Ice Climbing: 7. Protecting the Rope
Ice Climbing
•
1m 3s
In this video we discuss the importance of protecting the rope while ice climbing.
When ice climbing we use several sharp tools, and one soft one: our rope.
One simple technique is to swing the ice tool off to the side, or move the rope aside with your hand before you swing or kick.
Be mindful of where the rope is at all times. When top roping, your rope will be taut and can line up right where you want to swing your tool. Leaders will need to be more conscious of where they kick their feet, as the lead rope will be hanging below.
The belayer can also help (especially when top roping) by watching the climber climb, and making sure to pull in slack when the climber is kicking—not while they are swinging the tool. This helps prevent the rope from going taut at the moment they swing, and/or the rope moving in front of their tool as it hits the ice.
We hope you found this video helpful. Feel free to comment below with questions or thoughts!
Please remember, climbing is inherently dangerous. Climb at your own risk.
Up Next in Ice Climbing
-
Ice Climbing: 8. Quick Foot Techniques
Ice climbing can be strenuous. Like in rock climbing, the more we can rely on our feet, the better. In this video, we look at ways to improve footwork techniques on the ice.
1. Setup a top rope on a low angle climb.
2. Ditch the ice tools, and practice climbing (while on top rope) using on...
-
Ice Climbing: 9. Climbing Over Bulges...
In this video we look at the technique to climb over bulges in the ice. Climbing over bulges, also known as mantling, can become unnecessarily challenging without proper technique, resulting in what some refer to as the “fish flop.”
1. Do not reach your ice tools too far over the bulge. You wi...
-
Ice Climbing: 10. Hooking With Your I...
In this video we look at how to “hook” with your ice tools.
Hooking is useful when the ice is thin, or too brittle to swing into, but you can still slot the pick behind the ice and pull on it.
Hooking is also used by the follower, who can draft the leader’s pick holes and save a lot of ene...