Mongolia or North America?!

[Winter]

Alright, so I just got engaged, we're getting married next summer, and we are both taking off three months starting July 4 for travel. Now the question.

 

Do we got to Mongolia to climb in the Altai Mountains with a quick stop in the Kamchatka Peninsula, or do we drive around in our car in North America and climb our asses off for three months?

 

Mongolia pros: Remote, third-world travel. Rare opporunity to use three months for Asia trip. Big ass, untouched mountains (5-6000 m).

 

Mongolia cons: Climbing may be a bit over her head. Less pure climbing time. Greater risk of incident in remote location. More expensive.

 

NA pros: Holy shit could we do a lot of climbing. Probably less expensive. Tons of climbing. A lot of climbing. Then some climbing. Maybe some time with the family ... if they want to go climbing.

 

We're both in our early 30s. She is leaning towards NA, because she wants to spend 3 months climbing while we're still somewhat young. I sort of want to go to Mongolia, because I want to check it out before it gets fucked up by the west.

 

Anyone care to provide input?

[Dru]

Go to Mongolia for a month. I heard the Russian alpinists sent a bunch of routes so maybe its not as untouched as you seem to have stated.

[Terminal_Gravity]

Mongolia...You don't have to take consecutive 3 months off to do a shit load ( 3 months worth) of climbing in NA. IMHO.

 

[bunglehead]

I'd go to Mongolia in a heartbeat if I could. Man I dig that crazy Tuva stuff.

[Winter]

Dru said:

Go to Mongolia for a month. I heard the Russian alpinists sent a bunch of routes so maybe its not as untouched as you seem to have stated.

 

Yeah they have developed a bunch of stuff on the west side of the range. The Mongolian side is more moderate and less trammeled. We won't be climbing anything hard ... hopefully just remote.

[ryland_moore]

How about go to Mongolia for a month or so, climb a little there, then come back and do a one or two month road trip in NA? Best of both worlds, and you all can get an early start on learning to compromise, which is what you will have to do from now until death do you both part.

[lummox]

youre avoiding the real tough question. and the answer to that one is 'dont get married.' meanwhile bang yur girlfriend as much as possible.

and why would anyone want to spend time with a bunch of mongoloids? that whole place was fucked by the russians so take your misplaced guilt over being from 'the west' and cram it.

[Ade]

I've been to the Altai but from the CIS not Mongolia (in 1990). There are actually a lot of established routes on that side of the range as well as trails and trekking camps. The Soviets ran a regular mountaineering camp at Ak-Kem Lake on the North side of Mt Bielukha (highest peak) which was still being run when we were there. Lots of climbing competitions took place putting up new routes, some of them very hard.

 

I think Lindsay Griffin (Mountain Info Editor for "High Mountain Sports" magazine) has is accident and subsequent epic evacuation from the Mongolian side. There must be some good climbing there too.

 

If it's max climbing for your money and time then NA is clearly a better bet. Mongolia or the CIS will involve a lot of dicking around crappy transport, crappy food and general bullshit. On the other hand you've got the rest of your life to road trip the US. I'd go back to the CIS side if I got the chance.