Stas Beskin is known for soloing big bold climbs and see-through pillars. Core to it all is his conception of displacing as little ice as possible. It's an adaptive strategy that is about being attuned to the environment and trying to fit it, not the other way around.
Stas Beskin is known for soloing big bold climbs, such as Rainbow Serpent and Fearful Symmetry, two of the most iconic WI6s in the Canadian Rockies.
It's one thing to solo big flows, it's another to do it on freestanding pillars about as wide as your shoulders. But he does that too. And he does so without swinging his tools.
Stas' conception of ice climbing revolves around displacing as little ice as possible. It's an adaptive strategy that means different things in different situations, but it's always about fitting one's body and style to the ice in front of you – it's about being attuned to the environment and trying to fit it, not the other way around...
Resources and links:
Stas is a rock and ice climbing guide, specializing in multi-pitches. If you'd like to book a day out with Stas, you can connect with him at wildice.ca.
For a bit more about Stas, Ian Welsted, an ACMG alpine guide, wrote a great profile in the October/November 2022 issue of Gripped.
In this video, Stas shares techniques for scratching and climbing thin pillars. And here is an article (one of many) about hard mixed routes he is putting up.
Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.
Credits:
Original photo used in cover image by Caro Ouellet (@ouellet.caro).
Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
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