Ice Mountaineering - Equipment

As ice mountaineering is an adventurous sport, therefore it is necessary that all the equipment used for this purpose should be compliant with UIAA standards and should be robust, comfortable to enhance the performance of the climber. In this chapter we will discuss about the equipment used in the sport.

Ice Axe

The axes used for mountaineering are different than normal ones as they have more aggressive inclination and curves. It is light weighted and an athlete can move it freely.

Pick

Modified picks are used here having thicker size and high angle of inclination. Instead of tapper steel, reinforced steels are used in its making.

Ice Mountaineering Shoes

The boots used over here are lightweight. Nowadays designers are manufacturing fruit boots along with crampons bolted to the sole of the boot.

Helmet

Helmet is an important safety equipment and is mandatory. Any helmet that satisfies UIAA standards can be used. Lighter the helmet, better is the performance.

Gloves

As the sport is played on ice, so gloves are necessary too. However, they should be made up of thin leather material to maximize the gripping with axe and aid performance.

Timing System

Timing systems are not for the competitor but for the referee, as it is necessary to note how much time one athlete took to mount from the starting point till the end point.

Holds

Holds are the route setting materials that are made up off resin and sand materials. They are very strong and are used by the riders to mount further up.