The Ice Climbing World Cup (or UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour, or IWC) is an annual ice climbing competition organized by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA), who has regulated and governed the sport of competition ice climbing since the first IWC in 2000. It is the ice climbing equivalent of the IFSC Climbing World Cup in rock climbing. [1] [2]
The IWC is organized as an annual tour consisting of three to six events throughout the season (the number has varied over the years), in which men's and women's lead climbing and speed climbing competitions are held. The lead climbing routes are held on largely bolted dry artificial surfaces (with some natural ice features) and thus employ dry-tooling techniques. [3] The speed-climbing routes are on a standardized 12-18 meter (40-50 foot) wall of solid ice that takes seconds for top roped ice climbers to complete (as per speed rock climbing). [3] [4]
Over the years, the UIAA has increased the regulation and use around competition ice climbing equipment, including the prohibition of leashes on ice tools (so they cannot be used as aid), and increased controls on the use of "heel spurs" while climbing (to counter their use for resting). [5]
| Year | Winner | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 |  Maxim Vlasov |  Urs Odermatt | Igor Fayzullin |
| 2007 | Alexander Matveev | Nikolay Shved | Igor Fayzullin |
| 2008 |  Matevz Vukotic | Maxim Tomilov | Kirill Kolchegoshev |
| 2009 | Pavel Gulyaev | ||
| 2010 | Pavel Gulyaev | Pavel Batushev | Igor Fayzullin |
| 2011 | Pavel Batushev | Pavel Gulyaev | Maxim Tomilov |
| 2012 | Kirill Kolchegoshev | Alexey Tomilov | Pavel Batushev |
| 2013 | Egor Trapeznikov | Ivan Spitsyn | Pavel Gulyaev |
| 2014 | Nikolay Kuzovlev | Vladimir Kartashev | Alexey Vagin |
| 2015 | Nikolay Kuzovlev | Vladimir Kartashev | Egor Trapeznikov |
| 2016 | Maxim Tomilov | Alexey Vagin | Vladimir Kartashev |
| 2017 | Vladimir Kartashev | Radomir Proshchenko* | Leonid Malykh |
| 2018 | Nikolay Kuzovlev | Ivan Spitsyn | Anton Nemov |
| 2019 | Anton Nemov | Nikolay Kuzovlev | Vladislav Iurlov |
| 2020 | Anton Nemov | Nikita Glazyrin | Nikolay Kuzovlev |
| 2023 |  Mohsen Beheshti Rad |  Myungwook Yang | Mohammad Reza Safdarian |
| 2024 |  Mandakhbayar Chuluunbaatar | Mohammad Reza Safdarian | Mohsen Beheshti Rad |
| 2025 | Mandakhbayar Chuluunbaatar | Mohammad Reza Safdarian | Kherlen Nyamdoo |
* 2017: 2. Pavel Batushev doping
