Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of climbing, ice can be broadly divided into two spheres, alpine ice and water ice. Alpine ice is found in a mountain environment, usually requires an approach to reach, and is often climbed in an attempt to summit a mountain. Water ice is usually found on a cliff or other outcropping beneath water flows. Alpine ice is frozen precipitation whereas water ice is a frozen liquid flow of water. Most alpine ice is generally one component of a longer route and often less technical, having more in common with standard glacier travel, while water ice is selected largely for its technical challenge. Technical grade is, however, independent of ice type and both types of ice vary greatly in consistency according to weather conditions. Ice can be soft, hard, brittle or tough. Mixed climbing is when ascending involves both ice climbing and rock climbing.

Thomas Francis Brooks OAM (born 28 March 1919 - 16 July 2007) was an Australian Test cricket match umpire who was born in Paddington, New South Wales. Brooks had earlier played first class cricket for NSW and was the last Australian umpire to have both umpired in a Test match and played first class cricket.

As a first-class cricketer Brooks was a right-arm fast bowler who played 16 matches for New South Wales, between 1946/47 and 1952/53 seasons, taking 65 wickets at an average of 22.50, and scoring 192 runs at 16.00. Jack Pollard described him as a “spirited” bowler “who moved the ball appreciably in the air. He played first with the Waverley club but later with the Manly club.

He umpired 23 Test matches between 1970 and 1978. His first match was between Australia and England at Brisbane on 27 November to 2 December 1970, a drawn match in which Keith Stackpole scored 207 and Doug Walters a century. Brooks’ partner was Lou Rowan.

He was appointed to umpire what would have been the third of that series, with Rowan, which was scheduled for Melbourne, but the test was abandoned without a ball bowled. Notwithstanding that Brooks and Rowan were required to make decisions on several occasions during the first three days scheduled for play, relating to the possibility of play following any number of inspections of pitch and surrounds, the International Cricket Council (I.C.C.) decided that the test could not be recognised as such. A 40-over match was played in place of the test and was won by Australia by 5 wickets. Brooks (and Rowan) thus became the first umpires to stand in a One Day International match. Brooks stood in one other ODI, in 1975.

Conrad Anker (born November 27, 1962) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author famous for his challenging ascents in the high Himalaya and Antarctica. He is a member of The North Face climbing team and also works closely with Timex Expedition as brand ambassador. In 1999, he was a key member of the search team which located the remains of legendary British climber George Mallory on Mount Everest. Anker is the climber who spotted Mallory's body. He lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Anker has also climbed notable routes in Yosemite Valley (California), Zion National Park (Utah), Baffin Island (Canada), and the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica.

Will Gadd is a prominent Canadian ice climber and paraglider pilot. He formerly held the paragliding world distance record, with a flight of 423 km in Zapata, Texas.

He is the host of the documentary series Fearless Planet, working with regional scientists and traveling with them, or by himself, to various locations that are in the individual episode's focus.