Ice climbing technique (how to make the A frame technique more efficient)

So in my years of ice climbing, I have learned of quite a few ways to gain upward progress more efficiently, from gripping the handle of the tools differently to which foot I step up with. I feel like sharing some of the micro-skills I learned could help some other people climb more efficiently and more safely and I encourage others to do the same in here! Debate, criticize, ask questions and suggest your own “hacks” to make ice climbing more secure and efficient! This is for experienced ice climbers who get the A frame technique, no need to go over that, there are dozens of videos, blogs, posts and books on that, just micro improvements to the accepted best technique that may not be obvious for vertical ice, and negotiating inevitable irregular terrain.

1: gripping ergonomic ice tool handles with the thumb up

I found placing the thumb along the tang of the handle (like giving a thumbs up or like cocking the hammer on a revolver)  instead of wrapping it around helps align my arm on the swing, increasing my first swing stick rate significantly, as well as precision in my swing! I noticed a big difference in my speed and confidence, and being noticeably less pumped after a pitch.

2: thinking about footwork the same way a sprinter thinks about how to start on blocks

in track and field and other sports, there is the plant foot and the quick foot when performing explosive actions like starting or jumping. I applied this to my ice climbing technique where I have a plant foot and a steadying foot when making upward progress. Now I have noticed an improvement but I am not 100% sure how much this has to do with confidence in consistency or if this technique actually is better than just stepping up. But, I step up with the opposite foot as my high hand as the “plant foot” then find a steady place to kick in my “quick foot” which isn’t always in ice, sometimes it is just flagging on rock or out in the air on thin free hanging pillars. Committing to this technique if nothing else has improved my focus by sticking to a routine that can solve most problems steep ice can throw at you. The worst plan is no plan after all.

3: this is fairly obvious but tool placement

Swinging into strong ice prevents dinner plating and increases one stick swings, and reduces the artillery you rain down on your belayer. Look for concave ice to swing and kick into as the internal stress is inward, not outward making the ice stronger.

Comment your own ideas, criticize mine, add to mine, ask questions, etc. everyone is different, this works for me on hard steep ice, soloing more moderate ice, and are tips I give others. 

New ice climber here and this is super helpful. I gotta try the different grip out next time I'm climbing, but it feels good just doing pull ups in my basement, reduces overgripping for sure. The footwork analogy to other sports is also great, I find myself wanting to pivot (bad habit from rock climbing) on my frontpoints which just leads to me disengaging and blowing my feet, but if I have one foot that's bomber and I'm using to power myself up, and one that's more of a stabilizer I think I'll be more focused on keeping them locked in. Still have to work on keeping feet at the same level so my knees aren't in the way as much though!

One thing I was recently told is that you should always move under your upper tool to keep yourself stable in an "A" position. In your opinion am I better off prioritizing tool placement or setting myself up for good foot placements under the tool? I know ideally it'll be both, but I think if I have one to focus on I'll be able to get more consistent with it.

Thanks for the advice!

Noah L wrote:

The footwork analogy to other sports is also great, I find myself wanting to pivot (bad habit from rock climbing) on my frontpoints which just leads to me disengaging and blowing my feet, but if I have one foot that's bomber and I'm using to power myself up, and one that's more of a stabilizer I think I'll be more focused on keeping them locked in. Still have to work on keeping feet at the same level so my knees aren't in the way  as much though!

One thing I was recently told is that you should always move under your upper tool to keep yourself stable in an "A" position. In your opinion am I better off prioritizing tool placement or setting myself up for good foot placements under the tool? I know ideally it'll be both, but I think if I have one to focus on I'll be able to get more consistent with it.

I'm far from a pro, so take this for what it's worth (though I have some basis for my comments).

I think of my tools as being the lead horse of my wagon.  You'll either follow it, barn door and fall off, or just be very uncomfortable.  If you want to angle left, place a tool to the left (or swap hands, as the situation calls for) and get your feet sorted below it.  With a bomber high tool, you have all the time in the world (or at least until your grip pumps out) to faff around with your foot placements until they're also bomber (ideally, in the monkey hang position) before standing up and repeating with the other tool.  Ideally, your feet will be even, but if they need to be a little uneven due to the ice features, so be it.  I think the conventional wisdom about swinging at a beach ball sized area above your head is, while mostly sound, a little misleading in that sometimes it's better to take a better placement off to the side and swing your body under it so that you end up with the tool above your head (or maybe it's better to say, your head below your tool).

I'm not really sure what you mean by the distinction between prioritizing tool placements vs setting yourself up for good foot placements under the tool.  If you mean that you might accept a dubious tool placement because it happens to be above a shelf that offers even feet, just remember that you need to get to that shelf... probably by pulling on the top tool.  I'll put my faith in a bomber top tool any time.  If you watch videos of some exceptional climbers, you'll see that when they move their feet, they're fully hanging on the tools (and mainly the top tool).  The feet are unloaded, and so they're free to move around and seek out the good placements.  You could think of it sort of like when you're rappelling or cleaning screws: the rope takes your weight, and you can swing your body across the ice, moving your feet from feature to feature.  When ice climbing your top tool/arm is the rope.  This is all assuming steep ice; things are little different with WI3 and lower (more stepping, and less hanging).

When I'm not climbing at my best, I find myself standing up before my feet are perfect and trying to fix them in the standing position.  It sucks.  Don't do that.  Get the feet perfect in the hang, then stand up. If you're kicking while standing, you've done it wrong.

Check out this video by Will Gadd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmn-4CZ2jM

@ around 3:30, Will demonstrates the importance of being under your top tool.  Watch the whole series!

Grant Watson wrote:

I'm far from a pro, so take this for what it's worth (though I have some basis for my comments).

I think of my tools as being the lead horse of my wagon.  You'll either follow it, barn door and fall off, or just be very uncomfortable.  If you want to angle left, place a tool to the left (or swap hands, as the situation calls for) and get your feet sorted below it.  With a bomber high tool, you have all the time in the world (or at least until your grip pumps out) to faff around with your foot placements until they're also bomber (ideally, in the monkey hang position) before standing up and repeating with the other tool.  Ideally, your feet will be even, but if they need to be a little uneven due to the ice features, so be it.  I think the conventional wisdom about swinging at a beach ball sized area above your head is, while mostly sound, a little misleading in that sometimes it's better to take a better placement off to the side and swing your body under it so that you end up with the tool above your head (or maybe it's better to say, your head below your tool).

I'm not really sure what you mean by the distinction between prioritizing tool placements vs setting yourself up for good foot placements under the tool.  If you mean that you might accept a dubious tool placement because it happens to be above a shelf that offers even feet, just remember that you need to get to that shelf... probably by pulling on the top tool.  I'll put my faith in a bomber top tool any time.  If you watch videos of some exceptional climbers, you'll see that when they move their feet, they're fully hanging on the tools (and mainly the top tool).  The feet are unloaded, and so they're free to move around and seek out the good placements.  You could think of it sort of like when you're rappelling or cleaning screws: the rope takes your weight, and you can swing your body across the ice, moving your feet from feature to feature.  When ice climbing your top tool/arm is the rope.  This is all assuming steep ice; things are little different with WI3 and lower (more stepping, and less hanging).

When I'm not climbing at my best, I find myself standing up before my feet are perfect and trying to fix them in the standing position.  It sucks.  Don't do that.  Get the feet perfect in the hang, then stand up. If you're kicking while standing, you've done it wrong.

Check out this video by Will Gadd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJmn-4CZ2jM

@ around 3:30, Will demonstrates the importance of being under your top tool.  Watch the whole series!

Thanks for the reply!

I like your way of looking at it as your tools leading your body, especially as it comes to getting good sticks to be able to take more time on your feet. That's something I'll really have to focus on to get more consistent with.

Reading my comment over again I wasn't too clear and I get what you mean on tools vs feet. If you have shit tools, good feet under them won't do much good if you peel off before getting to them, the way you put it makes a lot of sense. Definitely have some work to do on my low-angle climbing, that's where I find I have the most difficulty especially with figuring out how much weight I should be putting on my feet vs on my tools.

I've definitely been rushing my foot placements, I think because I'm not confident enough that I can hang on my tools for long enough to be intentional and gentle with it. Gonna take some practice and some more time hanging in my basement to work past the pump.

Thanks for reminding me of those videos! I had watched them a while ago but should give them another look, he's a great teacher and has a really good way of explaining things even for completely new climbers.

Thanks again for the detailed reply, appreciate it a ton.

Those are great videos, and OR has a couple videos that YouTube might suggest to you (about 15 min each) that are also good. They've got great footage of good and bad technique with commentary.

Three things I've learned this year: 

1. keep swinging until you have a good stick
2. move your feet incrementally (don't try to high step) to get both below your high tool
3. REST all the time. You've got jugs in your tool grips, take advantage of that and just don't pump out.

Oh you definitely follow your tools. I step up with my next plant foot in the direction of my tool, and use the other tool to brace myself. I also don’t hold my tools with the thumb on the back often, a great drill I do at the base of ice flows is traversing which exemplifies the technique details I mentioned in the OP. Keep your ice tools between your shoulders and focus on the footwork as you go, lead tool is always the high tool, but matching in traverses is how I do it. I’m no world class ice climber but I lead wi5/6 with confidence after 5 years of climbing. 

Also on low angle ice, with bulges, the technique is totally different as you can’t get your hips away from the ice. Just sink your tool in as deep as you can and step over. Its harder imo and feels kinda sketchy but its the name of the game on moderate terrain. A bit less straightforward than steep ice but less physically demanding. Also I think the closest I’ve come to a detailed breakdown on the ice climbing technique is Stas Beskin’s video on the ice climbing sequence but he doesn’t mention anything about which foot he steps with first, how to hold tools, how to swing, etc. I swing really lightly in almost all ice, except low angle brittle ice and slushy (overly) soft ice. Keep your points really sharp. 

Some things I've gleaned from watching first-timers struggle:

Look at where you're going to kick, then kick with gusto.  Kicking blindly too often just destroys that little spot of ice, making it even harder to get a placement.

Never move up on a bad tool placement; take the time to get solid sticks, always. If you feel too rushed to get good sticks, it's because you're off balance. Get a stable stance with TWO well-placed feet, well spaced apart.  Related - if one foot comes off while you're swinging, get it back on. Swinging while you're on one foot leads to rushing, which leads to moving on a poor stick, which leads to falling.

Some people get "stuck". I tell them: if you've got two good tools, step up. Doesn't have to be a big move; a couple baby steps is OK. A symptom of being stuck is pulling the tool out and then swinging it right back into the same spot.

Keep your elbows close to the ice. This prevents inadvertently pulling outwards on the tools.

Don't swing the tool onto the ice surface; swing it THROUGH the surface. Think karate chopping a board: you don't hit the board, you swing through it.

Finally, a controversial suggestion: newbies often have weak kicks. 99% of the time they do better on monopoint crampons.

Nick Budka wrote:

Also on low angle ice, with bulges, the technique is totally different as you can’t get your hips away from the ice.

If you don't have space to move your hips out and look at your feet, you might be swinging your tools to far away from your body.  This is especially easy to do when swinging over a bulge or a top-out.  If you can't look down and see your feet and your next placement, you're reaching too far away.  I see a lot of folks burying tools at full extension once they are at chest or waist height on a top out, and then they can't see their feet or create the leg/knee position required to get good foot placements.  Took me an embarassing amount of time to figure this out too.

a few of my favorite "gems" picked up over 50+ years on ice:

from British ace Bill March, author of "Modern Ice Techniques" (late 1970s) - March had been one of Britain's hot-shit ice wizards in the late 60s before emigrating to Canada, where he also authored one of the earliest guidebooks to the Icefields Parkway.  March never spoke of "kicking" crampons, always of "placing" your points.   John Tarver, who at age 19 had made the first solo ascent of Polar Circus, used to drill footwork by running toprope laps up to WI4 on crampons only - no hand tools.  Now in his 60s, and packing a few extra pounds, John still moves well on steep ice.

from PNW ace Glen Frese, who was teaching the tripod stance in the years when Jeff Lowe was still preaching the "X position" (Will Gadd would have been in grade school):  Frese would coach partners to look for "grooves" in vertical ice - find a groove, place your feet on the "shoulders", and your hand tools in the "back" of the groove, and you effectively lower the angle of the ice, creating a balanced posture, allowing you to stand at rest rather than hanging from your tools constantly.  Glen was so relaxed on his tools that it was not uncommon to see him lead a full rope-length of sustained WI5 without bothering to place protection screws.  Note, of course, that in the early eighties, placing those primitive ice screws  required the use of two hands and a wrench  which for most of us meant that we "buried" one or both picks and tied off to them in order to free our hands to place a screw.  With modern gear, I can climb harder lines now in my 70s than I could climb in my 30s!

grips - I'm surprised i don't see more climbers using trigger-finger rests on their grips. when first transitioning to leashless tools back in the nineties, I discovered that adding a trigger-finger hook was like giving my tools "power steering".  using triggers, I get more consistent sticks with more relaxed grip and less aggressive swing.  any trick that makes the game less strenuous is worth a look...