Ice (wall) Climbing in Finland

We've posted already about our Winter Adventure in Finland -- building an igloo, snowmobiling, and sampling local liqueurs.  Another highlight was trying ice climbing for the first time. 

Of course, one side-benefit was learning (and using) new gadgets!  In this case, we needed to attach crampons and learn to use an ice axe.  I had used crampons before while ascending Mt. Kilimanjaro, but they were not of the ice climbing variety.  The ones below are much larger and sharper - easy to rip a hole in pant legs if you misstep.  The ice axe was hard to use correctly -- most people swing it too hard and not quite at the right angle.  It requires much less power than you think to work.  You'll see it in action below...

                 

Here we are ready to go with crampons, helmet, and harness.  The harness is used for belaying as with rock climbing.  Don't be fooled by Frau A's pretty pink hat -- she was was one of the strongest climbers that day! 

                          

The "class" took place right at basecamp.  They have a climbing wall for summer, and create the ice face for winter.  Their web page does not give its height -- maybe 10 meters (30 feet)?

 

Here I am getting started.  We're not experts, but can tell you that the idea is to do most of the work with the legs.  The ice axe is used mostly to keep you on the wall -- in effect, you reach up and stab with the axe, plant one foot higher, and simply step up (then bring up & plant the other foot).  Rookies like our group send a lot of ice shards down below (need the helmet), but the instructor let the equipment do the work and could really move up the wall smoothly.

                   

Here is Frau A, about halfway up (left photo)... and then at the top! (right photo)  Once up there, the instructors let you pause to take in the view -- looking back over your shoulder to the frozen lake where we had made the igloos.

      

Frau A is clearly enjoying the success and the nice view!  After a pause, you lower your arms (with the two axes), lean back almost 90 degrees to the wall, and "walk" down.  Fun!  It's quite a workout -- using lots of muscles not needed at the computer desk.  Forearms were the hardest hit, gripping the axes all the time.                     

It was a great couple of hours and everyone in our group of five had a blast.  However, even after a number of climbs you still don't feel truly comfortable with the equipment / navigating up the ice.  None of us are ready to go ice climbing for real.  But it's a start.  Maybe we'll try a wall this summer and see what happens.