The Screaming Barfies

Every winter

ice climbers brave the cold temperatures in search of adventure. They pack, not only climbing equipment, but layers of clothing to bundle up in. A minimum of two pairs of gloves and a ther mos full of hot tea are essential. Despite best efforts to shield off wind and water, ice climbers still suffer from one of the worst sensations in the sport known as the screaming barfies. It occurs after the fingers and toes get cold, nearly to the point of freezing, when the return of warm blood melts the ice crystals in the flesh. Some people call them the hot-aches, if you have had them then you can relate, skiers get them in their toes. It is the feeling of your digits rewarming and it hurts.

I remember when I was leading the second pitch of the ice climb Suffer Machine on Alberta’s Stanley Headwall in early November. As the temperature plummeted to 30 below, my body constricted circulation away from my extremities and my hands got cold. As long as I was climbing, my hands could not warm up. I stopped climbing and dangled my arms, hoping for my fingers to regain feeling; I bit their tips to encourage blood flow. My fingers were frozen. I yelled down to my belayer, “The barfies!” At the end of our 60 m rope I found a stance and began the task of building a belay. With my hands below my shoulders and away from the ice, my fingers warmed. With each turn of the ice screw my forearm muscles flexed, pumping warm blood into my hands and fingers.

The ache in my stomach worsened as my fingers thawed. My stomach tightened. I clipped myself into the anchor. I flapped my ar ms like a bird; I smacked them against my legs wishing the pain would go away. As the meat in my fingers warmed to body temperature the pain climaxed. I shoved my hands into my ar mpits and down my pants. I keeled over, weighting the rope, rested my head against the ice, the barfies had got me again. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few minutes, they were gone. As I belayed my partner up I looked down to see him biting his fingers, he looked up and yelled, “The barfies!”

They are hard to descr ibe: imagine bur ning pins and needles in your hands with a bad case of the flu in your stomach. I know climbers who get them every time they go ice climbing; some climbers have never had them. I get them once or twice a season, and I swear off ice climbing ever y time. Since there are no long lasting effects and we climbers are quick to forget, I keep going ice climbing. Don’t let your hands get cold or the barfies might get you, too. Remember to br ing extra gloves, a ther mos of tea and stay war m this winter!