On the slipperiest of slopes: Ice climbers risk their lives trying to conquer 650ft high frozen waterfall

Dicing with death, these climbers are attempting to become the first to climb this mammoth frozen waterfall.

The usually raging waterfall in Eidfjord, Norway, was stopped dead in its tracks by the harsh Scandinavian winter - where temperatures plummeted to minus 15.

The towering torrent stands at 650ft - taller than the Gherkin building in London - but has never been successfully climbed.

Ice climb: Christian Pondella uses ice picks to climb the face of the waterfall in Eidfjord, Norway

That is until extreme sports enthusiasts Will Gadd and Christian Pondella defeated the frozen rapids with just ice picks to help haul themselves to the top.

Christian, 40, an adventure sports photographer from California, said of the pair's achievement: 'It's great to be the first people to climb this waterfall.

'Temperatures fell to minus 10 while we were climbing so it did get tough. But luckily we wrapped up nice and warm.

'The waterfall was incredibly beautiful and very photogenic so I spent most of my time stopping to take pics while Will powered on to the top.

Face to face: Pondella is picked out by his red coat on the wall of ice created by -15c temperatures

'We felt on top of the world and its amazing to think that any other time of year this whole thing would have been a raging torrent of water.

The beauty spot has become an ice climbing mecca thanks to the extreme cold conditions in the region.

The sport is not without danger though.

In England, a man died on Boxing Day trying to climb up Cautley Spout, in Sebergh, Cumbria.

Dave Church, a driving instructor and keen triathlete from Durham, fell to his death from 75ft.

Aiming high: The climber seen from under the frozen wall of water which is normally a raging torrent

Chipping away: Pondella hurls himself higher, left, while, right, the full height of the ice wall can be seen. It stands at 650ft - which is taller than the Gherkin building in London