YES! Definitively. If you have an opportunity to try ice climbing you will be blown away by how much it differs to rock climbing. You will be pumped like you’d never believe, you’ll be outside climbing in the winter (the most dreaded months of the average sport climber) and experience how beautiful the winter can really be when you aren’t stuck inside a chalky gym for 6 months. Most importantly 12 months of the year you can climb outside. Everything opens up! You can travel to any climbing destination in the world at any time of year and create an epic. You can become an alpinist or a mountaineer! Be all that you can be.. I’m sure I’ve heard that before somewhere.

If you can’t tell, this past season was my first season of full out ice climbing. I’ve dabbled a handful of times in the previous 2 seasons but season I went all in bought the kit and got out every weekend I could (13 in all plus a week-long trip to Mt. Washington). This was easily the best winter I’ve had in years. I love skiing and snowboarding but this blew me away.

I have never been so excited for every season, as someone who lives in a cold winter area, I was among the few people I knew praying for it to stay cold as long as possible. I pray this next winter is as cold as the last.

SO put away your qualms about how cold you might be (bring some hot chocolate), or how scary it is (top-rope and belay from WELL out of the way of falling ice), and have some fun this winter!