Pro Tips To Make Ice Climbing More Enjoyable (for those who hate being cold)

For those of you who have chosen the somewhat masochistic pursuit of ice climbing, Emma and I are here to help provide some tips on keeping ice climbing from being TOO masochistic. Ice climbing takes a long period of trial and error with everything involved, which leads many people to find it more painful than satisfying in the beginning. We use the following tips to stay warm and happy, in a variety of scenarios, and have found these to be the most universally beneficial. So, Emma and I hope to shed some light on tips and tricks that help make ice climbing FUN!

Essential Gear

As ice climbing instructors, there are a few pieces of equipment that we tell our students to not skimp on and consider these the most important and impactful pieces of gear in your ice climbing kit. 

Boots

In the short term many people start off with ski touring boots (if they have those) before purchasing mountaineering boots. Your first pair of mountaineering boots should be above all, warm. Some people may debate this, but the second consideration should be durability. We would strongly recommend getting a leather mountaineering boot over a synthetic style boot, specifically if you are new to ice climbing or looking for your first boot. Synthetic boots typically are more nuanced, more expensive, and less durable. Leather boots, however, tend to be warmer and more durable, due to their construction and materials, but at the cost of weighing more than synthetic boots.

Single Vs. Double

For many people, a “single boot” which just means it’s not a “double boot” is adequate. “Double Boots” are just that, they are a boot (bootie) that you put on and then put that into another boot (overboot). For people who run cold, are prone to cold weather injuries, or have bad circulation we recommend checking out double boots. From our experience and that of many of our friends, this generally applies to most women as well, since men tend to run a bit warmer in the extremities than women. It’s not uncommon for Emma to be wearing her double boots while I am in my single boots. 

Boot Recommendations

We have used the La Sportiva Nepal Cubes (single boots) for years and Emma uses the La Sportiva Spantik (double boot) which has been the gold standard for many years. Leather double boots can be very clunky and heavy, but as we have found, are worth their weight in warmth and comfort.

Belay Parka

Once your boots are dialed, we HIGHLY recommend finding a proper belay parka. This should be the warmest jacket you own and it should also be packable. If you can easily pack it into a small climbing pack that is good, but if you can stuff it into a stuff sack and attach it to your climbing harness then that is great! 

Types of Jackets

Belay Parkas are large, high volume jackets built for staying warm in the coldest of weather. They either come filled with Down feathers or Synthetic material. Down feathers are the base layer of feathers from a bird (generally goose) which are renowned for their incredible warmth to weight ratio and packability. Synthetic jackets are generally filled with layers of polyester fibers that come from many different brands, Primaloft being a very common one.

The combo of high warmth and packability is what sets a Belay Parka apart from an ordinary parka you wear around town. Unfortunately, the fact that they are lightweight and packable means they won’t be the most durable, so care should be taken when using them around sharp objects. When looking to buy a Belay Parka, note the fabrics Denier rating (D) if available, this correlates to the thickness of the fabric, so higher D jackets will be more durable, heavier, and less packable than low Denier jackets.

I use a super lightweight, high fill, low denier jacket for ski mountaineering where I am just putting the jacket on briefly at transitions to stay warm, but I wouldn’t use it for ice climbing where my ice tools, ice screws, etc would rip it to shreds… so some research should be conducted to find a jacket that meets your needs.

Jacket Recommendations

Emma and I have used many over the years, but our all around favorites are: Rab Positron Pro, North Face L6 Summit (discontinued), and the Mountain Hardware Phantom Belay Parka for Down jackets and the Patagonia DAS Parka for a synthetic option. There are many other great options on the market from companies like Mammut, Arc’teryx, Mountain Equipment, Millet, and Outdoor Research to name a few. 

Belay Gloves 

Less nuanced than boots or parkas, belay gloves just have to be very warm and something you can carry with you while climbing. We aren’t talking climbing gloves (which an ice climber will carry a few pairs of), but the big, warm gloves you get out at the belay to keep your hands warm no matter the conditions. Since you aren’t climbing in these they really don’t have to be anything special just so long as they are very warm. 

Glove Recommendations

Emma and I are a great example of how wide of  a range belay gloves can be. I use run of the mill, full leather Kinco gloves and have the mitten version for when it’s really cold, whereas Emma uses Outdoor Research Alti Mitts. Just get something excessively warm and you’ll be happy.

Layering

How you dress will do wonders to make ice climbing more enjoyable; the key is correct layering. Certain materials, like wool and synthetic materials, retain heat even when wet, whereas some don’t, like down, which actually loses its thermal properties. So that means you want to place warm, breathable materials like wool or synthetics close to the body and down in areas that it can loft properly to trap heat. 

Layering Recommendations

Here’s how Emma and I layer for a successful day out on the ice. We start with a base layer, which is the layer of clothing closest to your body, of long underwear and a long sleeve wool shirt. Our favorite base layers are Smartwool and Icebreaker long underwear and long sleeve shirts in the 200-250 thermal range. These are followed by mid-layers which change based on conditions, but we prefer synthetic mid layers. Our favorite mid layers include the Himali Ascent Stretch Hoodie, Outdoor Research SuperStrand LT hoodie, Melanzana grid fleece, Outdoor Research Ascendent, and Patagonia NanoPuff. The Himali Ascent Stretch Hoodie also makes a great outer layer when conditions are dry. When we need something to combat precipitation or wind we go with either a soft shell jacket like the Outdoor Research Ferrosi (for light precipitation and wind) or a Gore-tex hardshell like my Mountain Hardwear Exposure 2 Jacket (for high precipitation, wet conditions, or high wind) as our outermost layer. This is all topped off with a down belay parka.

When it comes to our pants we take the same approach and use a soft-shell pant like the Outdoor Research Cirque II pants for drier conditions or a Gore-tex bib pant like our Outdoor Research Archangel Bibs for foul weather.

Changing Base Layers

When approaching a majority of ice climbs, it is likely you will break a sweat when hiking in, due to the amount of gear you are carrying and trying to stay bundled up from the cold. This is a recipe for prolonged suffering if you don’t bring a change of base layers. We religiously change out our socks and shirt after an approach to an ice climb. Rarely do we change out of our long underwear due to the hassle, but you can consider it. This tip takes a bit of mental fortitude, since you must strip down in whatever weather mother nature is throwing at you, but trust us, you will be feeling much warmer without those damp base layers against your skin. 

Sock Recommendations

Another tip in regards to your socks, is to hike in a thinner sock and then switch into a thicker sock for climbing. I personally hike in a “mid weight” Smartwool or Icebreaker ski sock and then change into a “heavyweight” sock. This helps prevent my boots getting too sweaty on the hike in and then I change into a nice thick sock that is better for standing around and belaying. Heated socks can up your game even further, which Emma swears by.

Keeping Warm

Now that you are properly equipped, here are a few tricks to stay warm when the temperature starts to really drop. 

Pro Tip #1

The first pro tip is to keep moving, even at the belay. This is why we are partial to a good old fashioned dance party because it not only warms you up, but also distracts you from the cold. Aside from dancing, squats and other calisthenic workouts are a great way to get blood pumping from the core back out to your feet and hands. Swinging your arms or legs works temporarily by sending blood to the hands and feet via centripetal force, but to get an effective warm up you need to get blood pumping. So cue those tunes and get dancing!

Pro Tip #2

The next is to simply ditch your water and instead bring a Hydroflask with hot chocolate, tea, broth, or even soup to keep you warm and hydrated. This will keep you warm, but most importantly it always raises morale!

Pro Tip #3

Now here it is, the super duper pro tip to staying warm and happy. Take a sweet potato, poke some holes in it with a fork, place it in the microwave for about 5 minutes, wrap in aluminum foil, place it inside your jacket, and voila, now you have a built-in heater to keep you warm on the approach, then unwrap and eat. I thought it sounded crazy when a ski partner told me this trick, but I am now a disciple of the “pocket potato.” 

The Final Word

It takes a special type of person to be an ice climber, someone who appreciates the beauty and simplicity of climbing frozen water, and able to tune out all the things modern humans find uncomfortable. If you can enact some of the tips described above, then you will be one step closer to eliminating some of the discomfort keeping you from enjoying ice climbing. Having the proper gear, layering methods, and warm treats, will help you keep your body temperature and morale soaring high, so you can enjoy chasing and climbing frozen waterfalls.