Dry tooling might be the most unusual thing you can do on a climbing wall, and that is exactly why it is worth trying. Picture ice climbing, but indoors and without a scrap of ice in sight. You climb a route using ice axes, hooking and twisting them into specially set holds, and the result is a brilliant test of strength, balance and nerve.
This dry tooling guide brings together everything you need before your first session, from what dry tooling actually is to the core techniques and what to expect when you come down. Rock and Rapid, North Devon’s largest climbing and adventure centre, is one of the only places to offer indoor dry tooling in the South West, and our routes are set fresh on the last Friday of every month. You can find the next date on our timetable and events page.
What is dry tooling?
Dry tooling is climbing a route with ice axes, but no ice. Outside, the axe is hooked over rock edges or wedged into cracks. Inside, we use specially designed holds that mimic those same features, so you get the full experience all year round, whatever the weather is doing on Exmoor.
It will not improve your axe swing or your gear placement the way real ice does, but it does wonders for your balance, your grip strength and your head game, and you will feel those gains the next time you get out on the ice. Because the axes extend your reach, every small movement you make below them is multiplied at the tip. A foot that slips even an inch can send an axe skating off its hold, so footwork matters far more than you might expect. The upshot is that dry tooling is a slower, more controlled and more deliberate kind of climbing than you may be used to.
That control is where the courage comes in. Commit fully to each move, and you drive enough force through the axe to keep it biting. Hesitate, and the axe only lightly touches the hold, which is exactly when it pops. It feels strange to trust something so small and wobbly, but the more you commit, the less likely you are to come off.
And if you do, you are roped up and lowered safely back to the floor, usually before you have even had time to be scared. That focus, where the rest of the day falls away and only the next move exists, is part of why climbing is so good for the mind, something we explore in our guide to bouldering for mental health.
Why give dry tooling a go
If your climbing has plateaued, dry tooling is a quick way to feel like a beginner again in the best possible sense. It recruits your core, your shoulders and your grip in ways normal climbing rarely does, and it forces a level of precision and patience that carries straight back into your roped and bouldering sessions. It is also genuinely good fun, and a brilliant talking point, because very few people in the South West can say they have climbed with ice axes indoors.
It pairs naturally with the rest of what we do. Many people warm up with a few problems in our bouldering gym, the biggest in North Devon, before heading over to the dry tool routes, then finish with a coffee in the cafe. Dry tooling Fridays have their own friendly regulars too, much like the welcoming crowd at our ladies’ climbing nights, so you will never be short of encouragement or a bit of friendly beta.
Who dry tooling suits?
Dry tooling suits more people than you might think. Experienced climbers love it as a fresh challenge and a way to break through a plateau. Winter and ice climbers use it to keep their technique sharp through the warmer months when there is no ice to be found. And curious newcomers enjoy it as a one-off adventure that feels a world away from an ordinary day at the gym.
You do not need any ice climbing background to try it. What helps most is a reasonable level of fitness, a head for a physical challenge and a willingness to commit to each move. It is demanding on the arms and core, so if you are brand new to climbing altogether, a taster session or a look at our first time climbers page is the gentler place to start. When you are ready for something with more bite, dry tooling will be waiting.
Every session is supervised by our instructors, the axes are provided, and routes are always set at more than one level, so you can pitch the challenge to suit you, whether you are testing the water or chasing the hardest line on the wall.
Like the sound of it? You can book a dry tooling night whenever you are ready, or read on to see what the climbing actually involves.
The basics: getting to grips with the axes
The first thing to understand is that axes are not hands. They cannot grip, and they reach much further than your fingers can. That can leave you feeling like you are dangling off a tiny edge of metal, which, to be fair, you are. Once a few basic principles click into place, though, you will find them almost as versatile as your own hands.
Two ideas underpin almost everything in dry tooling: the triangle and the rule of 90s.
When you climb normally, you tend to stay square to the wall, right hand on the holds to the right, left hand to the left, feet beneath you forming the corners of a rough rectangle. With axes, that square stance works against you. If your right axe is out to the right, your body weight drags it inwards or swings you into a barn door, where one side of your body peels away from the wall like an old gate. The fix is to think in triangles instead. Keep your axe directly above your centre of mass wherever you can, and bring both feet up to a similar height beneath it.
The rule of 90s keeps the axe biting. Whenever you place it, the blade should sit at roughly ninety degrees to the working face of the hold, so a hold directly above you and horizontal wants the axe hanging straight down. That points all your weight into the strongest part of the hold. You also want the flat of the axe square to the wall rather than twisted to one side, and your wrist strong and straight rather than bent. Because you are not swinging to bite ice, a firm, straight wrist stops those multiplied little movements at the tip from shaking the axe loose.
The core dry tooling techniques
Dry tooling looks complicated, but it really comes down to a handful of techniques. Master these four, and you will be able to read almost any route we set. There is no need to memorise any of it before you arrive, though. Think of what follows as a primer rather than homework, because your instructor will walk you through each move on the night.
Steins
The stein is the first technique to learn, and it does not look at all natural at first. Instead of hooking the pick over the top of a hold and hoping, you slot the tip into a suitable crack and pull the handle directly outwards, so the head of the axe cams against the wall and locks in place. Done well, you can hang your entire body weight from it, and the axe only bites deeper.
Steins come into their own on roof sections, where keeping constant downward pressure on an axe is awkward. They let you move your weight out and over the lip, and they are a little more forgiving of the rule of 90s. The one thing to respect is sideways force. Too much and the axe stops coming, and with your weight hanging from it, the fall is sudden, so keep your pull clean and outwards.
Steins are also how you rest. Find a good vertical stein, wedge the axe, then hook a limb over the handle and breathe. Hooking your arm over and resting through the crook of your elbow works for a few seconds, though many people find it goes numb quickly. A leg hook is more secure, and the bold will hook both legs, bat hang and take five, provided they have the core strength to right themselves afterwards. The most comfortable rest of all is to sit astride the axe in its stein, stable and almost relaxing, as long as you move carefully around a very pointy piece of metal.
Torques
A torque is the next step up. You poke the axe into a narrow slot or crack and twist it so it jams across its width. As long as your force stays constant in the same direction, the axe holds. Push too far, and a soft hold will simply widen and let the axe pop free, so it rewards a steady hand.
What makes the torque so useful is the freedom of movement. Because the head is wedged in one direction, you can move sideways or up at an angle without the axe releasing, which a normal placement will not tolerate. It is the only technique that lets you twist sideways off a hold, although that does not make it any less nerve-wracking the first time you try it.
Underclings
Steins are perfect when you are below a hold, but moving above one is harder. The undercling is one answer. Rather than mantling over your stein like a muscle-up, you lift the axe head off the wall and keep constant upward pressure on it, using the front tooth to hook the hold. It is hungry for energy and will tire you quickly, but for a quick, dynamic move up and out, it often beats the alternative, especially when the next hold sits behind your centre of mass on an overhang.
The figure 4
Figure 4 is a common sight on dry tool routes and the toughest of the four to get right. Used mainly when there are no footholds, you bring your opposite leg up between your arms and hook it over your loaded arm, so the back of your knee squeezes your wrist. That lets you reach higher, adds stability and drives more weight through the axe, locking it in if the hold is solid.
The scary part is the initial hook, because you end up briefly horizontal under the wall with your weight on one hand. The reward is that it opens up roof sections you simply could not reach otherwise. Its close cousin, the figure 9, uses the same arm and leg rather than opposites. Both are worth practising low down before you trust them high on a route, because a fall from one leaves you twisted and hard to control.
What to expect on your first session
Come down on a dry tooling Friday, the last one of the month, and there is no special kit to buy or bring. We provide the axes, and there is always an instructor on hand to set you up, watch your placements and shout encouragement and beta when you need it. Our instructors are experienced, qualified and licensed, and the centre holds national climbing accreditations alongside its AALA licence, so you are in safe hands from your very first placement.
We normally set a couple of routes, an easier line to get you used to the feel of the axes and a more challenging one for when you are feeling brave, plus a traverse or two close to the ground so you can drill the techniques without much height. Most people spend their first half hour simply getting comfortable hanging off the axes, then start linking the moves from this guide together. You will be roped up throughout on the harder lines, and any fall is a controlled lower back to the mats.
Wear comfortable clothing you can move in and your usual climbing shoes if you have them. Expect your forearms and core to tire faster than on a normal session, so take plenty of rests on those steins. And when you are done, the coffee in our cafe is, in our entirely unbiased opinion, exactly what you will have earned.
If you fancy taking your tooling outdoors one day, the British Mountaineering Council is the place to read up on access and the ethics of dry tooling on real rock, which keeps the sport welcome at the crags that allow it.
Ready to give dry tooling a go?
Dry tooling is one of the most memorable things you can try on a climbing wall, and you do not need any experience to start. Pick the next session, come down, and let our instructors guide you through your first moves.
Book your spot online through our booking page, or check the dates and pricing on our timetable and pricing pages first. Prefer a chat before you commit? Contact us or call 01769 309002, and we will tell you everything you need to know.
You will find us at Hacche Mill in South Molton, on the southern edge of Exmoor and an easy drive from across North Devon and beyond via the A361 North Devon Link Road. Whether you are local to Barnstaple, Bideford or Tiverton, or visiting the coast on holiday, a dry tooling night makes a brilliant evening out, whatever the weather is doing outside.
New to climbing and not sure dry tooling is your starting point? Begin with a taster session or explore our full range of climbing courses, then work your way up to the axes.
Dry tooling FAQs
What is dry tooling?
Dry tooling is climbing a route with ice axes but no ice. Instead of swinging into ice, you hook and twist the axes into specially designed holds on an indoor wall, which makes it a year-round way to build the strength, balance and technique that ice climbing demands.
Do I need to bring my own ice axes?
No. We provide the axes for every dry tooling session, so there is no special kit to buy. Wear comfortable clothing you can move in, and bring your usual climbing shoes if you have them.
Is dry tooling suitable for beginners?
Yes. You do not need any ice climbing experience to try it, and our instructors set routes at more than one level so you can pitch the challenge to suit you. It is physically demanding, so if you are completely new to climbing it is worth starting with a taster session first.
Is there a minimum age for dry tooling?
Dry tooling is physically demanding and uses ice axes throughout, so it tends to suit older, stronger climbers rather than young children. Whether it is right for a particular younger climber really depends on the individual, so the best thing is to contact us, and we will happily advise. In the meantime, younger family members can get started on the main wall, and our climbing for kids guide is a great place to begin.
How much does a dry tooling night cost?
You can see our current entry prices and membership options on our pricing page, which always shows the latest rates. If you would like to check exactly what a dry tooling night includes before you book, give us a call on 01769 309002, and we will talk you through it.
When do dry tooling nights run, and do I need to book?
Dry tooling routes are set on the last Friday of every month. We would always recommend booking your place in advance through our booking page so you do not miss out, and you can check the next date on our timetable and events page.
