Dry tooling is a training method for climbing enthusiasts during the off-season when there’s no ice. It can be practiced in equipped climbing gyms, outdoor rock areas, or cliff faces. Indoor dry tooling competitions have also gained popularity among outdoor enthusiasts due to their high entertainment value.
Dry Tooling Mini-Class
With the continuous advancement in difficulty and route design in ice climbing and alpine mountaineering, climbing routes are no longer limited to ice alone. Mixed routes of rock and ice have evolved, giving rise to a new climbing technique known as “dry tooling.” As a unique form of climbing, dry tooling generally refers to climbers using ice climbing equipment to ascend rock faces. Dry tooling mainly employs hooking and balancing techniques, which require climbers to possess excellent strength, balance awareness, control, route reading ability, and environmental analysis skills.
Dry tooling tackles rock routes that would be impossible to climb without tools. The protection points along the way are not as straightforward as placing ice screws on ice, nor can you carry a hammer to chip away at the rock to place bolts. Instead, you must first access the top of the cliff you intend to climb, set up an anchor station, and lower a climbing rope. Then, climb back up to choose strategic high and low placements, drill holes with a power drill, insert expansion bolts and hangers, and—if you’re leading the climb—secure the first quickdraws and protection before ascending. During the climb, you’ll hook your ice axes into rock cracks—sometimes needing to pry as if opening a bottle cap. Your footwear should ideally be a hybrid climbing and ice climbing boot; simply using alpine ice boots with crampons isn’t effective. The contact area of axe picks and crampon points on rock cracks is extremely limited, and the wear and tear on your gear can be severe.
Dry tooling is still a niche activity in China, with very few people even aware of it. But in the near future, this sport will, like rock climbing and mountaineering, become a part of the lives of many outdoor enthusiasts.