I’m coming from Florida, and after an Outward Bound mountaineering course in the South San Juans where we did an interesting couloir route on Jagged, I’ve been hooked on the idea of snow climbs. I’d be perfectly fine going back and doing the route I did with OB with some friends, but I’m also looking for other options preferably in the San Juan area or elsewhere around mid-June or July.

What would some guidebooks other than the Dave Cooper book? Being from 2007, how relevant is the Dave Cooper book still?

Any route/location recommendations for getting into moderate snow climbing?

What are snow conditions generally like by June in Colorado?

Looks like a slightly better handle, but not as good as the initial prototypes. But did they fix the snapping head or just anodized the old head?

Are these any good still? Would they suit a beginner who does light alpine mixed climbing and ice climbing up to WI3? Would there be a possibility of a better pinky rest?

They go for 160,- is that fair?

Or would I be better of investing a little more for some modern tools?

I am looking at upgrading my rack of BD Turbo Express screws for the Ultralight ones.

I lead grade 4 and climb mostly single pitch around Ontario, Quebec and New York. Some climbs have longer approaches so the weight savings would be nice.

Is this a good idea? Is there a compromise with the Ultralights?

As per the title. I am traveling solo up from Iowa on a med-student-with-a-kid's budget and 3-5 nights of hotel is not in the cards right now. Would love to split housing/join in on someone's accommodations, or if they allow camping there I'm fine with being cold (though it is not the preference)

What resources do people use to track general conditions and determine if routes are in? Specifically my concern is with Hyalite Canyon but any general tips and resources would be greatly appreciated! Could be weather apps, weather data stations, FB groups, or anything else! Thanks in advance!

My hands are small setting in the nomics, they fit great, no extra space. I am considering getting a pair of grivel tech machine for dry tooling and steep ice (like the price, durability, and good picks), but the handle is like a medium nomic. My index finger rests on the small bump. My question is will the fit of the handle be a big deal? without climbing on them it's hard to tell. Having to cut away the rubber ribs yourself is also a really annoying design decision.
Also how do you swing a large handle? do you grab the bottom or top of the handle?

Looking for some advice on switching crampons. Right now I've got the g12s and g22+ for mountaineering and climbing. They're both solid, but are heavy, bulky, and not modular so I'm stuck with the stock setup for each. I'm looking for a setup that will be lighter (especially the mountaineering setup), able to be set up as monos, and take up less pack space (also especially the mountaineering setup). I'm climbing on the sportiva G-techs and aequilibrium LTs, and planning to pick up the aequilibrium speeds for summer 2025.

I'm in Ontario right now, with some trips down to the adirondacks and whites planned for this winter, but moving to Calgary/climbing in Canmore by winter 2025/26. I started climbing last season (stuck to ice TR) and hope to lead single pitch ~WI3/WI4 by late season this year. Also looking to get on some adirondacks mixed multis this winter, but depends on how conditions shape up and how my skills progress. I've got bigger goals of alpine ice and mixed routes down the line, but that's at least two years away. I'm hoping the system I pick up will also be suitable for scrambling objectives (e.g. tantalus traverse), and approaches to alpine climbs (e.g. BS Col in the bugaboos) where they'll live in my pack for a good bit of the day.

Right now I'm considering the following systems (red/green shows which of those components is lightest):

https://preview.redd.it/f1gfn2dmpbzd1.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=e47d92a19f9181e6eb3f2a82fb470d25699dd5e3

This lets me use the following setups (red/yellow/green shows which of the setups is the lightest):

https://preview.redd.it/kl71tevmpbzd1.png?width=624&format=png&auto=webp&s=c1e1e5779e77f3d6a58d5b624f6ab2125a4a7107

The way I see it, blue ice is the best option for absolute lightness in both setups, but petzl has the option of using a linking bar. My thinking is that it would be nice for cragging where I'm less worried about weight and pack space, and the rigidity and reliability would be nice compared to the Dyneema.

Someone a while back told me there was a WI5 crag in Maine that was even top rope accessible. He only mentioned a couple key pointers to where it is. If memory serves me right, he said “30 minutes from Sugarloaf, on a lake 10 minutes from the Canadian border”. I sort of forgot about this conversation until I was browsing mountainproject and saw the Chain of Ponds area for trad climbing and everything kinda clicked.. is this what he was talking about?

Hello. Does anyone have experience with fitting crampons (specifically for mixed climbing) to these boots. I have considered a pair of BD stingers but I don't want to pull the trigger before I know that I can make them fit. The boots are size 46, if that makes any difference.

About that time, folks!

Hey everyone! first post here, I'm looking for recommendations on preparatory climbs for Cerro Torre. Im (21M) based in the UK and been climbing for about two years on and off, exclusively in Wales and Scotland. In Wales, I spent two months climbing Crib Goch, Cadair Idris, Snowdon, Tryfan and some others, I spend another month in Scotland climbing Ben Nevis, An Teallach and some others.

I'm committed to spending the next 4-5 years preparing for Cerro Torre. i know that this goal might be a bit too far fetched, but im willing to put in the time, money (if i have enough) and effort to do this, If you have any suggestions for climbs that could help me build the skills and experience I need for Cerro Torre and just general advice on my mountaineering goals, I’d love to hear them!

Thanks in advance!

hey guys and girls, i have a pair of La sportiva trango tech leather gtx size 43,5, i am looking for crampons but dont know if i should pick a pair of g12 grivels or petzl

If anyone in Europe is interested, I figured... Website is legit btw, ordered from there many times https://www.privatesportshop.it/catalog/product/view/id/4001604

Hi there,

I am hoping to get into ice climbing this season in the Canadian Rockies and I am having a hard time finding boots that fit me. For context I am a woman, 5'5 ~140lb, roughly EU size 40-41 shoe size. My foot is quite flat, wide in the forefoot but very narrow/low volume in the heels. I am getting heel lifts from every single pair of boots I have tried on so far. I have tried different lacing systems, which helps a bit with the lift but cuts off circulation to the rest of my feet. The womens' models tend to be better than unisex ones, but I am still not particularly satisfied with the ones I have tried.

Boots that don't work:

-LS: Nepal cube Gtx women, G-tech

-Scarpa: Phantom Tech, Mont Blanc Pro GTX women

-Lowa: Alpine Expert II GTX women

-Mammut Nordwand Knit High GTX

Boots I am hoping to try on but can't find locally in Vancouver, BC:

-Zamberlan 2090 MOUNTAIN PRO EVO GTX® RR WNS

-Aku Hayatsuki GTX - Women's

-Aku Aurai DFS GTX - Women's

- Anything I missed??

I am doing a road trip to Red Rocks, NV for a few weeks in November, leaving from Vancouver and heading north to Calgary at the end. I will be going past Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and whatever towns on the way. What shops would have a good selection of boots (that I haven't tried on yet)? Bonus if they have a thanksgiving sale of some sort.

I am going to buy the Ezeefit ankle booties, but I will still need to find boots that fits me somewhat well. Thanks in advance.

Anyone know where I can pick up a pair of cheeks that fit X-dreams (the spiky plate people add on top of the tool head in comps)? I’ve gotten more into the competition climbing/drytooling side of the sport and there have been a few reachy stein pulls where I could see them being useful to widen the side-side range of the move. Was wondering if there were any out there that can fit directly to the tool head or the CAMP dry picks since titanium ones are hard to get at the moment? Maybe this is too niche of a thing and I need to design my own, but figured I’d ask here first.

https://reddit.com/link/1geyoif/video/iv87vee81qxd1/player

Hey y'all,

I'm just curious if there is anyone from Western New York around this sub? I know there are spots with ice in the area around Springville and Gowanda, but finding anyone who climbs or anyone around here that even knows what ice climbing is, is hard as shit to find. Even just someone to spitball and talk climbing, in any form, is hard. So figured i would put out some feelers. Hope everyone is doing well!!

Hey folks! I’m relatively new to western New York but the recent chilly morning has got me dusting off my ice tools and sharpening my screws. I’d love to get out on some classic routes and get to know the local spots or at least meet some like-minded people.

The ice in Salmon River Gorge is definitely on my radar (it sounds like a thin year last year), and obviously the ice in the ADKs and Catskill, but I’m open to exploring wherever the ice is good. Drop a comment or send a message if you’re interested in linking up, or just want to share some local beta. Safe climbing, everyone! 🧗‍♂️❄️

Hey all! Recently scored a pair of Bladerunners for 60% off retail and was curious about peoples’ thoughts on them. I climb mostly around WI4, some WI5 and would like to get into mixed routes in the future. Good purchase, or would these be too aggressive for my uses? They seem great for that vertical ice but on the verge of being a bit overkill, so thought I’d at least ask the sub!

Far superior to Nomics on Plice. 😂

Hi all! Need help deciding on my first pair of ice tools. For info I am not an ice climber, and more into classic and technical mountaineering. Looking for a pair to climb mixed routes and vertical ice, no overhangs(maybe occasionally). Took my liking to Grivel North Machines Carbon, but in Nimsdai edition with katana picks, since the Grivel ones are prone to dulling, it seems. Also looking at Cassin/Camp X-Dream Alpine, but it looks too aggressive to me and not very versatile(at least for my goals) Will be happy to hear from ya all! Thx!