When it comes to the impregnation, you can choose between our long-established PRO DRY finish and our environmentally friendly ECO DRY treatment. You should also choose a light model to help save your strength during long ascents to the start point. Depending on the chosen tour and technique, you can climb with a single rope or two half or twin ropes. The double rope technique offers additional protection through the redundancy of a second rope strand in case a strand becomes damaged or severed (e.g. by falling ice or rock, but also by an ice tool or crampons). A further advantage of climbing with half or twin ropes is that you can rappel down the entire length of the rope.

    Belay devices, descenders, carabiners and accessories

    A versatile belay device is a must for ice climbing. You can use the GIGA JUL as an auto-tuber or tuber to belay accordingly for the situation at hand. For particularly thin ropes, we recommend the MICRO JUL, which is furthermore extremely light. Both belay devices are also suitable for use with half and twin ropes.

    As a general rule of thumb, your equipment should be easy to use when wearing gloves. Carabiner models with wide openings are therefore useful. Our slider locking mechanism provides added safety as it automatically locks and can be simply and intuitively opened, even with just one hand. 

    To clearly organize your ice screws and other climbing gear, you need a gear carabiner like our large SM Clip L 3R, which we make from recycled rope.

    Helmets and headlamps

    The helmet is as essential an item of ice climbing gear as crampons and ice tools. At EDELRID, you can choose from three different constructions—softshell, hybrid, and hardshell—depending if you’re looking for an ultra-light or an extremely robust helmet. All of our helmets feature sophisticated ventilation and fastening systems as well as a headlamp bracket. When you’re out and about on short winter days, you should also always carry a headlamp in your backpack for the access ascent, return descent, and emergencies.