Climbing

Ice climbing

Ice climbing — climbing frozen waterfalls and ice cascades. How the WI scale works, why Rjukan is the mecca of northern Europe, and what actually belongs in your pack when the temperature is below freezing.

Ice climbing is climbing on frozen waterfalls and ice cascades. You climb with an ice axe in each hand and crampons on your feet, placing ice screws as protection as you go. It is a specialised winter discipline with its own logic: instead of reading the rock for cracks, you read the ice for quality — is it blue and solid, or white and brittle? Where are the supporting structures? Where do you have to swing, and where can you rest?

In Norway, Rjukan is the internationally established mecca of ice climbing. The town lies in a deep valley that gets no direct sun in winter, and that creates stable frozen waterfalls from December to March. Around 150 waterfalls are climbable in season, and some sources put the figure at over 190. It is a densely concentrated area that has made the town a place of pilgrimage for ice climbers from across Europe and North America.

For someone who has done sport climbing or rock climbing and wants to try something different, ice climbing is one of the most qualitatively different transitions there is. You meet ice that is transparent blue, white and porous, brittle as glass, or as soft as modelling clay — all depending on temperature, shape and how much water has frozen on the day itself. It is a reading exercise that takes years to build.

The WI scale

Ice-climbing routes are graded on the Water Ice scale (WI), which expresses both steepness and the character of the ice:

  • WI1 — flat or very gentle gradient. Not really climbing; more of a walk with crampons.
  • WI2 — up to around 60° with good structure. Classic first-time ice. Plenty of rest opportunities.
  • WI3 — 60–80° with varied structure. A classic step up, requires good technique.
  • WI4 — vertical with short rest opportunities. Classics such as the main fall of Lillefoss at Rjukan.
  • WI5 — vertical and demanding. Sabotørfossen is a classic.
  • WI6 — vertical with few or no rest opportunities, or overhanging sections
  • WI7 — overhanging or particularly brittle ice

For someone new to ice climbing, WI2–WI3 is the right starting segment. WI4 and above are for those with a solid foundation. Many at Rjukan have climbed WI3 for several seasons before trying WI4.

For mixed climbing (a combination of ice and rock) the M scale (M1–M16) is used, which overlaps the WI scale in its upper-graded version.

Equipment

Ice climbing requires specific winter alpine equipment:

Climbing equipment:

  • Ice axes — two of them, one in each hand. Technical ice axes with special hammers/adze blades are different from alpine ice axes. New price: 2,500–5,000 kr each.
  • Crampons — automatic or semi-automatic, more aggressive than alpine crampons. The front points are what actually hold you on the ice. Price: 2,500–4,500 kr.
  • Ice screws — 8–14 of them in different lengths (10, 13, 16, 19 cm). The main protection in ice climbing. Price: 800–1,500 kr each.
  • Harness — an alpine/climbing harness, must work with warm clothing underneath
  • Helmet — mandatory because of falling ice from above you
  • Climbing rope — often half ropes (2 × 50 m) for abseil flexibility

Clothing for winter:

  • Layering as for a winter ski tour, but with extra focus on the hands
  • Thin gloves (inner layer) + thick mittens (outer layer) — the hands are what most directly determine how long you can keep going
  • Winter climbing boots (warm enough to stand still for 10–20 minutes between pitches)
  • A windproof outer shell, hat and neck gaiter

Winter survival:

  • A flask with a hot drink (unusually important)
  • Food (chocolate and dates tolerate the cold)
  • First aid equipment including a compression bandage for fall injuries
  • A phone with a battery and an external battery pack

Total investment for a complete ice-climbing kit: 25,000–50,000 kr new. The second-hand market and hiring from climbing clubs/ice-climbing schools are a better way in for your first seasons.

Where in Norway

Rjukan is the most important area:

  • Krokan — the hardest pitches, short routes of 10–30 m. A large selection of WI4–WI6.
  • Lillefoss — start at Vemorkbrua. The main fall is a WI3 ascent, a classic first-time route.
  • Sabotørfossen — WI5, a classic for the more experienced. The name comes from the saboteurs who abseiled down from the Vemork plant in 1943.
  • Rjukanfossen — the main waterfall itself. Long, demanding, classic.

Other Norwegian ice areas:

  • Romsdalen — several classic ice falls, particularly in Setnesdalen and the Romsdalshorn area
  • Hemsedal — shorter but good ice areas
  • Sunnmøre — variable ice conditions, local classics
  • Northern Norway — Kvænangsbotn, the Tromsø area and Lofoten have their own scenes

For up-to-date information: Norsk Klatring has season reports, and local Facebook groups for Rjukan and other areas give fresh information on ice conditions.

The way in

For someone who wants to try ice climbing:

  1. Climbing experience first — Brattkort plus a season of rock climbing or sport climbing as a basis. You must be able to belay others, climb on a rope, and build a belay station.

  2. Norges Høgfjellsskole, NTK or local climbing clubs offer introductory ice-climbing courses. Norsk Fjellsportforum also holds annual ice-climbing instructor courses at Rjukan.

  3. A Rjukan weekend with a local school is the classic introduction. You hire equipment and climb 6–10 routes under instruction.

  4. Invest gradually — first ice axes and crampons (a basic investment, also reusable from mountaineering), then your own ice screws after the first season.

  5. Build from WI2 to WI4 over several seasons. Do not push from the first time.

For someone with experience of combined mountain climbing (mountaineering), ice climbing is a more natural transition than from pure sport climbing — you already know the winter alpine scene and the use of an ice axe.

Safety

Ice-climbing safety is different from pure climbing safety:

Ice that fails — the most common problem. Ice at Rjukan is mostly solid, but on mild days large slabs can break off. Assess the conditions before you climb a specific route. If you hear ringing or hollow sounds from the ice as you climb, consider turning back.

Falling ice from above you — ice climbers climbing above you dislodge ice that falls down. A helmet is mandatory. Do not stand in a direct line below active climbers.

Cold injuries — minor frostbite in the fingers is the most common lesser injury. Proper layering of gloves, and pausing to warm the hands, prevents it.

Crampon falls — crampons on a firm surface (such as rocks at the foot of the route) make for slippery falls. Take care when moving between routes.

Avalanches — some ice-climbing areas lie in terrain that can be avalanche-prone. Check varsom.no before climbing routes with snow above them.

For the descent, abseiling is the usual method. Often you have to set up your own abseil anchors (the Abalakov anchor is a classic for ice climbing — a knot made of rope threaded through a hole bored in the ice).

Season

The ice-climbing season is narrow:

  • December–January — early season, shorter days, colder temperatures
  • February–March — the heart of the season. The most stable conditions at Rjukan.
  • April — late season, warmer temperatures can weaken the ice

For someone wanting to plan an ice-climbing weekend: a mid-February week is the classic choice. Climate change has made the season more unstable in lower-lying areas, but Rjukan has stayed reliable thanks to its geographical shade.

Ethics

Ice-climbing ethics have their own particular features:

  • Do not leave anchors behind — you leave Abalakov anchors, but not wedge anchors or other permanent attachment points
  • Respect other climbers — wait until those above you have finished before starting the same route
  • Do not damage the ice unnecessarily — large swings of the ice axe ruin the structure of the ice for those who come after

For anyone who wants to contribute: join a local climbing club. Many Rjukan-based clubs run dugnad (voluntary communal work) involving clearing and reporting.

Next steps

If ice climbing is new to you: sign up for a Rjukan weekend with a local ice-climbing school. It is clearly the easiest way in, and you quickly discover whether this is your thing.

If you have done an introductory course and want to go further: join club weekends at Rjukan. Local climbing clubs organise group outings throughout the season.

For someone who wants to build towards more alpine projects: combined climbing (mixed) is the natural next direction. Norwegian areas for dry-tooling and mixed include Almenningen and Mullaveggen.

For related winter activities: winter camp and overnight stays under ski touring goes through winter overnight stays if you are planning longer trips.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).