new to ice climbing

[Guest]

Hi, my boyfriend and I would like the learn how to ice climb. We have no experience or gear. Can anybody point us in the right direction to get started with this sport? I'm from Moncton. My e-mail is arbeauer@hotmail.com. We appreciate any information you'd be willing to offer. Thanks.

Erika

[Richard A]

Hi Erika, The UNB Club does an ice climbing clinic every winter, sometime in early February, I think. It's a great way to acquaint yourselves with the sport; and gear required is provided for the course (you will have to beg, borrow or steal a light pair of ski boots for crampon use if you don't already have rigid sole, crampon compatible hiking boots ). All the climbing is done on toprope. In the meantime it wouldn't hurt to improve your aerobic capacity and general overall fitness and check a lot of "climbing" sites and maybe a few library books to familiarize yourselves with the gear, rope handling and etiquette, the knots used, the terms used for communication while on belay or rappelling. I'm sure others will jump in here and fill the voids....

[Fred]

Salvation Army is always a great place to score some used downhill ski boots for $10-$15.

[mathieu]

fitness and ice climbing? I'm confused. The night before a day of ice climbing usually involves beer and little sleep.

Seriously as long as you can walk up a flight of step and can lift a beer your in. Also it wouldn't hurt to know how to tie in the rope and an understanding of the principle of belaying. The UNB ice weekend would be your best bet to get some tutoring on ice. Word to the wise, ice climbing can be a bit cold. Also Cara can't climb her way out of a slush puppy so don't listen to her advice.

[martha]

Thanks for that vote of confidence Mat.

See, I don't need to climb out of a slush puppy, but generally they are filled with booze so I can just drink my way out.


Erika, there are only a handful of female ice climbers in the province. And with good reason. We have to put up with the guys who climb here!!


Just kidding boys, you know I love you all. (gag, cough, wheeze)

Seriously though, send me off an email if you like. I'd love to answer any questions you've got.

[Ropeguy]

Martha is a chick!!! Fook mi.....I didn't know that.Martha said he/she had bigger pipes than me.Well what do you know,I guess you learn something new everyday!!! A poem for you Martha,I like to write poems for the ladies.

Martha is a chick
that like's to climb the ice
everyone who knows her
Thinks she's very nice

She has a pretty big mouth(hehe)
and a set of arms to match
One day on ice she took a fall
and landed on her ass

The moral of the story
however sad but very true
If you want to lean to climb the ice
Watch what the guys do!!!

hahaha!!! Please don't beat me up Martha!!I'm just kidding.........

[Erika]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll be sure to check out the UNB ice weekend. I'll be the blonde one looking confused and out of place. Thanks again

Erika

[Don R.]

Hi Erika,
theres a handful of spots that are good learning areas in and around moncton (no matter what other people say!). We'll be starting to venture out once the temperature makes up its mind.

drop me a line and we'll talk.
don.ricker@moncton.ca

cheers

[Guest]

Ahhh, good old McLaughlin. Hard to believe it's been 8 years the first time I was there. I'll have to hit it up this Xmas vacation.

What Don says is true, the Moncton ice is great for learning. Can't go wrong with something so close. There is also Hillsborough and Gordon Falls that are also good for learning.

Hey Don, did you find anything at Shepody Mountain yet?

[Matt Peck]

ok....Guess I'll jump in now..
Looks like Ice School will most likely be taking place on the weekend of the 12th of February Erika, and anyone else who is listening. You'll want to drop by the wall or email for details around the end of January. We have a few pairs of skiboots, but by all means aquire your own as these will no doubt be more comfortable. All other gear and probably transportation will be provided by the club. The event is two days, with each being a seperate event. You can of course, pay to attend both if there is enough interest for two days. Like Matt B said, Be prepared for the cold. Two years ago the weather was approaching -50 with windchill, and we went and had a great old time anyway, but your comfort will be directly related to how well prepared you are. There will be an information meeting before the event, so keep looking for the poster.

Matthew Peck
President,
UNB Rock and Ice Climbing Club.

[PaulB]

All other gear and probably transportation will be provided by the club.

Just out of curiosity, what's the club got for ice tools these days? When I went to the ice school in 94 they had a couple pairs of straight shaft Stubai's and few short ice hammers that were old school even then.

[martha]

we've still got that old school gear, plus two sets of DMM aliens and 3 pairs of black diamond bionic crampons, 1 pair of DMM terminators, and 1 or 2 pairs of Charlet Mosher horizontal front point crampons...forget what they are called.

Some pretty nice gear. The year that Pat Wylie was pres and then the following year when I was pres the club members worked super hard and raised a ton of cash, and since our expansions were mostly done, we had some money for gear. it was sweet.

[mathieu]

Just out of curiosity, what's the club got for ice tools these days? When I went to the ice school in 94 they had a couple pairs of straight shaft Stubai's and few short ice hammers that were old school even then.

I thought those Stubai's got stolen a few years back, could be wrong but I haven't seen them in a while. My first year at UNB (98 I think) I used to borrow those tools every weekend, basically that was my first set of tools. I had semi-permanent damage to my pinky cause of those straight shaft.