Key takeaways
- An ice screw is a threaded tube that screws into ice for protection or anchors in ice climbing.
- Teeth start it and a handle/ratchet drives it in; a hanger takes a carabiner.
- A screw is only as strong as the ice — solid, dense ice is essential.
- Placing screws fast and well (often one-handed, while pumped) is a key ice-climbing skill.
This is general educational information, not instruction. Ice climbing is high-consequence — learn placement from qualified guides.
What an ice screw is
An ice screw is a hollow, threaded metal tube with cutting teeth at one end and a hanger (for a carabiner) at the other. Ice climbers screw it into solid ice to create a protection point or anchor — the ice equivalent of placing a cam in rock. Modern screws have a fold-out handle or ratchet to drive them in fast.
How to place one
Find solid, dense ice (avoiding fractured, hollow, aerated, or rotten ice), start the teeth, and turn the screw in until the hanger sits flush and the threads are fully engaged. Speed is critical because you’re often placing it one-handed while pumped, hanging off an ice tool.
Pausing at a solid stance on a frozen waterfall, an ice climber finds a patch of dense, clear ice, starts an ice screw with a few turns by hand, then cranks it home with the ratchet until the hanger is flush — clips the rope, and climbs on.
A screw is only as good as the ice
A fully placed screw in good ice is surprisingly strong, easily holding ice-climbing falls. But in poor, fractured, or rotten ice it can be weak or fail — so reading ice quality matters as much as the placement itself. Screws also build anchors and pair with crampons and tools as core ice gear.
The bottom line
An ice screw is the ice climber's protection: a threaded tube screwed into solid ice to catch falls and build anchors. Strong when fully placed in good ice — but only as strong as that ice — so reading ice quality and placing screws quickly and well, often one-handed and pumped, is one of the defining skills of ice climbing.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ice screw?
An ice screw is a hollow, threaded metal tube with cutting teeth at one end and a hanger (for clipping a carabiner) at the other. Ice climbers screw it into solid ice to create a point of protection or build an anchor, much as rock climbers place cams and nuts in rock. Modern screws have a fold-out handle or ratchet to drive them in quickly.
How do you place an ice screw?
Find solid, dense ice (avoiding fractured, hollow, aerated, or rotten ice), start the screw's teeth into the ice perpendicular to or slightly angled, and turn it in until the hanger is flush against the ice and the threads are fully engaged. Speed matters because you're often placing it one-handed while tired ('pumped'), so efficient technique is essential.
How strong is an ice screw?
A fully placed ice screw in good, solid ice is surprisingly strong — strong enough to hold ice-climbing falls. But its strength depends entirely on ice quality: a screw in poor, fractured, or rotten ice can be weak or fail. Reading the ice and choosing solid placements is therefore as important as the screw itself.
Sources
- Ice protection & technique — American Alpine Club
- Ice climbing standards — UIAA