Introduction to Ice Climbing

5.0 (4)

Location

Lincoln, New Hampshire

Group Size

6 people per guide

Duration

4.5 hours

COVID-19 policy

The details

What to bring

Mooney Mountain Guides Winter Mountaineering Equipment List

To ensure an awesome experience with your MMG guide, it is important to arrive well prepared for our day in the mountains. The equipment list provided here might be a useful tool in preparing for our day. Remember luck favors the prepared. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or email.

ESSENTIAL:

Weather appropriate clothing (see bottom of the list for a full checklist)

Snacks, a sandwich, leftover pizza, snickers, gels, cheese, salami,

Liquids to drink in a thermos/vacuum flask or insulated Nalgene Bottle. 2 liters minimum.

Sunglasses

Back Pack 25-30 Liters (MMG can Provide)

Gaitors if you prefer or if deep snow

Hand warmers as needed

PROVIDED:

Tenchnical Equipment and Modern Leashless Ice Climbing Tools

AVAILABLE for RENT

- Double Plastic Winter mountaineering boots. (If you have your own MMG recommends something like the Sportiva Nepal Cube, G5, Batura/ Scarpa Phantom series/ Mammut Norwand Pro/ Scarpa Inferno plastic boots.)

- Crampons 

- Well fitting crampons meant for ice climbing.

- Harness with belay loop, and gear loops

- Climbing Helmet

CLOTHING:

-      Base Layer (Top & Bottom): Wear fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin, like wool. Unlike cotton that gets wet and stays wet, wicking fabrics help you regulate your core temperature and avoid overheating or chilling. A mid weight top with a light fleece layer are ideal. Mid weight bottoms with light fleece pants or R1 pants seem to work well for most people.

-      Over-Base Layer (Top & Bottom): Mid-layers add mild insulation to help retain heat that your body creates, and are worn between the base layer and insulation if needed. Examples of over base layers are Patagonia #3 or any lightweight wool shirt. Top and Bottom. Light-weight fleece or heavy-weight EMS® Techwick®. Power-Stretch and micro-fleece are ideal materials for this layer.  I prefer a short or long sleeve tech tee with a Patagonia R1 hoodie or Outdoor Reasearch Rydiant Hybrid pullover. I will add a light zip neck long sleeve shirt if it’s super cold. For extreme cold I use a power stretch union suit. I generally wear Patagonia Alpine or Simple Guide Pants over my bottom base layers.

 -     Insulation Layer (Top Only): Mid-layers add insulation to help retain heat that your body creates, and are worn between the base layer and outer jacket. Examples of insulating mid-layers include a fleece vest, a down sweater, or a synthetic jacket made of Prima Loft®. Jacket only. 200 to 300 weight fleece, heavy weight soft shells or light weight Prima-Loft sweater (and we mean lightweight!).  We often wear winter weight soft shell jackets and pants unless we need the additional protection of foul weather pants and jacket. Winter weight being ‘lined’ or windproof. They should have pockets, and long zippers, and a good hood.

 -     Un-insulated Waterproof & Breathable Shell (Top & Bottom): Wear an outer shell (over your base and insulation layer) to shed water and snow. Layering will give you more versatility, depending on the weather and your activity. Outerwear that is waterproof with increased breath ability will be more adaptable and can help transfer moisture away from your body to keep you dry and protected from the elements. Jackets and pants. Event, Gortex®, or similar waterproof/breathable material. Jacket should have an integrated hood. Full side zip on pants are very helpful.  I generally carry the jacket, but don’t always wear it. And I only wear the pants if the weather is really wet with rain or wet snow. 

-      Belay jacket: ‘Over-it-All’ Hooded Down or Prima-Loft Jacket: This crucial layer is often added when you are belaying or resting. It helps to maintain your body temperature while you are resting and is essential for keeping you warm.  This layer is generally worn over your outermost layers. Bring this regardless of the weather- it’s good emergency equipment. Examples include Patagonia’s DAS Parka/Hyperpuff, micro puff, ArcTeryx ATOM SV, Hardwear’s Compressor, Wild Things Belay Parka, and more.  I like to use a Patagonia Nano Air jacket (Brooks Range Cirro Hoody, or a Patagonia Nano Puff, something like this, lightweight) and a medium weight Belay jacket. It equals more versatility.

-      Gloves or Mittens and Glove Liners: We recommend having 3 pair of gloves/mittens with you.  Glove liners are very useful for the more aerobic approach to your climb.  Gloves with a windproof/waterproof shell are are helpful for more technical climbing.  Mittens with a windproof/waterproof shell are essential for those colder temperatures and while resting. (tip: I carry 2-3 pair of lighter climbing gloves like the BD Punisher , OR storm tracker, and OR Warrant/Lodestar, and a warmer pair of gloves for the belaying. 

-      Fleece/Wool Hat: You’ve probably heard that most of your body heat escapes from your head. When you’re feeling cold the first piece to add to your clothing system is a hat. This hat should cover your ears and can be made of fleece or wool. Remember to fit the hat so you can wear it under a helmet. Pomp-pom hats will not fit under a helmet. A plain hat works best.

-      Good Wool Socks: How many times have your feet been way too cold? Wool or wool blend socks are great natural insulators, even when wet. For most cold-weather sports, wear wicking liner socks and mid or heavy weight wool or synthetic socks. Make sure you fit footwear with heavier socks for more warmth. No matter how thick your socks are, if your footwear constricts your toes, your blood flow will slow down and cause your feet to be cold–fit your shoes accordingly.

*Backpack: (25-30 liters is recommended): A properly fitted pack will make your day 100 times better! It is essential to have a pack which has a hip belt to help support the bulk of the weight.  Use a pack large enough to stow all of your gear on the inside without having to strap any of your personal gear on the outside where it is exposed to the elements. Also, make sure your pack has ice axe loops you can use to carry your ice axes when you are not using them and side compression straps to cinch the load close to you. Tip: Pack your pack with your gear before you arrive and make sure you still have enough room to stow your puffy jacket, gortex jacket, extra warm layers and borrowed gear for the initial hike in.  This will save an enormous amount of time in the morning! 

-      Winter Mountaineering Boots: Not summer weight. Examples include anything double plastic/synthetic, or leather at a minimum of a La Sportiva Nepal Evo/Cube. Baturas are better. I wear the Nepal on warm days, the Batura 2.0 on cold days. Warm feet make the day much more pleasant. Double plastics are available from MMG. If you want to purchase your own, give me a call and I can help you sort out some options.

*Winter Gaiters: Gaiters cover the top of the boot to keep out rain, snow, and ice. They should cover your entire calf and be able to fit over a plastic ice climbing boot. They also cover your Gore-Tex® pants and provide a clean surface around your legs. This way, you are less likely to trip on loose pant legs and damage them while walking and climbing in your crampons. OR Crocs are the best. Note: If you have built in gaiters or bungies on your pants, you may be ok with out them.

-      Balaclava or/or Buff & Ski Goggles: When the temperatures drop and the wind picks up, the skin on your face becomes very vulnerable to frost-nip, and even worse, frostbite. These items add the 100% necessary protection and warmth to your clothing system. Goggles can be helpful protection against ice while climbing.

-      Lunch: Fuel your body. In the mountains, lunch starts when breakfast ends and ends when dinner starts. In other words, we eat all day. A typical climber or skier will consume about 3,500 calories during the course of a day. Pack foods that don’t freeze hard, cover all the food groups and are easy to eat. Pre-make peanut butter sandwiches, or bring last night’s pizza, and those oh-so delicious candy bars. Carry your bars inside your jacket to keep them warm and gooey.

-      Liquids: Wide-mouth water bottles are recommended for winter. 2 liters is a minimum to keep us hydrated during the day. Please, do not use hydration systems, metal water bottles, or thin plastic, Poland Springs, narrow-mouthed bottles. All of these systems freeze easily making the water unavailable to you. A water bottle zippered insulator is a good idea for one of your bottles. I usually put one of my 2 bottles in the sleeve of my belay jacket inside my pack. Lately I’ve been carrying 2 small vacuum flasks with Tea or warm Gatorade.

Optional Items:

      Camera

      Trekking Pols

      Light-weight thermos in place of a water bottle, filled before your arrival.

Adapted from friend and sometime employee of MMG, Matt Shove, owner of Ragged Mountain Guides, LLC.