Mixed climbing

While alpinists have used mixed climbing techniques for decades (most north-facing alpine routes are iced or snow-covered), it came to prominence with Jeff Lowe's ascent of the partially bolted Octopussy (WI6, M8 R) in 1994.

[1] The mixed climber uses their ice axe and crampons to advance up the route by inserting them into small cracks and edges on the iced-up rock.

This has led to increased oversight on allowable tools (e.g. use of heel spurs, length of axes, and use of leashes for resting or to help with upward momentum, etc.

[9][10] Lowe's ascent led to an increase in interest in mixed climbing,[7] and from 1994 to 2003 levels of difficulty rose sharply from M8 to M13, driven by mixed-climbing pioneers such as Stevie Haston in Europe (particularly in Val di Cogne), and Will Gadd in North America (particularly in the Fang Amphitheater in Vail, and in the Cineplex Cave in Alberta).

[7][5] In 2003, Italian climber Mauro Bole [de] finding he was too short for the crux on The Game (M13) in Cineplex Cave, lengthened his tools and completed it.

[5] In 2012, mixed-climber Ryan Nelson wrote an article in Rock & Ice titled "Is mixed climbing still legitimate?".

[5] Scottish climber Dave MacLeod told Nelson, "Modern-mixed is definitely approaching stagnation", and "Ditching heel spurs will no doubt give it another gasp of life, but it only puts it off a year or two.

The reason is, of course, that [climbing] a full ropelength of horizontal roof on tiny hooks is relatively easy".

These include:[1] In addition, mixed climbers try to keep their elbows near their sides (i.e. to avoid draining energy in torque and stein pulls),[1] and are very careful in extracting wedged blades (i.e. which can ricochet back into the climber's face), and of gently balancing the front points of their crampons on thin holds.

[21] Other authors have tried to align M-grades with rock climbing grades,[22] and now equate M8 to 5.10/5.11, however, there is some variation and no consensus that such comparisons are valid.