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rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:12 pm
by kylenicolls
So I am enrolled in a ice climbing course as a extra class, which I am definitely looking forward to, now that school has started. I was curious to see if there is a lot of relation to rock climbing.

I figured I'd pick up some recreational climbing in the climb gym at school with a buddy of mine, going to look at some shoes again in a hour or so. It is easy to observe in a climb gym you dont really get the real life dragging rope, making anchors, multiple pitches, etc. that would be in ice/rock. I figured at the least I gain a some flexibility that's probably in the lacking and bonus conditioning. But is there much in common between the two?

Oh and yes, I own Freedom of the Hills. I read from it time to time.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:43 pm
by ExcitableBoy
The short answer is yes and even more so with mixed alpine and cragging.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 4:02 pm
by kylenicolls
Ok, Thanks for the info.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:58 am
by AdamsKerr
.......You're taking an ice climbing class at school?

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:18 am
by kylenicolls
Yeah. To simulate it a little the have high density foam sections bolted on some routes of one of the rock walls to use the tools in. THey said due to safety and life of the wall, no crampons though. Have an outing to the Elliot Glacier on Mt. Hood to try out what we learned. Due the the obvious lack of ice at near sea-level, it kind of limits how much you learn because you may not be able to perform it. One of the many grad-students teaches it, he does guiding as well.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:11 pm
by robzilla
I went to the wrong school! Corvallis is OSU, right? I have some family in Corvallis, my aunt teaches math there.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:35 pm
by kylenicolls
Oregon State it is. THey also have some mountaineering classes, crevasse rescue, glacier travel and others. I plan on taking at least one more per term til I graduate in June. OSU is great, love it.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:10 am
by Bignick
I've found the rope handling and management to be about the same. Placing pro is simular, but a screw can be a lot more exhausting than placing a cam. Choosing a route up the ice can be different than rock. You are looking for totally different features. With ice, sometimes it's really hard to get purchase with the picks. The ice will just keep shattering (dinner plating) and require several strikes before good penetration is made. This can get exhausting. I have found ice to be far scarier than rock, and at the same time more rewarding. The same ice route can change dramatically from early morning to early afternoon to evening, and from day to day. A rock climber would do better on ice than someone that has never climbed before.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 9:50 am
by Ammon Hatch
Gear knowledge and balance transfer well. The biggest difference for me was what to do with my heel (up vs down).

I'm still a noob with ice (been a few times over a few years), so that's a noobs opinion.

Re: rock climbing applicability to ice climbing

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 10:33 am
by mvs
Bignick wrote:A rock climber would do better on ice than someone that has never climbed before.


Really? I find "climbed out" or "beat" ice to resemble easy rock climbs. You can just hook your tool into placements rather than creating new ones. And you get enough of that and eventually you can climb with your hands in these big holes.