Gear List - Ice Climbing

Winter Alpine conditions can be very cold indeed - perhaps minus 20 Celsius, so be prepared! It's a dry cold, often with little wind.

Boots Must be rigid - either plastic double boots or warm lined leather. These can be hired easily in Chamonix if you need.
Rucksack – ideally about 45 litres capacity.
Shell Jacket & Overtrousers Goretex-type jacket with a large hood (preferably sewn in), and the trousers should ideally have long zips so that you can get them on/off over boots and crampons.

Down Jacket or equivalent 'belay jacket'. (Essential)
Fleeces & Spare
Fleece Trousers
Thermal top

Gaiters - Yeti style or alpine gaiters with front zip.
Gloves - a thin pair (recommend windstopper) and a thick warm pair for climbing (Warm extremity gauntlets or good ski gloves - not mitts.)
Fleecy Hat and Balaclava. If you carry both then you automatically have a spare. Neoprene face masks are great in really cold conditions.

Sun Glasses
Ski Goggles are essential if you want to be able to see or do anything in windy / snowy conditions!
Headtorch and spare battery
Emergency Items : orange plastic survival bag or blizzard pack ; whistle ; penknife ; emergency food, small personal first aid kit (blisters, lipsalve !), mobile phone....
Thermos Flask & Food
Camera.

Provided (if you don’t have your own)
Harness, Helmet, belay plate, 4 screw gates and 2 long slings per person, prusik loops. All ropes and climbing hardware. Crampons, 2 Technical climbing axes. Transceiver, Shovel, Probe