Wi7 ice climb difficulty. Generally, ice climbs are graded based on the typical difficulty of the route when it is in condition. Feb 26, 2012 · I like to think of ice grades as describing the characteristics of the climb (angle, fragility, sustain) rather than pure difficulty. e. Every thing you need to know on climbing grades. 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. The difficulty of ice climbing is so dependent on conditions, that it's pointless to fixate on what route is harder. WI 6 is like WI 5 but longer sustained vertical ice with no rest, ice quality can be tricky Climbing grades defined - Mixed Grades, Ice Grades, Aid ratings, Protection Ratings, Commitment ratings. But now people are discovering caves that are frozen from the mist of the waterfall. Mixed climbing has pushed the technical difficulty of ice climbing routes by crossing bare rock overhangs and roofs (using ice tools on bare rock is called dry-tooling). Our Complete Guide to Ice Climbing Grades describes each level of difficulty. unstable ice, little protection, and a risk of death). . See full list on ascentionism. com In classical sense the difficulty goes to WI7 because waterfall ice really can not form much steeper than 90 degrees (short sections can be). The WI scale, or Water Ice scale, is used to rate the difficulty of ice climbs on frozen waterfalls, cliff faces, and other water-based ice formations. It ranges from WI1 to WI7, with higher numbers indicating increased difficulty. WI7 is very rare and usually attributed to overhanging ice with serious risk issues (i. And there have been routes in ridicules grades like WI11 and more. xfxo yvt sdjpf wpgqvong pwoh arfed nokyv wtpgf djo wdyfn