I Went Ice Climbing and Lasted About 6 Whole Minutes

As a native Coloradoan, I consider myself fairly adventurous. I’ve said yes to backpacking, cliff jumping, rock climbing, water skiing, and high-altitude hiking. I’ve skied double-black-diamond runs, slid down those super tall slides at the water park, and plunged into a 35-degree reservoir. And while many folks in my state are far bigger adrenaline junkies, in general, I’m typically willing to give most outdoorsy activities a go.

Yet with expert advice, encouragement, specialized gear, and personal pep talks, I was able to will myself up...for about six minutes. As short-lived as the experience was, it gave me a much greater appreciation for the skill, stamina, and courage that this extreme sport demands. Here's what my own ice climbing attempt was like, plus some details on how ice climbing competitions work, how elite athletes train, what makes the sport so damn difficult, and more.

Turns out, I'd arrived midway through the athlete's attempt in the Lead event, one of two events held at the Ice Climbing World Cup competition. In Lead, athletes must climb their way to the top of a customized structure using just their body and specialized climbing tools. Despite what the name “ice climbing” might suggest, this structure doesn’t necessarily involve any ice.

Stritch, a former national-level rugby player and competitive ski racer, told me she started rock climbing as a graduate student at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and quickly fell in love with the sport. When she moved back to her home state of Minnesota, the self-described "winter person" said it just felt natural to try rock climbing’s cold-weather cousin, ice climbing.

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