That was part of the preparation for our upcoming trip in Chamonix (mainly rock climbing, and maybe a bit of easy ice climbing). That was the first time I ever did ice climbing, and it is really great Ice climbing is all about holding yourself to an ice wall that could break at any moment, with very very sharp tools in your hands and on your feet. Falling is basically not an option. I think the first rule of ice climbing is humility.

As part of the trip preparation, I also got new shoes and crampons, as pictured. These scarpa shoes are really nice. They are considered as the "classic" shoes for summer mountaineering. My last shoes were very old, bulky and pretty "old school". These new shoes are lighter, smarter, and hurt less. Plus they have an incredible style :)