Ice & Mixed Climbing

24 Banff Mountain Exposition Award Winner and Silver Award Winner for Foreward Magazine's Book of the Year in Adventure and Recreation

Will Gadd is an ESPN X Games and Ice World Cup winner

Color photos throughout illustrate the climbing techniques

Part of The Mountaineers Outdoor Expert series

"Mixed climbing is my favorite discipline. It's the most fun because it has the fewest rules -- sort of like professional wrestling compared to boxing." So says Will Gadd, as profiled in the book Fifty Favorite Climbs. Here the champion ice climber presents the same techniques and veteran wisdom he imparts to those who attend his annual clinics. These include step-by-step instructions for the swing (ice axe), the kick (footwork), and putting it all together (tracking); how to "read" ice to select your line and follow it safely; and drytool techniques for mixed climbing. Training exercises and inspirational stories complete this seminal guide.

Will Gadd won every major ice competition in the world in 1998 and 1999, as well as the 2 Ice World Cup. A resident of Canmore, Alberta, he has written for Climbing and Rock & Ice, among other publications.