Dangling over a frozen waterfall, Kirsti Oja swings her ice axe into the slippery white wall above her and inches up the crag. The GSI technician from Calgary thrives in winter’s sub-zero temperatures, when she can gear up and head to the Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise areas in Alberta’s Rocky Mountain range for a bout of ice climbing.

“I like extreme sports,” says Oja, 33. “Trying something different like ice climbing opens up your world. It gives you a different perspective of nature and spectacular views you won’t get anywhere else.”

Now in her third season of ice climbing, she searches for hidden locations where she can hack her way up to perches and catch a glimpse of a glowing alpine sunrise or sunset.

Oja, a rock climber and member of the Alpine Club of Canada, began scaling icy cliffs with her best friend. “Neither of us had tried ice climbing. We wanted a way to spend time together outdoors while learning to do a new activity.”

Now, she spends as much time as she can discovering new crags. “We go out in groups of two to six. It’s important to have people you trust and connect with in a sport like this.”

Ice climbing offers a guaranteed charge for adrenaline junkies like Oja, but it comes with its risks and dangers. Safety precautions are paramount. Gear includes safety ropes, harnesses, ice screws and helmets. As for the climbing equipment, sharp edges are key.

“We wear crampons, they are like having big grizzly bear claws on your feet,” explains Will Gadd, a Canmore resident and one of the world’s top ice climbers. The 54-year-old professional athlete’s many feats include scaling the spray ice alongside Niagara’s Horseshoe Falls and ascending the ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

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