Stein Pulls and Can Openers

What is the definition of a Stein Pull ?
Stein pulls are something that most people like to do at the bar with their favorite ale. For ice climbers, it's a necessary technique of levering the head of the ice axe at the head while the pick is forced onto its point.

Dennis van Hoek from the Netherlands using two Stein pulls at once in competition at Rabenstien's Ice Fight.

Moreover, an upside-down Stein Pull, also known as a "can opener" is one of the more interesting and seemingly mystical moves in mixed climbing. Big moves can be made, and a lot of real estate covered over what seems to a a blank slate. Sometimes Figure 4 or Figure 9 moves can also be incorporated with either of these moves. There's always at least one of these moves, and usually 2-3, in every World Cup Ice Climbing competition route, and in every mixed competition route for that matter.

At my home wall I have several of these worked into my training since these moves involve different muscle groups than just straight-on dry tool climbing. Hopefully by the winter of 2011 I will have been able to get my design of an Ice Can and a Dry Can model on the market through Ice Holdz. They already have great holdz for mixed climbers to train on, but they hope to be coming out with another line of products that should be great for training and local gym use. This model would revolutionize the way ice climbers are able to train since the new models would be modular. You will be able to use the same backing and merely switch out the face on any given Ice Holdz or dry Holdz. Cool concept.

Ice climbing season is something that has definitely become a much longer season for me with the advent to training year-round for this type of climbing. I love having my own training facility in my back yard so that I can climb with ice tools anytime I want to. I had hoped that rock gyms would make their facilities more accessible to mixed climbing, by using non-peak hours to open their doors for this purpose.

Although mixed or dry climbing may seem contrived to people, remember that the sport of climbing is contrived to 99% of the population and that climbing is a fringe activity to begin with. It's only because of rock gyms and birthday parties that rock climbing has gained exposure in the USA. I personally like this form of climbing the most. Don't get me wrong, I still love to rock climb, but I like climbing with ice tools more.

Climbing with ice tools also allows me to climb in many locations that I would not otherwise be able to climb in since there ice actually ice. Ice is a transient medium that comes and goes and is constantly changing throughout its existence. It has only a narrow margin of temperatures that it likes to exist in for any length of time, adding to the wonder of the frozen world it creates. Waterfalls have long been a place of beauty and many are sacred to native peoples. They are even more sacred to ice climbers when they freeze, making time stand still.

From a little bar in Val Daone, Italy, where the "other type of Stein" is used.