THE ALLURE OF ICE: An exploration into ice climbing — and how to take up this adrenalin-fuelled sport
Going Out

THE ALLURE OF ICE: An exploration into ice climbing — and how to take up this adrenalin-fuelled sport

By Jamieson Findlay

Towering ambition: Ice climbing — not a sport for the faint of heart — near Fort Coulonge, Quebec, west of Ottawa. Photography by Harry Nowell.

Ice climbing resolves itself into a very basic and exhilarating contest — muscle against mineral — but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. “Every ice climber has had close calls,” says Mike Burke, 32, a product team leader at Mountain Equipment Co-op who has been ice climbing for 12 years. “With ice, there’s always a lot going on.” (more…)