I’ve never ice climbed. Two weeks ago, I had no idea what ice climbing entailed. You…climb? Up…ice? Wearing…a harness?
That was me.
As I began to itch more for outdoor adventures during my time in Boston, I started to hear how epic the ice climbing was in New Hampshire. The practice of ascending outdoor formations covered in ice. I enjoyed rock climbing, so why not try it on ice? My interest piqued. Sure enough, a few weeks later, I was making my way up to Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest an ice climbing festival that’s been carrying on for the past 21 years. I had no idea how to ice climb, but I figured an ice climbing festival would be a solid choice on where to learn.
I signed up for a day-long clinic named “Ladies Just Wanna Climb” sponsored by Patagonia and instructed by ice climbing experts Majka Burhardt and Lindsay Fixmer. After collecting our gear to demo from the likes of Lowa, Outdoor Research, Mammut and Mountain Hardwear, we set out to Frankenstein, a local climbing spot just a half hour outside of North Conway. I was pumped. No clue what I was doing, but pumped nonetheless.
A major reason for my excitement was meeting my fellow classmates in our carpool to the site. They were outdoor enthusiasts but not hardcore ice climbers. They liked the sport, some more skillful than others, but they were all looking to improve in their technique overall. I knew we would get along and have some good laughs along the way.
We broke into two groups based on climbing level, and got right into it from the site. Taking turns belaying and climbing, we cheered each other on while Lindsay and Majka made the rounds pointing out tips and instructing us individually. I was amazed at how each of us progressed throughout the day, empowered by the improvements we saw the others making. Some needed to break bad habits carried over from rock climbing. Others needed to learn how to aggressively swing and set the tool (ice pick). We all got better as the day went on, enjoying the sunshine, warm temperatures and new friends.
From the day clinic, I was able to learn the basics of ice climbing, key terminology and important safety aspects of the sport. Most notably, I felt comfortable in crampons and hanging in mid-climb on a ice wall. That was a huge accomplishment. Ice climbing has a certain mystery about it, thought to be a sport that is dangerous and difficult to learn. This is not the case. I can’t wait to return to the mountains and continue my learning of this new sport.
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Special thanks to International Mountain Equipment and Mt. Washington Valley Chamber of Commerce for their organization and support of the event.