A true outdoors man likes to do exhilarating things all year round.
 He or she will try just about anything that looks challenging and rewarding.
 Ice climbing will fit into your life perfectly for two important types of people.
 Those that want to climb the highest mountains in the world and people that want to get out and hike in the winter.
  The seven tallest mountains in the world are referred to as the seven summits.
 To climb them, it will be necessary to learn ice climbing skills.
  Ice Climbing Isn't That Hard It looks impossible to climb ice.
 It's slippery and there is nothing to grab onto.
 The "secret" about ice climbing is that it is actually easier than rock climbing.
 You have crampons on your feet that will dig in virtually anywhere.
 Then, you dig your ax into the ice and pull up.
 The ice is amazingly strong and you can pull yourself up even when the ax isn't embedded very deep.
  Trends Ice climbing is gaining in popularity.
 There is a man made ice climb in Ogden, Utah.
 It is a fabricated piece of steel that is air conditioned to get what looks like a giant waterfall of ice.
  In Ouray, Colorado, they take a nearby gorge and cover it with water.
 People come from all over to climb the ice gorge.
 In fact, they even have an ice climbing school there.
Ice Climbing Gear You still need the basic climbing gear like ropes, carabineers, quick draws, ascenders, pulleys, belays, and helmets.
 In addition to this, ice climbing requires extra gear.
 You will need an ice ax or two, ice screws, leash (to keep from dropping tools), crampons, and mountaineering boots.
You should also have a crevasse rescue kit and a rescue pulley.
  Ice tools are sharp and tend to poke everything in sight.
 There are protective tools that may come in handy for you.
 You can get an ice tools toolbox, protective rubber for crampons, and an ax protector.
Whatever you do, buy quality.
 Your life may depend on the tools you choose.
 Black Diamond is a popular extreme sports manufacturer that has been in the business for years.
 You might try them.
Final Tip Extra cold areas (i.
e.
sub zero) will tend to freeze your feet.
 You should get double plastic mountaineering boots.
 The insulation between the plastic makes a big difference.
 Also, if you get boots with a removable liner, then you can keep the liner in your sleeping bag and avoid the freezing morning feet.
Make sure the boots fit well because they are not going to break in.
 They are much too rigid for that.