Ice climbing rankings. They do this by comparing: 1.

Ice climbing rankings. Note that the bulk of this article was written in 1994 The final UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup medals of the 2025 season were awarded this weekend in Edmonton, Canada. Every thing you need to know on climbing grades. In fact, three of the four winners in Champagny-en This head-to-head multi-pitch climbing competition features 12 mixed teams made up of 24 of the world’s best climbers across various disciplines battling it out on 180m-long artificial routes . Ice climbing grades, just like climbing and scramblinggrades, are intended to give a rough idea about how difficult a certain routewill be to climb. The Points are awarded based on real-world performance, including criteria such as climb speed, height reached, and official rankings published by climbing federations. Involves severely sustained and extremely overhanging climbing. The related sport of mixed climbing (i. 13 climbing, using ice axes and crampons in such a way as to make the climb impossible without them. They do this by comparing: 1. The WI Scale is used to grade ice climbs based on the overall difficulty of the ice itself. WI 2: Consistent 60 degree ice with possible bulges; good protection. WI1 - Low angle ice; no tools Explanations on the commonly used systems for rating difficulty of ice and mixed climbs, with a detailed description of the canadian system. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools) and rigid crampons. e. Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. To protect the Climbers should always assess their own abilities and choose routes that align with their experience level to ensure a safe and enjoyable climbing experience. While the lead World Tour titles went to athletes from Learn everything about climbing grades and quickly convert any climbing rating with our free climbing grade conversion chart. Climbing grades defined - Mixed Grades, Ice Grades, Aid ratings, Protection Ratings, Commitment ratings. ice and dry-tool climbing) uses the M-grade system (e. M8), The UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour has crowned its champions in Edmonton Men’s Lead Overall World Tour Rankings: Benjamin Bosshard, Switzerland, 345 pts Younggeon Lee, South Korea, The result site of UIAA ice climbing competitions, with starters, live results and rankings powered by Vertical-Life Official website of the International Federation of Sport Climbing Below you'll find a comprehensive explanation of the different climbing rating systems. AI6). Water Ice and Alpine Ice Grades: Ice climbing ratings are highly variable by region and are still evolving. The most popular systems for grading climbs worldwide are: Several other countries and regions use their There are three main grading systems used in ice climbing: the WI (Water Ice) Scale, the AI (Alpine Ice) Scale, and the M (Mixed) Scale. What determines the Grade of an Ice Climb? WI 1: Low angle ice; no tools required. In ice climbing, the most widely used grading system is the WI ("water ice") system (e. The following descriptions approximate the average systems. These grades can range from WI1 (Water Ice 1), the easiest grade, to WI7 – the hardest grade. M9 – Feels like 5. In conclusion, understanding ice climbing grades is essential for rock Ice climbing grades are a subjective ranking system that tries to quantify the difficulty of a particular climb based on several factors. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. In aid climbing, the leader uses bolts, pitons, or hardware placed in manufactured holes in the rock for upward progress — Water Ice Grades - Ice climbing ratings are highly variable by region and are still evolving. g. WI 3: Sustained 70 degree with possible long bulges of 80-90 degrees; Climbing grades defined - Mixed Grades, Ice Grades, Aid ratings, Protection Ratings, Commitment ratings. The WI acronym implies The pick popped Want more of this action? Catch the full climb on our YouTube channel now! #uiaaiceclimbing #iceclimbing #drytooling #rockclimbing #climbing #mixedclimbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting entirely of frozen water. Longmont review: Two countries, four golds For the second UIAA Ice Climbing World Cup in a row, the four gold medals were claimed by athletes from Mongolia and Switzerland. Other climbing styles with their own grade systems are ice climbing, mixed (rock/ice) climbing, and mountaineering. How steep the ice is: the steeper the ice, the more physically challenging a climb is, and the higher the grade of the climb will See more We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Ratings used internationally today include no less than seven Aid climbing and various forms of ice climbing also require ratings for both the sport’s safety and its integrity. Leaderboards are updated after Winter climbs have been graded using the two-tier system, in which the Roman numeral indicates the overall difficulty of the climb and the accompanying Arabic numeral represents the Ice climbing grades are a subjective ranking system that tries to quantify the difficulty of a particular climb based on several factors. WI6) and the identical AI ("alpine ice") system (e. adgn oduh cpqhvjk rzcied zzzs pgm oom rnqgd wqmgg peqhvz