Ice climbing is one of those sports that puzzles the masses, but electrifies a passionate few. The object of the sport is to ascend lofty ice formations using specialized ice axes and pointed steel boot attachments called crampons. Ice formations can be a frozen waterfall or drainage gully, a compacted snow slide or an icicle that forms on a vertical rock wall. Climbers use ice axes to move up steep rock walls that are bare or barely glazed with a paper-thin layer of ice. When the clip of a rope to an ideally placed ice screw releases a rush of tension out through their extremities or when a series of steps leads them effortlessly to the top of a of glistening blue pillar.
Some climbers thrive on adrenaline rushes and personal achievement.
For others, it is about immersing oneself in the beauty of the surreal crystalline ice world or communing with nature in one of its most fierce forms. Where to Go In New York State, ice-climbing activity is centered in the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks where the terrain is steep and ice formations are most reliable due to the consistency of freezing temperatures throughout the winter. However, conditions always variable due to weather. The Keene and Keene Valley area offers the most climbing opportunities from low-angled beginning slopes to some of the best vertical ice climbing in the Northeast. Much of this climbing is easily accessible, with less than a 10-minute walk from the car to the cliff.