rhyang wrote:Hey Rick -- no argument about hooking or being delicate. I've seen you in action, and you walk the talk (or whatever that saying is )

The first ice climbing lesson I had with Doug he had me do an exercise where I climbed a stepped-out pitch and he told me to do it without kicking and without swinging, inasmuch as possible (penalty slack if so ) That changed EVERYTHING about ice climbing for me.

I've read all the books you've listed and they all have their merits. I especially enjoyed Lowe's great stories. I would definitely recommend Luebben's book to anyone just starting out. Just be aware that they are a little dated in some respects.

No worries Rob and good post.

PS: Don't mind my dinosaur attitude as I am very partial to all the authors of them books I posted.

In ice climbing, as in life, it pays to be a hooker.

Lowe's book is the shit, anyone has accompanying videos in digital format by any chance?

So I should say up front that I have to wear glasses (Julbo Micropore, since they work well with my strong prescription) on the ice since I'm nearsighted, and also that I'm sure my technique can use a lot of improvement along the lines of the Chief's recommendations. That said, I've been hit in the face pretty hard while climbing on brittle ice, and am glad my glasses took it and not my eyes. Maybe someday my placements will be precise and accurate enough that I never knock chunks of ice off, but meanwhile I can still see thanks to my glasses (in the case of this photo, a large dinner plate of ice was dislodged by my strike, bounced off my glasses and slid across my nose, peeling off skin - it was a lot bloodier the first day, but I iced it immediately ).

My eye protection of choice has always been squinting. Even with a pair of beefy old Stubais (which, let's face it, require a significant amount of displacement), flying chips has never beena problem.

I wear glasses but had to move to contacts after trying to lead Chouinard Falls in a snowstorm. Completely, absolute blindness other than what I could see peripherally around the fogged lenses. I wound up taking them off and stuffing them down my shirt. Weather permitting, go without.

This is great beta. Thanks for all the advice guys. It should be storming this weekend. Glasses it is.

AlpineAffinity wrote:This is great beta. Thanks for all the advice guys. It should be storming this weekend. Glasses it is.

I hope you guys got out and made some nice pick holes for us old farts to hook