Alpine climbing = multi-pitch + snow and ice skills + objective hazards + the descent. F to ED grades the seriousness of the whole route, not just the technical moves: in the definitions the Canadian ACMG uses, PD has rock of only 5.3–5.4 and snow up to 45°, while D has 5.6–5.7 rock, snow and ice around 55°, and often more than 500 m of height. North America's 71 alpine accidents in 2024 were the most of any type, but that is a count, not a rate. Taiwan only offers snow-climbing level terrain; for a first technical alpine route, the two common paths are hiring a guide or taking a course.
The five disciplines differ in three ways: what stops a fall (water, yourself, a partner), what you climb on (rock, ice, snow) and how long you are committed (half a day to more than a week). Boulderers are closest to deep water soloing, provided they can swim; big walls need trad and multi-pitch skills; Taiwan has almost no natural ice. Of North America's 2024 climbing accidents, 71 were alpine, 52 trad and 35 sport — totals, not rates, so they cannot rank which is most dangerous.
Belaying and leading on ice work the same way as on rock; the protection is ice screws drilled into the ice. Grades run WI1–WI7: WI3 is sustained ice around 70 degrees with good rests, WI5 is a full pitch of 85–90 degrees with few rests. An analysis of 30 years of North American accident reports found the top factor in ice climbing accidents was inadequate protection or screws pulling out. Taiwan has almost no natural ice, so the usual path is to practise top-rope belaying and rappelling at a gym, then take a top-rope ice course in Korea or Japan; in the 2026 season, the beginner session at Akadake Kosen in Yatsugatake cost 3,000 yen.