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Climbing a mountain of ice in nine weeks
By Ashley Barnard
Climbing a Mountain of Ice in Nine weeks
Have you aver seen the documentaries of mountaineers and ice climbers well that's
me! I have climbed some of the biggest mountains around the world and climbed
some of the steepest ice of frozen water falls and glaciers.
Why do I do it?
Well, I get asked this all question the time and I always give the same, reply
¡°because it is there¡±
This however my not be the real truth, it is something about the challenge and being
away from the crowds, being on the front of a 300 meter cliff with only a pair of
crampons and ice axes between you and the ground, putting all your skills and
strengths as an ice climber against the odds.
It makes me feel alive, and to be honest when I am ice climbing, I am me! Me
Ashley Barnard the ice climber, free from the rest of the world, nothing hidden, not
pretending to be a better or worse person but just pure human spirit.
Ice Climbing is not for the faint hearted, it takes practice and courage to climb this
fragile substance. After all it is only water.
If you fancy taking up the sport but do not know where to start then keep reading.
The best way to start ice climbing is to go out into the hills with an experienced
climber or hill walker, and start walking the hills in winter, the whole process can be
done in one season so I shall break it down into sections for you.
Buy your self a pair of crampons and a pair of ice axes; these can be bought at any
good outdoor retailer. But before going out to buy just any old gear, remember that
these are the tools of the ice climber and they are, the only items that will be holding
you to the ice so if you can not afford to buy the best then wait and save your money
until you can afford the best, you will be great full of this later on.
Right let¡¯s start:
Week 1-2: Walk the hills with your crampons on and find some hard snow this will
give you feel for them, and how to walk with spikes on your feet. (Believe me the first
time you do this you do not want to be wearing an expensive pair of pants)
Week 3-4: Start walking on steeper ground, look for shallow gullies where you will
now be needing the use of one ice axe to keep you balanced, and to stop a fall. (For
how to stop your self when sliding down a mountain I shall cover this in part two
later on this year)
Week 5-6: go out with your more experienced climbing partner as now you will be
needing to use a rope for safety. Look around your hills and mountains for steeper
gullies around 45 degrees to 65 degrees and climb this in pitches (stages) stopping
when ever you come across a safe place to rest or stand. You should by now also
be using ice protection that you have been introduced to by your climbing partner.
Unfortunately it is to complex and difficult to explain how to use ice screws, dead
men and snow stakes in an article, so ask for assistance regarding placing ice
protection from your friend or an instructor.
Week 7-9: you should by now have some confidence in moving on steep ground
using both ice axes to progress. So now during these next three weeks you are
going turn form a winter hill climber into an ice climber. Go out to where you know
there was a stream or small water fall running in the summer, and with any luck it
will now be cold enough so as to be frozen into a nice ice climb. Please note do not
go out to some massive ice fall that you know of, and try to climb it. Not only will you
probably not succeed but you run the risk of killing your self and possibly others by
you lack of experience.
So did you enjoy your self? If not then this type of recreation is probably not for you,
but if you did then this is the begging of the rest of your life, there is a whole world
out there for you to climb just climb safely but most of all be free and enjoy your self.
My web site http://www.coldclimbs.co.uk covers many winter Ice Climbs in the UK
and if you ever fancied getting out with an experienced ice climber then feel free to
drop me an email through my site
You have permission to publish this article in your ezine or on your web site, free of
charge, as long as the byline is included and the article is reprinted in it's entirety. I
also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline.
About the Author
Ashley Barnard makes it sounds easy to ice climb but the truth is it takes time and practice now in his fithteen year of ice climbing he is now writing articles on this subjct to give you an idea on how to make your winter exciting
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| Some other articles by Ashley Barnard | What Makes An Ice Climber?
Ice climbing is not for the faint at heart. This exhilarating and dangerous sport takes
participants into some of nature¡¯s fiercest and most ...
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