How to Ice Climb #1: Good ice climbing starts with good feet.

[@Gauthierbrad27]

I got into ice climbing last year. I’m the outdoors type, snowboard a ton, surf, hike, etc. I thought I’d pick it up immediately. I was dead wrong, it was a humbling experience. I went out with a guided group and performed horribly. I was the physical embodiment of every bad habit he references in this video. I went out alone a few times with a top rope and did miserably as well… I found this video over the summer and watched it several times. Today I had the first opportunity to ice climb this season and MY GOD, I was a different person. It took consistent conscious effort but my sole focus was on foot position, and then my arms just fell into place. Previously I was using my arms as the anchors and frantically searching for a foothold. This particular video fundamentally upgraded my performance. I’m still a total novice, but today I got to the top of a local ice sheet that would have been inconceivable a few months ago. Thanks dude, sincerely.

[@willgadd2187]

yeah!

[@patagoniabear]

Weakling

[@patagoniabear]

@@Bobby_Rib look up, most ripped and shredded man in the world on youtube

[@Fjallkloka_Aventyr]

This is the best frikkin beginner tutorial for ice climbing I've seen. Really good explanations and demonstrations, and I havn't even finished.

[@willgadd2187]

Glad it helped!

[@Fjallkloka_Aventyr]

@@willgadd2187 Perhaps you could answer this, whenever I feel my feet is secure and I stand up from sag, I tend to lose friction on the tools and they come off, well one of them at least, I think whichever I'm holding lower maybe. Not sure what I'm doing wrong there.

[@kennethjohnson5180]

Very good !!

[@thejoltjoker]

This series is the best intro to ice climbing I've seen! Happy to see it on KZbin!

[@willgadd2187]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Whitehawkvisionfilms]

Been iceclimbing for over 15 yrs and stilllearn from this guy everytime he speaks! God Bless you Will!

[@petegodirkov3218]

It's so cool of you to put this series up Will! It's incredible that today we have access to such niche knowledge you had to spend seasons to gather. It defo takes a grade or two off the learning curve ;)

[@alexelieson6550]

Rffcbbhh668877ĺĺĺllĺĺ

[@sebastian31337]

I just found the treasure trove at the bottom of the ice climbing rainbow! The knowledge shared here is gold! Thanks for sharing, Will and BD!

[@willgadd2187]

Thank you!

[@athame9072]

"Feet are everything in Ice Climbing. Good feet: you're happy. Bad feet: No~. It's no bueno." *Love* *it!*

[@thecma3]

I live for Will Gadd's ice slang. "That thing's truck." "But maybe there's more surface schnazzle going on here..."

[@FindingMyselfOutside]

Just getting into ice climbing, really appreciate the series of videos. Going to learn as much as I can before I hire a guide.

[@willgadd2187]

Good luck this season!

[@canadiangirl8368]

Thanks Will! I have been out a couple of times ice climbing and have been enjoying it alot. I am going again on Saturday and will definitely trying this techniques to try and get up to the top for the first time :)

[@slowgold20]

Such good advice! And those sound effects are vital for good performance lol

[@novadea1643]

Thank you for sharing your experience, I haven't done any ice climbing yet but planning to take a trip for it this year and these will surely be a lot of help.

[@willgadd2187]

Have fun!

[@letyourmusshang]

Will this is brilliant :) thanks for what you do for the community. Your content is always captivating and engaging!

[@sirmeowmeow8584]

Voting to make “surface schnazzle” a new technical term! 😹👌🏻 Can’t wait to inform my climbing partner 🤘🏻

[@marlokbence3171]

Classy practical tips and also easy to follow. Thank you! Greetings from Hungary!!!

[@Amangions]

Thank you very much for this helpful and clear video about ice-climbing techniques. Please, keep going!

[@XIWreckYouX]

Thank you Will, for sharing your experience, and putting the time into this presentation!

[@uptowngetsdown]

Hey Will Gadd, what an absolute privilege to receive this series from you right before this season! Who better than to learn from?! I am starting my foray into ice climbing this season and while I will be traveling out West to Colorado for some of it, the majority of it will be in the Northeastern US. Are there any tips for differences I may encounter out East, like maybe ice composition or "thin" structure? I truly hope to see more content this season from the master! Thank you!!!!

[@willgadd2187]

Enjoy! In general, and it's a big general, eastern ice tends to sublimate less, and be more homogenous due to less temperature fluctuation. But a lot of exceptions to that. Main thing is that there is a lot more ice out east than out west, give 'er!

[@JohnnyIDive37]

awesome Will, keep them going!

[@twinmike1]

Very well done. Good for starting out or pre season refresher.

[@sellanraa]

You guys are nuts. Amazing.

[@mstamps331]

Outstanding, Will! Thank you!

[@anaisabelmarileon8189]

Very interesting and well explained video, thank you for sharing!

[@tyrionas]

Damn, thanks for the video, I have been wanting to try ice climbing for a while now. Luckily I am moving to Switzerland in January, I hope I can meet some people to learn with there. Worst case scenario. i will just pay for a course.

[@DaveSearle]

Thanks Will! Good stuff right there.

[@chriskaplan6109]

Excellent instruction, thank you!

[@verticalhorizonsclimbinggy2758]

I’m headed out to ice climb this March . First time . Been on rock 35 years . I’m always telling people “ look down climb up “ nice to know it applies to ice . I’ll find out - hopefully not the hard way .

[@akarshrastogi3682]

"I don't know what I'm doing" technique 😂

[@Ryan_hey]

8:05 at what level of ice climbing do I begin to naturally produce those transformer noises

[@chriswiles8617]

Need to go ice bouldering to build those skills 🤘🤘🤘

[@Rohan7ish]

Hello Will, Thanks for your wonderful technical knowledge. But what I need know about and what I observed are your gloves. Hi, I am Rohan from India. I go to Himalaya every year and each time I struggle with my gloves which never help with the technical work what we do like holding and using an ice axe, some kind of rope work, clipping n unclipping carabiners, zoomar handling and also to deal with the cold temperature with goes from sub 0 to -10 around at 6800 mtrs. the reason is I have very thick and fatty gloves. I have seen your whole series of ice climbing and I observed your gloves every time, all are BD. please can you help with the model names you are using for mountaineering and ice climbing? Or you can send the link where I can get it online. I'll be very grateful if you recommend a pair of gloves. Thank you.

[@testboga5991]

Excellent!

[@clammeny]

Love this guy

[@pat13487]

Good lesson

[@ccdemuthjr]

Um yeah so uh: why didn't anyone teach me that before I started!!! Thanks, Will.

[@m1k119]

Fucking love it , Thank you so much Will. Also bought your book and about to read it

[@ishaanchanchani93]

thank. you sir!!

[@ASPAseethrough]

I tried ice climbing as well and I have one question. While going up the wall my calves were absolutely on fire!!! So out of curiosity is it me not placing my feet correctly, my calves are weak or all of the above 😅….

[@willgadd2187]

Yes! If you don't get your secondary points in then there's a lot of leverage on your frontpoint, and that makes for pumped calves. Stronger calves help too, but most of the time it's poor frontpoint placement/support that gets people pumped.

[@Gindew]

what type of axes and crampons would u recommend for beginners?

[@francoisbessette007]

Thank you so much!

[@pallasxo8222]

Hello Will. My Friend,, and Your Friend , Scott, from Canmore, Alberta, is here visiting us in Sooke, BC, He says to say Hi to you . Janine is here , also. May 17, 2024

[@glichasasha750]

Ok, how do you get down?

[@chimbukachibangulula5635]

You're such a daredevil

[@SeekTheTruthNow-Freedom]

Can anyone point me to videos on how to fall well when ice climbing? I have looked but cannot find anything on how to fall correctly when tooled up on ice.

[@useruknok]

It's better not fall man,

[@willgadd2187]

Generally a really bad idea, the pointy bits tend to stick in the ice, which tends to be more rolling than steep rock climbs, so it really tends to break people, a lot, about 50 percent of the time give or take...

[@SeekTheTruthNow-Freedom]

Thanks for the replies. Makes sense, but I know things don't always go as planned and I thought there might be a "good" way to fall. I will stick with the "no fall" technique as much as possible!@@willgadd2187

[@grb45555]

Does anyone know what those pants are called?

[@willgadd2187]

Likely Arc’teryx Gamma AR pants, used them for years.

[@kennethjohnson5180]

Iceclimbing is the other side of the game of the climbing arts the best thing to do is take a course or 2 the scout out with someone more experienced then yourself

[@Jwynne_]

Ah yes as I am lerning to ice climb I’m going to remember anterior tibiola or what ever the name was

[@sebastianflynn1746]

It's worth pointing out, as no one does. The sole of your boot should be perpendicular relative to the angle of the ice, if you're on a big slabbed out bit of ice don't try and kick horizontal relative to you. You're always trying to enter at a 90° angle relative to whatever angle the ice is. You are unlikely to start learning on perfect 90° waterfall ice, so I'm not sure why every single one of these tech videos is always done on vert ice.

[@willgadd2187]

To me it's bit more simple and complicated than just at 90 degrees to the ice. It's at the angle to best use the features of the ice, and that's usually "level" whether you're on steep or 45 degree water ice. Flat alpine ice is oddly similar; if you lift your heels to the point where your foot is at 90 to the ice then logically your knee is close to the ice, as it is on steep water ice. This is not efficient for climbing lots of 45 degree alpine ice; you need to have your knee over your ankle and your foot flat or you'll basically be crawling. The secondaries do most of the work in this type of terrain, and many people kick with their tow low (but 90 to the low angle ice), then stand up to a flat foot, which rocks the front point out and moves the points around, not good...

[@sethechlin1264]

Thank you for taking the time to explain all this.

[@OOO-eb1rs]

大师您好❤好久不见

[@rgr195]

"surface schnazzle".....

[@willgadd2187]

Tech term :).