Mountaingirl

Intro to Ice: Step 1

2, 3, 4 January 2010, This course is now full, sorry!
23, 24 & 25 January 2010, This course is now full, sorry!

Please keep an eye out for next year's / 2011 courses, or email us for more information regarding future dates planned.

*Note: the dates mentioned above are the climbing days, so you'll need to be here the late afternoon, early evening of the day before the climbing starts to get your equipment, etc.

€750 euros.

"Small group, very talented guide and lots of laughter. Though the safety issues were dealt with seriously, little else was!...knowing nothing about this fabulous sport of ice climbing, I was in a constantly safe environment where I was encouraged to learn without being patronised or pushed, and I have fallen in love with it."
-Sally Dixon, Introduction to Ice: Step 1, Jan '07

For those who’s only experience with ice has been in a margarita, this is much more fun. And, it's much easier than it looks. So, why not give it a try?

This course suits absolute ice beginners and those who have climbed ice less than 5 times. You’ll have three guided days where you'll be learning all the basics of ice climbing, with a focus on skills and techniques that will stay with you as you progress onto harder climbs. Our talented and ultra-fun guides will aim to help you become totally at ease with the core essential skills and techniques for ice climbing - including: good footwork, efficient body positioning, perfecting your swing, trusting axe placements, removing and placing protection, different types of anchors, as well as skills for approaches and movement on the mountain and glacier.

Climbers on the course benefit especially by climbing in small groups, so you will get more mileage on the ice and get the most out of your guide, and you can ask all the questions you like. On some of the evenings we also have an optional presentation and group discussion before dinner to teach you important safety skills - like understanding (and avoiding) avalanches, using an ARVA transceiver, or crevasse rescue and emergency hoists. (Which are all crucial skills if you ski or snowboard off piste or on glaciers as well.)

The course starts out with you learning the basic skills mentioned above, and throughout the week you'll try out different kinds of ice (and if appropriate, increasingly challenging ice), different moves and a range of beautiful and classic ice climbs to give you a really sound base of skill. So, to sum it up, Intro to Ice is an extremely fun beginner-level course, where you'll experience some good challenges as well as learn loads.

Kit-list

Skill Level: 1 Fitness Level: 1