Training for Ice Climbing

[fishstick]

Re: Ice climbing and pull-ups.

I think pull-up strength might be a bit over-rated here. Most of your weight is still on your feet on sub 80 degree ice, and it's not until 85 degrees that your arms get truly weighted. Given that you actually lift much of your weight with your legs, you can lead grade 5 or easy 6 and still be unable to do more than 10 pull-ups.

GB

[Cpt.Caveman]

Well I climbed WI2 once and I was pulling on my arms a lot. Therefore I need to develop my arm strength through pullups.

[sexual_chocolate]

Yes, accurate. Same as with slab-climbing. But once the ice (or rock!) starts tipping to vertical and beyond....thank god for upper-body strength!

[Cpt.Caveman]

But if my upper body strength is all held in my gut then is there a technique for climbing belly first

[Terminal_Gravity]

Pull-ups for ice?...simple, do the pull-ups hanging from you tools. I do it from a tree branch but a high bar works to. It uses the appropriate muscles and toughens your wrists.

Swinging while pulling up? Put a couple of 6 inch long pieces of PVC pipe that is slightly larger diameter than the bar on the bar and pull from them. They will rotate and you won't be torqueing the bar with your grip. This trick also increases hand strength more. (in fact your hands might give up before your arms) It also helps provide more of a pure upward force for your arms and increases control.