When you're sick of climbing imitation ice at the gym, check out our guide to the season's premier vertical ice festivals

Ian Tomlinson

Think ice climbing is still a niche sport dominated by bearded alpinists from Chamonix with faraway eyes and a dearth of front teeth? Think again. Since southwestern Colorado's Ouray Ice Park was built in 1994, more than 70 sport routes have been set in the Uncompahgre Gorge, including some of North America's most difficult, and, for beginners, the gently sloping School Room. As the premier ice climbing venue in the United States, Ouray boasts not one, but three festivals each winter. In addition to the just-completed main festival, there's also Jeff Lowe's Masters Ice Seminar (January 16–20; www.ourayicefestival.com) and a women's-only event called Chicks with Picks (February 2– 9; www.chickswithpicks.net), which is already booked solid. Can't make it to the Colorado events this winter? Don't despair, frozen waterfalls dot North America, and where there's ice there are ice festivals. Here's a sampling of what's to come. —Misty Blakesley

Ian Tomlinson

3 ICE ESSENTIALS

1 SCREWS Recent developments in ice-screw design have made placement faster, so you'll spend less time hanging from one ax while fiddling with a screw, and more time hanging from two axes while breathing. Grivel's 360 Degree (12, 17, and 22 centimeters; $60) features a retractable swivel handle that doesn't run up against the surface of the ice when cranked, significantly reducing the chopping needed to clear an adequate turning radius. The design opens up previously inaccessible placements: behind bulges, between pillars, and inside pockets. The downside? The handle adds bulk.

2 SCREAMERS Hey, ice is just brittle water. Who's to say that screw won't explode out of there when I fall? I need some protection for my protection. The Yates Screamer ($10) is exactly that—a shock-absorbing stitched sling that activates on loads over 550 pounds (any small fall), absorbing weight with each ripped stitch and reducing the load placed on a climbing anchor by as much as three to four kilonewtons (675 to 900 pounds of force). In other words, using a screamer on a questionable ice-screw placement could make the difference between whether it rips out or holds your weight. Carry a few and reserve them for particularly dicey placements.

3 LEASH SYSTEMS There are two kinds of leashes: clip-ons, which can be removed from the tool, and permanently attached cinch-downs (slip your hand out for placements, or let the tool dangle, but the leash remains attached to the tool). Clip-ons are easier to use, but I've shied away from them for fear of accidentally unclipping. Thus, I recommend Charlet Moser's Saf'Lock ($23), (see photo page 82) a cinch-down with a double-locking buckle that's easily adjusted with your teeth—bite the strap and pull. Whatever you buy, make sure the leash locks down like a vise on your wrist. My one and only ice-climbing fall occurred when my hand slipped out of a loose leash. —M.S

Photos: Clay Ellis