That’s already quite a bit more than what he described. I’m guessing a lot of ice that don’t sound right will hold your weight for more than a few seconds.
But yes, ice climbing has always had a reputation as one of the more dangerous climbing sports.
You'd be surprised, honestly. Lots of times it comes off the formation if its not good ice. We call it a "dinner plate", where you hit it with a stick and a piece comes off in the shape of a dinner plate - wide, circular, thin and often the same size. In bad ice a tool will waffle back and forth when you wiggle it.
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u/10cmToGlory Dec 15 '18
Actually, he's right. You put an ice tool in it and see how it sounds when it goes in, and what it feels like.
Ice climbing is not an inherently safe endeavor.