7 Responses to Mountain Climbing…Where do I start?

1. Sam J says:

   try an indoor climbing center
   vertical endeavers is really cool
   try their wesite
2. onemocc says:

   at the bottom of the mountain?? sorry couldn’t help it. there are stores that specialize in outdoor sports. They should have an expert who could lead you in the right direction. they probably even know some places that have the rock walls where they teach you in a safe environment.
3. Andrew M says:

   > Mountain Climbing…Where do I start?

   At the bottom.

   Sorry, couldn’t resist.
4. garion b says:

   If you have the basics down, oreinteering (using a map and compass), night navigation, pacing etc. Then you might want to start with getting to the climbing wall if you haven’t already been. The most rewarding climbing I’ve done was in the Swiss alps, and it was a mix of hiking, rock climbing and travelling across glaciers.

   A few steps would be:
   Do a mountain skills course. Most climbing walls or outdoor persuits clubs arrange them for thier members.
   Do a lead climbing or learning to lead course: Same deal as mountain skills, climbing wall or OPC will arange them. This course will teach you knots and rope work you’ll need to know, it’ll also teach you to belay, and more importantly to lead belay.
   If you’ve done this then you’re already in an OPC. If they’re not planning on organising a trip, suggest one. They’ll more than likely know a few contacts to get in touch with guides and be able to tell you where you’d need to go to get any training like crevasse rescure, or travelling through snow.
   If they don’t want to do a trip, there’s some good sites on the web that will take you where you want to go. Just make sure you don’t get ripped off. It can be cheap and still be good if you get with the right people. But going with an outdoor club will always be the best value for money and you’ll get to know the people really well and get the chance to make a few friends.
5. Wayner says:

   It sounds like you have the basics and you just need to up your skills.

   I would start out by hiring a guide service to climb a mountain. I’m not sure where you are from, but if you are in the States, maybe try Mt. Hood or Mt. Rainier in the Pacific Northwest of the USA. These are both glaciated peaks and if you go with the main guide services on these mountains (Rainier Mountaineer, Inc. for Rainier or Timberline Guides for Hood), you will learn some basic skills of climbing on glaciers and moving as a roped team – good skills to learn. Both teach mountaineerings skills courses as well.

   I’ve also included a link below to guide service that teaches climbing skills based out of Bend, Oregon that has a lot of good info on their website.
6. thorthealmightyteacup says:

   Look around for an Alpine Club or Mountain Club, or even a tramping club might be able to point you in the right direction.
   Check out your local climbing centre and check the internet for guiding services in your area. You’ll need to find someone around your level to climb and learn with, and an extremely experienced person to teach you.

   Hope this helps!
7. zack726 says:

   In three simple steps:

   1. Find a guide service that offers “introduction” courses. I started with RMI and they were excellent. The alternative is buying “Freedom of the Hills” and reading it cover to cover – but it is really long (although interesting).

   2. Go in to REI/MEC – some MAJOR outdoors store. Not Mom and Pop local store. The folks at REI/MEC know their stuff because of their awesome training. They can tell you every little thing you will ever need, price it out, then help you meet your budget.

   3. TRAIN – varying HIIT, HIT and LIT cardio – at least 5 days a week. Get to the point where you can run 4-5 miles in under 30 minutes without any issues. Work your core out also – especially lower back.

   4. Train more.

   That’s about it – it’s a lot of time and research, but very rewarding. I really reccomend starting with a guide service, because having been trained porperly myself, I see a lot of beginners (or even accomplished climbers who never were taught properly) nearly kill themselves.

   You don’t need to know how to lead climb.

   You don’t need to learn how to ice climb, unless you plan to do that type of route. Most beginner-intermediate climbs do not involve technical climbing of any kind.

   You don’t need to know how to rock climb, although it’s great for training and I highly recommend it.

   You need to be in great cardiovascular shape.

   rmiguides.com
   shastaguides.com
   yamnuska.com

   All great guide services.