Ice Climbing for the first time!!

[Flounder]

If you guys ever meet up in Ouray get ahold of me! I'm just up the road in Montrose, haven't ice climbed before, but would love to check it out!

My problem is finding people crazy enough to go out with me.

Ice climbing is not something you want to do with "crazy people." Good level headed people with solid judgment would be better. The owner of Ouray Mountain Sports (Billy) is a friend of mine and a good source for rental gear. You just need to find someone with solid top roping know how, and you're all set. It might be worth paying for the classes offered in the Ice Park to get your feet wet.

Ice climbing in the Ouray Ice Park is super safe. It's as controlled as any outdoor climbin environment will ever be. Go try it.

[motochain]

Ice climbing is not something you want to do with "crazy people." Good level headed people with solid judgment would be better. The owner of Ouray Mountain Sports (Billy) is a friend of mine and a good source for rental gear. You just need to find someone with solid top roping know how, and you're all set. It might be worth paying for the classes offered in the Ice Park to get your feet wet.

Ice climbing in the Ouray Ice Park is super safe. It's as controlled as any outdoor climbin environment will ever be. Go try it.

I should have been more careful with words. As I'd know that "crazy people" are the last type of people I'd want to be near. I was just insinuating most people think it's crazy, and it does take a certain type of person to even attempt it.

Thanks for the reference on where to get started though! I'll have to check into that. I'm climbing now on a daily basis, I'd just like to try the ice.

[Flounder]

I'm climbing now on a daily basis, I'd just like to try the ice.

If you currently have technical climbing and rope handling skills, it's an easy transition. The biggest adaptation is learning to climb with so much bulk, weight and complexity on your body. The techniques for climbing water ice up to WI3 is pretty basic by most climbing standards. You can learn much of what you need to know in half a day with the foundation you have now. That won't make you a Will Gad expert, but it will give you the skills you need to get to the next levels.

If you have access to week day trips to Ouray, that's pretty awesome. I started ice climbing in Ouray in the mid/late 90s just after the park opened. It was a great way to get in tons of climbing in a short window of time without having to worry about ice conditions, approaches, avalanches, etc. It will make you a good technical climber quickly, but it will not give you much in terms of backcountry ice climbing chops.