Ice climbing is not a pursuit for even the average thrill-
seeker. It’s wildly dangerous. It requires toughing the bitter
cold, and it’s extremely demanding physically. Mistakes can
equal death. But something about this sport draws an intense
passion from its fans, who, to be successful, must be committed
fully to the time, practice, and knowledge it takes to climb
formations like frozen waterfalls. While the physical element is
important, mastering the mental components – knowledge, dealing
with heights, and keeping calm during frightening moments – is
often what climbers cite as the reason they get hooked. Like
piecing together a puzzle, a climber must assess his or her
chosen route and then build the way to reach the top. Unlike
rock climbing, where routes are generally already in place and
often some of the hardware needed to ascend has been left by a
previous climber, with ice climbing, each route changes from
year to year, within the season itself, and even by the minute,
depending on precipitation, temp