Cold weather keeping you from climbing rock? Come experience the spectacular ice climbing in New York’s Catskill or Adirondack Mountains and gain a whole new perspective on what climbing has to offer!

With Mountain Skills, you’ll discover the best cascading waterfalls, gullies, and steep runnels frozen with awe-inspiring ice formations made just for climbing. As one of the Hudson Valley’s and Adirondack’s most knowledgeable and skilled climbing outfits, you can trust us to teach you the best practices for ascending ice and operating in a crystallized environment.

We’ll provide the crampons, boots, technical ice-climbing tools, and guidance you need to succeed.

Ice Climbing Programs

Intro to Ice Climbing

Have you never ice-climbed before? Not a problem! We will get you out on the ice and have you swinging the tools like a pro in no time. This course covers basic movement on ice, how to swing ice climbing tools properly, efficient techniques for traveling over snow and ice with crampons, and the belay commands for correctly ascending and descending ice climbs. This course is a great way to discover the magic and appeal of ice climbing.

Intermediate Ice Climbing

This course is designed for climbers with some prior rock or ice climbing experience. You will have the opportunity to explore some of the best Adirondack or Catskill multi-pitch climbs.

• Chouinard’s Gully
• Multiplication Gully
• Roaring Brook Falls
• Positive Thinking
• Buttermilk Falls
• Wildcat Ravine
• Hillyer Ravine
• Viola Ravine

If challenging, steep ice is what you’re after, let us show you the Adirondack’s Chapel Pond Canyon or Catskill’s Devil’s Kitchen or the Black Chasm.

Advanced Learn To Lead Course

If you’ve been on the ice for a while, top roping and following, we’re happy to introduce you to the art of leading on ice. We’ll start your day by working through each piece of equipment and its functions and limitations. Next, we’ll teach you how to place ice screws properly and build solid two-point and three-point anchors. You will also learn how to belay in a multi-pitch setting.  Finally, you’ll hone your skills on the sharp end with mock leads, and you and your instructor will critique each screw placement.

You cannot learn to lead in a single day. This comprehensive approach to ice climbing can be taught in a block of simultaneous days, or stretched out over several days throughout the season.

2 Day Multi-Pitch Course

This special two day program starts from the very beginning of ice climbing basics and finishes with you climbing multi-pitch routes in the Adirondacks or Catskill’s (preferably in the Adirondacks).

You will learn knots, climbing movement, belaying lead & top rope, voice commands, gear/screw removal, rappelling, and rope coiling on day one.

On day two, you will be taking the skills you learned on day one and putting them to the test by climbing multi-pitch routes in the Adirondacks or Catskills.

Additional Programs

Mentoring

We offer instructor/client mentoring programs for climbers looking to progress in every facet of their ice climbing.  One-on-one personal instruction with a custom schedule you design based on your availability.  From learning to lead on ice or climbing routes with the same guide every week, our mentoring program works with climbers who want personal instruction with a personal touch.

We offer fair discounts to our clients who frequently climb with us on this program.

Mixed Climbing

Mixed climbing has quickly become a favorite pastime in the Catskills.  If you already have a strong background in ice climbing, this is your next step toward becoming a well-rounded winter climber.  You will learn to combine your traditional climbing skills and ice climbing skills to transform your climbing.

Your addiction to crossing off routes in your guidebook or adding new nemesis routes to your unfinished projects will grow with mixed climbing.

Note: Ice climbing is inherently dangerous. All those who participate in ice climbing with Mountain Skills Climbing Guides do so at their own risk. Mountain Skills Climbing Guides prefers not to take children under 12 on ice-climbing excursions.  Groups of 6 or more will only be offered in the Adirondacks.