How Many Peaks?

[Cpt.Caveman]

If you get in a a peak bagging competition you can always drive to the summit of Mount Erie

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

Nah, it's all about bagging the anchors.

 

And trask's mom.

[MysticNacho]

DFA, you crack me up!

[allthumbs]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing:

Nah, it's all about bagging the anchors. And trask's mom.

---

She'd wear you out, son.

[slothrop]

Yeah, I've bagged at least 100 bolts this summer alone

[dR]

I guess one would have to define the term "peak-bagging"...everyone has their own reasons for climbing, labels are just one of the things climbers and non-climbers alike feel a necessity to use...if a person heads out into the mountains for their own reasons, whether it be for the climb itself, the views, inspiration, photography, exercise, etc...and happens to climb a multitude of peaks, does this make him a peak-bagger?...if someone calls themselves a 'mountaineer', we all have some idea what that means...but do we still call him a 'climber' or a 'peak bagger'....i have personally climbed multiple peaks in a year...i never have the intention to reach a certain number though, but i do have a list in my mind of peaks i'd still like to climb, don't we all...and if we do, are we unwittingly signing on to the idea of peak bagging?...so if i say that in the last few years alone i have reached nearly 300 summits does this make me a peak bagger...perhaps it does...but i'm okay with that because i really don't care...no, they all were not technically demanding, but many of them were...again, i really don't care...if you were to count the number of summits done including repeats then the number would be alot higher...i'm not obsessive about only and strictly doing new peaks and routes...some people ask why i'd bother climbing the same peak 26 times...why not? training/exercise, enjoy the climb for variety of reasons, can do it quickly and efficiently, with others or alone..why do some people go to the same gym or crag all the time and do the same routes?...i will leave it with you guys, it is an interesting topic though....('mountaineer dude')

[jimmyleg66]

Why do I climb?

Why do I ski?

Why do I watch porn and eat cheezies?

Because I like it and its fun. Completing the route or making the summit is important because you told yourself it was. For beginner gorb's like myself who are only capable of choss pile slogs, the focus is probably more often than not the summit. Do I wish I could climb some of the harder lines? Sure, but until I build the skiils the waist deep posthole sufferfests and easy scrambles will have to do. I've been up 12 summits this year, varying from class 2 walkups to mostly 4th class scrambling, but all by the easiest or "normal" routes. Do I care how I got to the top? Nope. Did I have fun on each one? Yup.

[Dru]

Im betting summits are important to Scot'trixie and the summitpose.commers.

 

I guess I have been known to go out of my way to bag peaks like climbing Angel Crest and hiking over to 3rd summit of the Chief on way out, or when we did Purple People Eaters JS and I made the 1km horizontal walk to the summit from the top of our route just to bag it...but to me mostly I do it cause when I finish the route Im already as close to the summit as I will ever be, so if I want to summit that is the best time to do it.

 

On the other hand I've climbed 5 new routes on Salal Creek Walls and never yet have I continued over to Athelstan.

[Stefan]

Dru,Dru,Dru,Dru….

 

You would call me a peakbagger and many of my friends do…….I don’t look at it as peakbagging. Some stats: This year so far I have 108 peaks to my name. Last year I did 107. The year before that I did 111. A couple of my friends hover in the 200 area because they don’t have kids to take care of. A peak to me has at least 400’ of prominence (in Europe it is 100 meters) and/or is officially named.

 

So why the hell do I do it? 1) First I like getting to the top of something. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something when I have no higher to go. I call it the “God complex” – everything is below me. I cannot do a rock route in the middle of a wall because I feel that I have not completed something—you can always go higher! 2) I love to be where there is noone. The Cascades do a wonderful job of that. (I know the Canadian peaks are even better for this, but they are too far away….) I feel suffocated with too many people around when I have been to the cragging places of Index, Leavenworth, or that place along the Columbia River.

 

But why do I do so many? 1) I love the exercise. 2) I do not like to repeat. That repeat thing is the same to me for restaurants – I do not like to go to the same restaurant twice. Why go to the same restaurant when you have so many to choose from? You only have one life. Why live it the same any time? 3) I feel like I have accomplished something when I push my physical limits. That’s why I do so many peaks in one trip.

 

[ 09-24-2002, 02:37 PM: Message edited by: Stefan ]

[RobBob]

What Jimmyleg said..

 

It's not about telling anybody else about what I'm doing. But it is an internal challenge about getting to the top, and telling yourself that before you die, you've seen some beautiful stuff that others can't/won't muster the energy to see. Call it the gumby mindset if you want. I took this up too damn late to ever get good at it like you lucky bums.

 

BTW I'm on a bus. trip, typing this from a shitty motel room in Indianola, MS. And BB King ain't even in town...shit.

[Necronomicon]

No one has mentioned "latent death wish" yet, like "I want to be dead, but I'm too chicken-shit to just slit my wrists, so I'll go climb some gnarly coluoir in too warm conditions and hope I get obliterated that way instead."

 

What about "Modern life is so sterlie and boring, this day-to-day monotony, so comfortable, so far removed from the struggle for survival that our species has dealt with from the day we started crawling forth from the primordial soup. I feel a need to make myself as uncomfortable as possible, completely unsafe and natural, and climbing serves this function."

[Necronomicon]

I tend to concern myself with the route, rather than the top. Why ruin a good route with a slog to the top, just for the sake of going to the top? I have enough potential energy as it is, what's a little more going to do for me?

[IMAM]

This is my first real year of climbing. I've 'summited' 11 mountains and been shut out on 3 more (attempted). Whatever you want to call them, I've been on 14 'climbs' this year. The mountains I've 'climbed' range from Shuksan (Fisher Chimneys) to Hood (Hog's Back) and Mt. Thomson (West Ridge) to The Fin. Some hard, some easy, all fun.

 

I like the quote from some ad that goes: "its not about the destination, its about the journey" or something to that effect. I hope I can always climb by that philosophy. To me the summit matters not. Except Rainier, that was one that I got shut out on that I really wanted.

 

I hope I never become a peak bagger. (not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not for me). To each, his (or her) own.

[Dru]

quote:

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Originally posted by Stefan:

Dru,Dru,Dru,Dru….

 

You would call me a peakbagger and many of my friends do…….I don’t look at it as peakbagging. Some stats: This year so far I have 108 peaks to my name. Last year I did 107. The year before that I did 111. A couple of my friends hover in the 200 area because they don’t have kids to take care of. A peak to me has at least 400’ of prominence (in Europe it is 100 meters) and/or is officially named.

 

So why the hell do I do it? 1) First I like getting to the top of something. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something when I have no higher to go. I call it the “God complex” – everything is below me. I cannot do a rock route in the middle of a wall because I feel that I have not completed something—you can always go higher! 2) I love to be where there is noone. The Cascades do a wonderful job of that. (I know the Canadian peaks are even better for this, but they are too far away….) I feel suffocated with too many people around when I have been to the cragging places of Index, Leavenworth, or that place along the Columbia River.

 

But why do I do so many? 1) I love the exercise. 2) I do not like to repeat. That repeat thing is the same to me for restaurants – I do not like to go to the same restaurant twice. Why go to the same restaurant when you have so many to choose from? You only have one life. Why live it the same any time? 3) I feel like I have accomplished something when I push my physical limits. That’s why I do so many peaks in one trip.

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So by that criterion (named and/or 100m) if you count things ike the Marsupials at Smith I could double my count of 20 up to 40 something !! Also 400m hills in downtown Vancouver like Little Mountain and Burnaby Mountain.

[sk]

unless Mt.Si counts, I have never bagged a peak... but look at it this way; I would rather spend my weekend at the base of a mountain not making the peak than at the mall or a college football game or anything else for that matter...except maybe cragging

[krazy_1]

there is nothing like being at the top of a new peak. however... i'm not running out baggin every peak i can.

 

just as long as i get in a few new views a year and keep up a pace then i feel i appreciate it all a bit more

[jordop]

Yes, but how many peaks have any of you "toppped off"?

[Dru]

quote:

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Originally posted by jordop:

Yes, but how many peaks have any of you "toppped off"?

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Well I joined the Mile High Club and I wasn't in any airplane

[jimmyleg66]

Do solo flights count?

[dkemp]

I go on a lot of outings every year, but actually reach a summit only 5-10 times a year. hey, they dont call me 'Double-Try' Doxey for nuthin'.

[salbrecher]

cloudraker, lions, price, sphinx, deception pinnacles, blacktusk, foley, baker, mcgilvery, piebiter, seymore , bobb, sheba, warner, parkhurst,golden ears, anemone, arrowhead, and 2 that I can't remember because they were just numbers. I don't bag peaks . It's really about the route I take not just getting to the top

[Cpt.Caveman]

I've done some fun climbing on peaks this year. Not many but oh well.

 

I heard from a reliable friend this dude that has several kids, ft job etc climbed over 200 last year. I met the guy once. Crazy.

 

We are all gapers.

 

Colin did you climb 400 or what

[CraigA]

quote:

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Originally posted by jimmyleg66:

 

Do I care how I got to the top? Nope. Did I have fun on each one? Yup.

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Here, here jimmyleg! I totally agree. Personal accomplishments are just that...personal. I've summitted Hood 3 times and due to weather and conditions all 3 were via the South Side. Boring...no, beats the Hell out of working. Did I enjoy the trips...I wouldn't have done it if I wasn't enjoying myself. Bottom line, set a goal-accomplish goal, make new goal-accomplish new goal, etc., etc..

 

Have fun and climb safe.

 

Craig

[headmasterjon_dup1]

How bout the thought that we climb to introduce excitement and danger into our mundane lives. There is simply something magical about standing on top of a mountain with the world at your feet, with nothing above you but sky. As a highschool student, it rocks to be able to climb virtually when ever you want (during the summer) and frequently during the school year. Its also nice to get credit for writing about climbing and starting a climbing club etc... There are many great things about getting into climbing early, but one inconvience is the lack of climbers of the teenAGE. Perhaps a good thing, afterall, how much expereience do teenage climbers USUALLY have? Not enough to go solo or wif another neophyte. Me? I have no clue how many peaks I stood atop this year, maybe 50? But, for example, last weekend, after "putting up a new route on the N. Face of Vesper" (Getting way the fuck of route, eventually onto the N. Ridge) My buddy and I watched the sun go down, didn't even turn around to scramble 5 min. to the top, and kept traversing to the decent. In the full scope of things the summit was not 'paramount' to the success of our day in the mountains.

[Dru]

I kinda feel sometimes that peak bagging is incidental to the whole climbing process. I would rather do a route than tick a peak. But I know there are people out there for whom the act of summitting is everything and dont care if by sweet route or choss slog.

 

So i guess my question to everyone is, how many summits do you bag per year (not counting multiple summits of same peak, to eliminate those who run up Si every day after work)? I know Beckey as a youngster would reportedly often climb 30 or more (mostly first ascents too) in a year and I believe in the 60's he once did something like 50 or 60. A while back i saw some profile of some 'mountaineer dude' where all he did was bag peaks and he did over 50 in a year. I guess a full time climbing bum focussed on summits could do 100 or more especially if doing traverses and climbing 10 peaks in a single trip.

 

In the rockies this year some weirdo hippy had painted a bunch of little stones with a mountain picture and was handing them out to various people at the Yamnuska parking lot to celebrate his "100th summit". I counted the ones I remember up and I figured I recalled about 120 or so.... I think I ve climbed about 15 so far this year. And you?

 

Is peak bagging even important? Seems like it can be a good indicator of how active you are but also maybe serve as a surrogate for not being good at anything but choss slogs.