Ever thought of entering into the footsteps of the great adventures like the first men believed to have reached the North Pole, Robert Edwin Peary and Mathew Henson?

Well, then ice hiking is the right adventure for you. First and for most, you need the right equipment, because it determines success or failure, in this case death included. Remember Robert Falcon Scott, the second to reach Southpole. He never made it back and passed away, missing 77 miles or 123 km to the next food depot.         

Your survival kits are therefore solid outdoor footwear and an ice axe.  Which axes to pick though depends entirely on the nature of the adventure itself. If you determine to use the axe as a cane as in many cases you should choose the half length, meaning cane is half your body height. Somebody intending to rock-climb ice may choose a much shorter cane in order to carry it backpack. A good choice is always handy and of good hickory.

The pick should bevermont ski vacation-8 inches length, with teeth on the bottom, and the adz and pick of the beginning should curve so as to match with an arc that could be drawn by the axe held at arm's length. The steel should be rough enough to hold an edge well, but not so stiff as to ice easily.

Expert guides scorn a wrist loop, but they, and particularly semi-pros, run great danger of losing an axe where they need it most. The loop is protected to a ring that slides on the shaft, being stopped above the point by a round-headed screw or a ring on the ferrule. A suitable substitute that will not interfere with probing and is readily adjustable is a loop of rawhide tied to the shaft with a Prusik knot. Most rapid wear will be of the point against rock when the axe is used as a cane stick

The spot should protrude far enough from the ferrule to permit several resharpenings. A one-piece point does not have the resiliency of a point and ferrule. Metal parts should be shielded by a thin coat of oil after each use, the stock by frequent thin coats of a good wood preservative. A leather sheath for the head will keep the point out of undesirable places when the axe is carried, but is not necessary.

Fitted well and tied firmly to the boots, outdoor footwear, correctly used with an ice axe, will hold on exceedingly steep ice slopes (80 degrees is claimed!) without requiring that steps be cut. It follows that outdoor footwear, also known as crampon will enhance safety in steps on less severe angles.

A crampon should be rugged, and the ski mountaineer should take care of rejected army footwear that may be on the market for some time, and that have received the well-deserved nickname of "folding crampons" for their utter lack of necessary sturdiness. Single articulation of the crampon is adequate. The points should be 1 - 1 1/2inches long to permit resharpening - frequently needed if the climber wears them often on rock islands in the ice. The number of points varies from 2 to 19.

The 12-point model, which has two points protruding at an angle in front of the foot, is most versatile. A 4-point outdoor footwear may serve for the ski mountaineer who wishes only to wear something on his ski boots for short and infrequent pitches of ice that are not difficult. The binding when wet will tighten if of webbing and stretch if of leather, but leather is easy to tighten again and can be more easily worked at subfreezing temperatures.

Oh my gosh, that kinda technical and way too dangerous, I´d rather kane a safe trip to Paris, Sydney or Tokio, San Francisco or maybe even Mumbai and Nairobi then take that dangerous adventure trip, where I do not know if I can even turn back. With british airways or any suitable airline I the chances of a return flight I much bigger. I otherwise enjoyed your posting, but really thats not for me:-(

Sounds pretty amazing. I think thats just for me. Never thought about ice hiking. Last year,we went to french alpes and two years ago climbed Mount Kenya. I am definately ready for an winter outdoor ice climbing experience. @ supergirl-you are missing something, believe me, by choosing the right spots you might as well we astonished how many people you´ll meet climbing up or down the mountain. You´ll feel london rush hour:-)Great idea or only hope my spouse don´tr read this though,she´s kinda like supergirl, shopping city tour-of course.Although two ago in Kenya she expressed how brave she was climbing with me.

That sounds a challenge! Think I'll keep to trekking up my local hills for now though - i always know where the nearest pub is for vital refreshment!