How to Ice Climb: Foundational Footwork
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As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I used to be a professional golfer. One of the things I learned very well as a professional golfer is that it is way harder to unlearn something (to correct something) than it is to learn it correctly the first time. So, one of the typical problems I see with ice climbing is that almost everyone comes to it after they have already done a reasonable amount of rock climbing. And while, of course, a lot of rock climbing is transferrable to ice, parts of it are very different; that leaves new ice climbers needing to unlearn some habits they have picked up from being on the rock.
Not the least of these habits are related to the footwork. Rock climbing demands a lot of different foot positions in order to make use of the various types of footholds and stances one encounters. Ice climbing is pretty reliant on front-pointing, and that demands a particular type of foot placement.
Rock climbers tend to want to turn their toes out, which is a natural way to rest the calves, as long as the foot can stay attached to the wall. But, well, it doesn’t work that way on ice; you simply won’t “stay attached to the wall” with your toes out.
So, hopefully, this video helps people know what to look for as they move into ice climbing. While I did my first technical climbing on ice, and came to technical rock climbing later, I am keenly aware that isn’t the case for most people. I tried to think of this from the more common path: rock first, then ice. That’s why I wanted to do a whole video just on footwork. After all the years of formal instructing, I typically found that the footwork was the hardest change for rock climbers.
Oh, and if you care, I personally like the Petzl Dart crampons for vertical water ice. (They can be configured with a single- or double front point.)