A fellow instuctor down the local wall- Elaine and I headed over to Rjukan in Norway to experience ice climbing for the first time.
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| Rjukan valley |
We were lucky enough to have great conditions very early on in the season in December. I had never seen icickles like it...
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| Playing some tunes |
Crampon tehcnique took a bit of getting used to to compared with toe placements typical of rock climbing, but the ice axe swing came quite naturally to me and I found it easier to feel when I had a good ice placement (with a deep thud!) than i had expected.
I found the lack of day light a bit weird and I did find myself of dreaming of sport climbing in a bikini on occasions where my my feet and hands were in agony from the cold. That said I had a great time and I think ice climbing is something I would definately like to pursue in the UK when the conditions come in, its just a shame its a seasonal sport.
I found the lack of day light a bit weird and I did find myself of dreaming of sport climbing in a bikini on occasions where my my feet and hands were in agony from the cold. That said I had a great time and I think ice climbing is something I would definately like to pursue in the UK when the conditions come in, its just a shame its a seasonal sport.
