I recently wrote a post for Kam of Campfire Chic on how to dress for ice climbing. The article is geared towards beginners and I came up with the idea of writing it because when I first started, I found it really hard to figure out what the heck I was supposed to wear. Although you’re outside all day like skiing, you definitely do NOT want to wear the same thing you would skiing. And unlike snowshoeing or cross country skiing, when you ice climb there are periods of activity and inactivity and you need to be prepared for both. So how do you dress for two extremes? Well, you’ll have to check out my post on Kam’s site to find out!
Click on the picture to check out my post!
Rockies Girl: Confessions of an amateur mountaineer 
kirisyko
/ December 11, 2013Reblogged this on Sykose Extreme Sports News.
Frank Cerra
/ December 11, 2013Be careful, looks dangerous.
Sarah
/ December 11, 2013It’s not as dangerous as it looks :)
adventuresunplugged
/ December 11, 2013Very informative post, thanks! I was wondering if you remember what kind of temperature ranges you experienced for these trips. The Alps are surprisingly warm for my canadian experience, and I find it hard to estimate what I will need to be wearing. I have my first top rope course for ice climbing this sunday and I am inappropriately excited :-D
Sarah
/ December 11, 2013For most of my trips the temperatures were very cold (-10C to -25C). If the temperatures you’ll be climbing in will be much warmer I’d suggest wearing less base layers and definitely go with softshell for breathability. The nice thing is that since you’re on a top rope course, you can always throw in a hardshell and an extra insulating layer into your pack just in case you get cold. There may be a lot of standing around during instruction which is when you’ll get chilly. A good belay jacket will also help with that.
Have an awesome time in the Alps! I was there this summer and loved it. Also, there is no inappropriate amount of excited-ness for ice climbing :) Let me know if you have any other questions!
adventuresunplugged
/ December 12, 2013Wow those temperatures are one thing I do not miss from Canada :-D, that’s dedication! I think we are going to have around -5, so while more comfortable it falls into a weird cold but not epically cold range. I think my boyfriend has a switch he can flip in his head that controls his body temperature because he always wears the same thing and is mystified by my desire to adjust my clothing to my temperature :-D. Anyway, I think I have my system worked out, but this was really helpful! I definitely plan to climb in one system and add layers for belaying or watching, ah i am so excited!
The alps do rock. I enjoy the trains, buses, and huts which make access easy and packs much lighter, carrying a tent blows my mind, you guys are hardcore :-).
mish1100
/ December 11, 2013layers, layers, layers :) i definitely learned that quickly! lol
Sarah
/ December 11, 2013Very true! On the coldest of days I was usually wearing an obscene amount of layers.