Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has become a standard tool in the investigation of permafrost. However, the interpretation of inversion results can be ambiguous as air, ice and bedrock might result in similar signatures. Induced polarization (IP) measurements can help to alleviate this problem without significantly increasing the field efforts. To illustrate the benefits of the method, here we present IP imaging results for data collected over a broad range of geologically and morphologically different permafrost landforms in the Alps (Switzerland, Italy and Austria) as well as at a high-elevation site (above 4,500 m.a.s.l) in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range in Pico de Orizaba (Mexico). All measurements were collected in the frequency range between 0.5 and 240 Hz to investigate the frequency-dependence of the IP response and its link to subsurface hydrogeological and thermal properties. We also evaluate the application of transient electromagnetic (TEM) as an alternative technique to gain information about subsurface electrical properties, yet with much lighter instruments and without the need of galvanic contact with the ground. We show that TEM measurements provide reliable information once the IP effect is taken into account during the modeling and inversion of the data. Our results reveal an increase in the IP response at frequencies above 10 Hz with increasing the ice content in the subsurface; whereas the low frequency signatures are mainly controlled by geology and water content. Moreover, the combination of SIP imaging and TEM soundings permit an improved delineation of alpine permafrost sites regarding both the geometry of ice-rich areas, and the properties of the underlying materials.