Climbing Ice By Yvon Chouinard

Photographs of ice climbers in action augment complete instructions in the techniques of ice climbing, dangers, and safety measures

Denny

"We were immediately slowed down as we struggled with a mixture of steep rock, ice, rotten rock covered by snow, snow mushrooms, general difficulty, and poor protection. I believe they call it 'mixed climbing.'"
Mike

Excellent graphics. The version I read was pretty old though, and for some of the things, I wonder if it's still up to date. This was written before technical ice axes really came into fruition, which is a large part of modern ice climbing now.
Mike Renz

I first read it in 1978 and am now reading it again in anticipation of an ice climbing trip next month. If you want to know how to climb ice in the traditional method, I highly recommend "Climbing Ice". The book is from a time when climbing culture was of a higher mind set. It was about exploring your own internal limits - not competing with others. Moreover, rock and ice were environments to be carefully and gently explored - if you could not do a route with out damaging it - you did not do it. Today Rock and Ice are nothing more than atheletic fields for corporate funded ego freaks to compete on.

I highly recommend "Climbing Ice"...if you can get a copy.