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gregoryj7d
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Dec 3, 2011, 12:17 AM
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I am moving from texas to wisconsin and I am wondering where is the best place to get ice climbing gear??? I have not experienced it before so I dont want to spend a lot of money getting the equipment. If anyone could give me some tips that would really be helpful
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gunkiemike
Dec 3, 2011, 4:17 PM
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Don't even think about buying ice gear until you've been out there climbing ice. Why? a) you might not like it. b) there are significant differences in tools, and you really need to try various tools before you find what best suits your swing. c) ice gear IS EXPENSIVE. Even taking advantage of sales, you can easily drop a grand on proper boots/tools/crampons. If you buy 20 year old stuff, there's a good chance you'll be buying better gear soon. "Buy nice or buy twice". Add another grand if you get screws/dry rope(s)/clothing.
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gregoryj7d
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Dec 3, 2011, 5:58 PM
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Thank you very much!!!! I was not looking forward to spending a lot of money and end up hating it. I have found a few people that are going to meet me when I get up there. I will use their equipment and find out what best suits me. Once again thank you very much.
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rangerrob
Dec 7, 2011, 3:15 PM
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Go to a local ice festival. Not sure if there is anything in the Midwest, but places like the Adirondacks and Catskills in New York, Smuggler's Notch in Vermont, and North Conway in New Hampshire have ice climbing festival weekends and most gear manufacturers have demos to try out.
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tolman_paul
Dec 7, 2011, 6:45 PM
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As the others have said, try before you buy. You may need to get yourself a pair of boots, but if you look around on line, Sierra trading post often has great deals as well as flea bay.
Don't get tempted by "deals" on old style tools, the modern leashless tools work so much better than older tools.
I wouldn't make that big of deal about trying every manufacturers offerings. It's going to take you a few seasons to figure out what you do and don't like and that will be somewhat tempered by what you end up climbing with, i.e. your technique is going to be molded by what tool you swing. I would consider what tools are carried locally so getting spare parts isn't a long drawn out affair.
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MS1
Dec 7, 2011, 8:24 PM
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gregoryj7d wrote: I am moving from texas to wisconsin and I am wondering where is the best place to get ice climbing gear??? I have not experienced it before so I dont want to spend a lot of money getting the equipment. If anyone could give me some tips that would really be helpful
Borrow or demo gear until you figure out what suits you, then stalk ebay to find it for cheap. If you are patient, you can get pretty well set up for about half what you'd pay at retail.
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damienclimber
Dec 8, 2011, 12:00 AM
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gunkiemike wrote: Don't even think about buying ice gear until you've been out there climbing ice. Why? a) you might not like it. b) there are significant differences in tools, and you really need to try various tools before you find what best suits your swing. c) ice gear IS EXPENSIVE. Even taking advantage of sales, you can easily drop a grand on proper boots/tools/crampons. If you buy 20 year old stuff, there's a good chance you'll be buying better gear soon. "Buy nice or buy twice". Add another grand if you get screws/dry rope(s)/clothing.
That's a good answer!
When I first started climbing ,a guide told me a story.
He said he no longer guides ice climbers because when the frostbite thaws he hated seeing grown men cry hysterically!
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sungam
Dec 8, 2011, 9:46 AM
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damienclimber wrote: gunkiemike wrote: Don't even think about buying ice gear until you've been out there climbing ice. Why? a) you might not like it. b) there are significant differences in tools, and you really need to try various tools before you find what best suits your swing. c) ice gear IS EXPENSIVE. Even taking advantage of sales, you can easily drop a grand on proper boots/tools/crampons. If you buy 20 year old stuff, there's a good chance you'll be buying better gear soon. "Buy nice or buy twice". Add another grand if you get screws/dry rope(s)/clothing. That's a good answer! When I first started climbing ,a guide told me a story. He said he no longer guides ice climbers because when the frostbite thaws he hated seeing grown men cry hysterically!
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bthompson
Dec 12, 2011, 1:22 PM
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The Michigan Ice Fest would be a great place to start. It's Feb 2-5 2012 and has instruction, demos, slide shows and it's a whole lot of fun. Check it out at michiganicefest.com
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gunkiemike
Dec 15, 2011, 10:14 PM
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damienclimber wrote: When I first started climbing ,a guide told me a story. He said he no longer guides ice climbers because when the frostbite thaws he hated seeing grown men cry hysterically!
Frostbite, eh? With such a poor grasp of cold weather injuries, I'd say it's a good thing he no longer guides the sport.
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