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Alpine & Ice:
Re: [petsfed] advice for a wannabe alpinist:
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dingus
Apr 7, 2008, 9:35 PM
Views: 7088
Registered: Dec 16, 2002
Posts: 17398
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Wiseass man says one-size-fits-all answer will leave you with baggy pants and empty wallet.
Where you live is probably THE most important consideration for a would-be alpinist. The farther you live from the mountains the more it will cost you - that is the economic truth of the situation.
If you don't live near your heart's desire then moving to be in or close to the mountains will be your best initial investment.
I believe a strong foundation in rock climbing, from bouldering skills to sport to trad, is the best avenue for those who don't live close enough to for-real mountains to learn alpinism organically. With gyms and what have you a majority of the technical Jedi-rope-tricks can be larnt away from the big hills.
An awful lot of mountaineering and its sterner cousin alpinism is about walking up hill with loads of gear on yer back.... so big thighs and a willingness to suffer is key. How do you like pain? If your ideal answer is 'I hate pain?' Seek no more....
With rope skills and strong thighs you also need the following:
Weather clothing
Snow camping gear
Snow climbing equipment
Ice gear
Mountain weather savy
Avalanche awareness (and fear, stress the FEAR)
Orientation skills
Knowledge foundation
You don't need all this shit to hike a peak though, fer christsakes. Just pick a big hill and hike up it, for starters.
Then start adding on the baggage - skills, book knowledge, fitness, gear, documentation, goals, partners, etc.
You don't have to work on it all at once or spend you wad all in one go either.
Having your end goal in mind is important, and if you have the money and temperment, there is no harm in taking an intense alpinism class, probably shoots nitro into your mountain climbing career that way.
But if you're on a shoe string or enjoy working though goals and problems on your own..... there's no reason you can't aspire in that direction as well.
While I'm no alpinist I have a lot of technical summits 'neath my boots; lots of rock, some snow and some ice. Did it mostly on my own terms and didn't get seriously started on it till I left Tennessee at age 26 and moved to Cali to live in a place less than 2 hours from the nearest 10k peaks. Then BOOM.... !
But I'd already laid a firm ground work of trad rock climbing skills, and had begin to accumulate kit as well.
If skiing is also in your bag (and imo, to be a well rounded mountaineer it SHOULD BE) there are many, many parallels in skills and gear.
Round about answer to say again - it Depends (Tm)
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Apr 7, 2008, 9:38 PM)
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Post edited by dingus
() on Apr 7, 2008, 9:37 PM
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Post edited by dingus
() on Apr 7, 2008, 9:38 PM
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