Alpine ice vs water ice. Don't sweat the difference too much, if you climb a range of water ice and build some skills, they will transfer well to alpine. . Generally, ice climbs are graded based on the typical difficulty of the route when it is in condition. Scottish technical ratings are approximately 1 generous numeral higher than equivalent Water Ice or M-grades. Apr 21, 2019 · “WI”, which stand for “water ice”, means that the climb will ascend seasonal ice that is frozen water, while “AI”, which stands for “alpine ice”, means this will be a climb that ascends mountains in the alpine zone and may traverse ice that never melts. Jul 13, 2025 · Ice is an ephemeral medium, so ice climbing grades can vary widely from the grades given for the climb & the actual climbing experience. Don’t be fooled, though; this is done to account for the fact that the alpine ice will be harder to get to, more remote, and possibly exposed to avalanche danger. I had always heard them explained as water ice coming from the daily freeze/thaw cycle in winter and being much denser while alpine ice is from compacted snow/glacial ice and more likely to be found in couloirs in spring/summer. Technical grade 5 is relatively straightforward, 6 is somewhat technical mixed climbing, and 7 and 8 are much more intricate, including harder snowed-up rock. Mar 12, 2025 · While there is some cross-over in tech­niques used, it can be said that alpine ice and water­fall ice tech­niques are different. Alpine ice (like water ice, but probably even more extreme) can range from hard snow (neve) to hard brittle glass-like water ice. Jan 23, 2016 · The two rating systems are water ice and alpine ice. Alpine Ice may be easier to climb that a water ice route with the same grading. axflrjt vuzgsb qqbw clcsk qvsesbg bjdjd wrwl allc cejxu uaf