Ice Climbing Training?

So last year I started leading ice, and this coming year I am moving away from any form of ice, so I would like to retain some of the strength I got from this last year.

Does anyone have any good training regiments?

I already do dead hangs, some pull ups, and calve raises.

What do you guys have?

Thanks!

Do you have a woody? (that just sounds weird) I built one in my garage. I also drytool/climb the back of an extension ladder leading from my garage floor up into the attic. You could lean one against a house too.

Climbing the underside of a long ladder that's about a 45-degree overhang, up and down, up and down really works you. I'm talking about climbing it with your tools. Figure fours etc....it's all about the burn.

Rock climbing translates better than anything.

Dont worry about sport specific training unless you are climbing 12a. Just build overall power, muscle mass, muscle endurance and strength until you get into the 11a Trad. THEN look at specific training IMO.

If you can climb 11a trad you will be a great ice climber.

J Red wrote:If you can climb 11a trad you will be a great ice climber.

There's a guy named Will Gadd who might disagree with you.

willgadd.com/ice-climbing-i…
willgadd.com/how-not-to-suck/

To be fair, Martin, those posts are about ice climbing techniques and safety. Of course he's right--falling on ice is an awful idea, etc etc.

But that doesn't have anything to do with the proper training for ice climbing. Admittedly, I have nothing to add here. I've always just done lockoffs and dead hangs and tried to get out a lot.

Get into dry tooling if you can. I found that after training that way once a week or so my ice skills went through the roof. Also great if u want to step up and get into mixed climbing. The ladder idea is great. And I also did pull-ups on my nomics using a pull-up bar. Helps develop all the muscles you need. Calf rises help as well for ice I think

m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=uZz…

hang from your tools for a long time.
then hang from one tool with both arms for a long time.
then hang from one tool with one arm for a long time. (switch and repeat, for a long time)
then hang from different positions on the tool for a long time.
then hang from your tools upside down for a long time.
then climb the underside of a ladder for a long time.
then do tool-ups for a long time.
then put some really thick gloves on, and repeat.
then put a heavy pack on, and repeat.
...do everything with your tools. cook with your tools. bathe with your tools. drive with your tools. go out and party with your tools. boulder with your tools (oops, too far)

Soak your hands in ice water for 15 minutes then bash your knuckles with a hammer. Have a friend laugh at you while the feeling comes back.

If you have a good place to go and posthole that can be handy too.

Practice rigging raps while drinking whiskey.

Will Gadd provides a good template for off-season, pre-season, and in-season ice and mixed climbing training, breaking it down by level of climbing.

At your level, off-season training would consist of:

1-hour of strength training/week: think pull-ups, dips, front levers)
2x2 hour climbing gym sessions/week
3+hours of aerobic training.

Preseason you exchange one gym climbing session for a full day on a mixed or early ice.

(Will Gadd in Ice & Mixed Climbing: Modern Technique, 2003)

where you moving to? we dry tool on our outdoor climbing farm silo here near Chicago, then freeze it up with ice in the winter to climb the ice. Check us out if in the area. Nice Ice group at Facebook..

I noticed a substantial increase in my endurance on ice from basic pullups and hanging on the tools. Made a couple notches in the top of the board that backs my hangboard, and near the bottom of it. You can do staggered and normal pullups, hang from one hand, etc. I normally train it with my less aggressive alpine tools (grip is more vertical), so when I'm hanging from my curved ice tools, it seems much less stressful. Core workouts are key as well ( hang from tools and do leg lifts), and I like to train triceps as well for tool-settin-POWAH.

Kyro wrote:Get into dry tooling if you can. I found that after training that way once a week or so my ice skills went through the roof. Also great if u want to step up and get into mixed climbing. The ladder idea is great. And I also did pull-ups on my nomics using a pull-up bar. Helps develop all the muscles you need. Calf rises help as well for ice I think

Gotta disagree on the first bit. Just doing mixed training will improve your hang-time but there's no substitute for swing training - as I discovered at some pain this last winter. Best is to invest in some Ice Holdz or at least swing a 3 lb sledge while hanging from the other tool. Dead hangs, pull-ups, calf raises, core work, etc. as already mentioned are all good as well.

Also check out the ice specific workouts at Thealpinetrainingcenter.com and on their Facebook page.

I serched "plice" on Gadd's blog and came up with some good hits:

gravsports.blogspot.ca/sear…

Never heard the term 'plice'. Sounds like somebody's trying to create unnecessary new terminology for existing ideas, but I dunno.

vimeo.com/36429174

Anybody ever do the Mountain Athlete ice training program?

Josh Allred wrote:Rock climbing translates better than anything. Dont worry about sport specific training unless you are climbing 12a. Just build overall power, muscle mass, muscle endurance and strength until you get into the 11a Trad. THEN look at specific training IMO. If you can climb 11a trad you will be a great ice climber.

:/

I climb 5.11 trad and I am a terrible ice climber.

All of this is good, I also hold tools or light wieghts and flick them above my head as if I was setting a tool. I do this for time and it really starts to burn after a little while.

And don't forget about the chains. Hang some chains from an overhanging wall and climb up and down them using the figure four. Another Will Gadd technique, this is becoming a common theme on this thread!