If you’d like to spin your yarn about what this all means and contribute to the modern narrative of climbing on tools, well, what the hell are you waiting for?
Welcome to The Cooler, Ice Ice Beta’s community-supported online magazine.
As far as we know, this is the first publication devoted solely to ice, mixed, and drytooling since Rob Cotter posted his A Frozen World newsletters during the 2004-2005 season.
Twenty years…
A lot has changed since then, and yet, the timeless throughline remains. That — the permanent and ephemeral, the enduring and developmental, the cultural fabric — is what we want to explore, uplift, and showcase.
To say it simply, we want stories that plum the depths of: What drives us to spend our winters (and summers) in pursuit of such an awesome and abstract art?
If you’d like to spin your yarn about what this all means and contribute to the modern narrative of climbing on tools, well, what the hell are you waiting for?
Contribute to The Cooler already.
Send all pitches to editor@iceicebeta.com.
What Do (And Don’t) We Cover?
Broadly, we want stories about ice climbing, mixed climbing, drytooling, or alpinism. Classic mountaineering, in the trudging up Everest sense, would fall on the outside edge of our interest.
But we are willing to be convinced by artists with passion, perspective, and ability to entertain or inform us and our readers.
Do
- Great storytelling above all.
- Adventure and personal narrative.
- Essays: On ethics, philosophy, history, developments, profiles, etc.
- Destination reviews: There isn’t much out there, especially for drytooling.
- Informational: Not in the classic “how to” sense; teach and entertain (see bullet no. 1).
- Gear reviews: Here’s the kicker: You must have used what you’re reviewing for at least 6 months / 100 pitches / 40 days out). While we understand the importance of gear to this sport, we are not a quick-hit gear blog.
- Photojournalism.
- Art.
Some qualities and pointers as to what we’re looking for:
- First-person — Your voice in your words (and to be clear, we only publish first-person).
- Unique — Be you. We don’t have a “voice” you need to kowtow to.
- Stylish — Stand out, have panache.
- Familiar — Write what you know.
- Truth — Write true sentences.
- Perspective — What’s your distinct take?
- Entertain — With great writing, humor, insight, etc. You choose your mode, but a pleasurable read is a pleasurable read.
- Appropriately sourced — If you reference another piece of media, include a quote, or have photos, provide sources.
- Appropriate length — We have no word limits. Write as much or as little as you need to serve the story.
Photographers and Artists:
We welcome experimental work with a story to tell or a mood to convey. We are willing to discuss a broad range of presentation styles and ideas, but the simplest format will be a photo essay or gallery focused on a theme, event, or idea.
Hybrid prose/photo pieces are encouraged.
High-resolution images are essential — we want your work to look the best it can.
Don’t
We are not interested in the following:
- Any type of AI-generated prose or purely AI-generated imagery (unless it is central to the story; pitch us that story).
- Interviews. Since our podcast is an interview format, we are interested in providing different experiences on the magazine.
- Second-hand reportage on “sends”, competition results, or recent expeditions. If you were a first-hand participant and wish to write an essay about your experiences in any of those things, we *are* interested in that.
Some Specific Stories and Ideas We’d Like to See Written:
- Where can the alpinist and the comp climber find common ground; and how can either of them explain their world to the common citizen?
- What’s the deal with drytooling grades? Why are they all over the map?
- How do you actually get Krukonogi picks?
- Drytooling destination reports
- Why are we obsessed with finding the perfect pick; and can math explain it to us? (Deep dive on pick geometry and more)
- Ice climbing, alpinism, and drytooling have many seasoned voices who pass on their expertise only to a few chosen mentees. We’d love to share some of those perspectives here, if you’re willing to share.
Location Profiles
Want to help put the “Beta” in “Ice Ice Beta”?
In addition to essays and photo essays, we’re looking to highlight lesser-known climbing areas (ice, mixed, and especially drytooling) for destination reviews.
If you’re a developer or climber who wants to share with the community, we welcome knowledgeable locals to dish on the their home crags and regions. (Well-acquainted tourists can work, too).
We’re interested in three types of profiles:
Regional
An overview of a large geographic area. This could be as broad as “Canadian Rockies Ice Climbing”, or it could be a little more focused: “Getting the Goods in The Ghost”. These are the most top-level, broad pieces we publish.
Info we need for these:
- Season: If you were booking a trip to this place, when would be the most reliable time?
- How to get there: nearest airport, driving beta
- What’s the character: alpine multi-pitch, accessible cragging, drytooling, glacier mountaineering, etc.
- Beginner-friendly? Is this a good place for newbies to come without friends or guides? If so, can you list specific climbs or sectors?
- Car needed? Can one get to a good amount of climbing via public transport or walking from town? Or is a car mandatory?
- Places to stay: Camping? Climber hostels? Alpine huts? A cheap motel with a clean hot tub? Where would you recommend a friend to stay to balance travel time, budget, and comfort?
- Local ethics: culture and expectations regarding placing anchors, use of avalanche gear, motorized transport, drones, etc. Any special regional or national laws which might apply. General cultural considerations for the region.
- Showstoppers: List some of the classic lines.
- Photos are helpful
One Special Crag
You know those places you hear about time and again, like the Vail Ampitheatre? These places ring through the collective conscious of our sport. This is your chance to show us all what makes them so special. If you have developed a crag and want to share it here, that’s great too. We won’t publish secret crags or places with a strict no-spray policy.
Info we need for these:
- Season: When is the climbing most enjoyable? When is it most crowded?
- How to get there: Nearest airport, driving beta
- GPS coordinates or approach beta
- Place to stay: Most convenient location to commute to the crag from.
- Gear: Suggested rack, suggested rope length and configuration
- Route breakdown: how many routes, what grades
- Beginner-friendly? Is this a good place for newbies to come without friends or guides?
- Is the crag in any guidebooks? If so, which ones? Where can you get them?
- Local ethics: what people need to know re: bolting, private property, approaches, stashing gear – the important stuff. What is the standard length of rope needed for the crag?
- Showstopper: The best 1-3 climbs – the ones that make you go “WOW!”
- Photos to which you have the rights.
Single Climbs
Do you have a love affair with that one climb? Can you express your story beyond just: “It was hard, and I challenged myself?” This category could range from doing battle with the North Face of the Eiger to the process of projecting or establishing a cutting-edge drytool route. Or maybe just climbing your local waterfall. Stories in this category will need to demonstrate superior storytelling skill, since there is usually only so much beta one can share for a single climb.
Info we need for these:
- Grade of climb, commitment grade of climb
- First Ascent info & date (if known)
- Is the climb in any guidebooks? If so, which ones? Where can you get them?
- Season: When is the best time to attempt the climb
- Lessons learned: What advice would you give to future suitors?
- Photos to which you have the rights.
These profiles don’t need to be dry, paint-by-the-numbers affairs. Creativity in presentation, style, and content are welcomed (though we’ll have a consistent “quick facts” section).
How to Pitch Us
We welcome everyone from plucky newcomers to grizzled vets to submit, and we accept complete manuscripts as well as pitches.
We will accept both unpublished work as well as work which has been previously published on a personal blog (less than 500 views total). We do not accept previously published stories from other publications, or content that has been paid for or created in collaboration with a brand.
Please reach out to editor@iceicebeta.com with a pitch or completed manuscript. We aim to respond to all inquiries within one week.
FAQ
Who’s behind this?
Daniel Kay and Aaron Gerry are the Online Editors.
Daniel is a climber, writer, and type-II fun enthusiast. From Colorado, he has climbed in the Rockies, Cascades, Alps, and the Andes. In winter, he can be found scratching around in RMNP; in summer, hunting high peaks in Peru. Online, at his blog, This Is Youth. Previously, he worked four years for Medium, where, amongst other things, he helped showcase new voices and compelling storytelling as the editor for Human Parts.
Aaron is the host of Ice Ice Beta and has a background in freelance writing and editing. He's kind of a chuffer who enjoys bouldering because it's mostly sitting around and drytooling because it's kind of like bouldering with tools. His work has been featured in Climbing, Rock and Ice, The Project Magazine, ESPN, SAPIENS, and other publications. He was the former editor for 57hours.
How much will I get paid?
Presently, we do not have the budget to pay contributors. This is our plan however, once we reach a certain number of paying members we will be able to compensate contributors.
Who owns the story once it’s published?
You do. Technically, we are asking for an exclusive license to feature your work. Exclusive means that you do not publish the piece elsewhere (personal blog of under 500 views notwithstanding). If, for whatever reason and at whatever time, you want us to take the article down, we will.
How does the process work?
Pitching us does not guarantee your story will be accepted or published. We review each idea that comes in and will let you know if it is accepted or not. From there, we work with you to help craft the best story possible. We do not expect an extensive back-and-forth editing process, but do expect feedback and a draft revision or two before it’s ready for publishing.
Do you accept non-English work?
The majority of our articles will be in English. However, if you would like to simultaneously present your article in another language, we can accommodate that. If your first language is not English, we are happy to help you polish your translation.
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