How can newbies and old farts become safer?

[Rad]

Perhaps better than surfing the internet...

 

Hire an AMGA-certified guide, preferably one who is a personable teacher and not just a ropegun.

 

For this post, I'm talking about one guide taking one or two clients on a climb that does not involve an extended glacier hike on a cascade volcano.

 

Reasons to hire a guide for a personal climb/lesson:

1 - They can teach you a ton, including many outdoor skills other than just climbing.

2 - They have trained for and probably seen all of the climbing accident scenarios you're ever likely to encounter, and they should be able to help you spot and avoid ugly situations.

3 - They can help save your ass in the unlikely event something does go wrong.

4 - They can take you to cool routes custom-tailored to your ability and desired climbing style.

5 - They probably have knowledge (climbing history, geology, ecology) that will enrich your climbing experience.

6 - They will bring all the climbing gear you will need.

7 - They may do a lot of the hard work on longer trips (carry heavy gear on the approach, plan and cook food etc).

8 - They may have been part of climbing history themselves (I understand you can go climb with Peter Croft!).

9 - You may find a new friend.

.

.

.

and reason number 10:

They will be much safer and more knowledgable than that guy you met on the internet or in the climbing gym last week.

 

I once hired Doug Robinson, a good friend of a good friend. He took me and my wife up the Sun Ribbon Arete in the Palisades, a route I'd always wanted to do but never had the right combination of time and partner. I already had 12 years of trad experience, and there was little climbing instruction in our case (guides are not just for newbies). It was probably the best money I've ever spent on climbing.

 

So...cough it up for haireball (couldn't resist!)

 

Full disclosure: I am not a guide, never was one, don't plan to be one, don't play one on TV, and have no financial interest in any guide or guide agency. I have never hired haireball or any other Northwest guide (yet) so I can't endorse any of them.

[ivan]

yeah - but yer so much less apt to have a sweet w/ em!

[Rad]

yeah - but yer so much less apt to have a sweet w/ em!

 

or

 

...but you don't need to leave town to buy those, or so I'm told

[haireball]

Rad - maybe I wasn't entirely clear in that other post - I retired from paid guiding twelve years ago --- but I'd be happy to refer interested parties to friends who are still practicing the profession. And your description of your day with Doug Robinson is spot on. I really liked Doug - never had the opportunity to do any more than just a couple of craggin' routes in J-tree with him, but I thought he was one of the best the AMGA had to offer. Closer to home, Geoff Childs runs an outfit out of Winthrop (I'm embarassed to admit that I don't remember the business name...) - you can book a climb with Geoff, or Paul Butler, or Steve House. And as an example of Rad's case that guides or not just for newbies, consider the time Peter Mayfield (who was, at the time, the holder of the Yosemite guiding concession, and a leading light in the fledgling AMGA) hired Mugs Stump to guide him around the Wind Rivers for a couple of weeks. Peter's rationale was that he wasn't likely to spend enough time there to get to know the area well, and he simply wanted to make the most efficient use of the time he did have. If Mayfield found it worth the price, the rest of us ought to consider it a no-brainer.

[olyclimber]

So how much does it cost to go climb with Croft?

[G-spotter]

yeah - but yer so much less apt to have a sweet w/ em!

 

or

 

...but you don't need to leave town to buy those, or so I'm told

 

Guide 1: How did it go with that new client?

Guide 2: Oh, he loved it. After our climb I was up to my knees in beer.

Guide 3: Well did you guys see that rich girl I was guiding?

Guides 1 and 2: Yes...?

Guide 3: After our climb I was up to my balls in cider!

[Alpinfox]

... an outfit out of Winthrop ... you can book a climb with ... Steve House.

 

I heard Steve House lives somewhere else now. Maybe Bend. Can anyone confirm that?

[ryland_moore]

Yes, Steve lives in Bend, at least when he is not out on his next adventure......

[haireball]

boy do I feel dumb - it was right here on the site all the time -- Geoff's outfit is North Cascades Alpine Guides, in Winthrop. tell him I sent you and he'll probly double the price... and unless Steve is retiring from guiding, I doubt that it matters where he's currently sleeping between climbs. Olyclimber asked about Croft? I'd say whatever he's charging will be worth it. While he was living in Vancouver, he used to bring club groups down to Leavenworth and spend entire weekends climbing nothing harder than 5.8 -- Steve had a gift for somehow making everyone feel his equal, even though the reality was quite different. A private day with him would be a bargain at almost any price...

[DirtyHarry]

boy do I feel dumb - it was right here on the site all the time -- Geoff's outfit is North Cascades Alpine Guides, in Winthrop.

 

Mazama. Not winthrop. Damn dude, you're 0 for 2.

[montypiton]

make it 0 for 3 -- Croft's first name is Peter, not Steve. good thing this bozo has retired from guiding...

[billcoe]

Hiring a guide is a great idea, one which becomes more interesting as my bank account increases with the resulting offset of lack of available time.

 

I know a guy who can outclimb @99 percent of the posters on this site who not that long ago hired Hans Florine to "guide" him for doing the Nose in a Day. Awesome idea, if he had to wait for Bozos like me, chained to a desk, he would pretty much have to forget about that idea.

[foraker]

I don't think out-climbing me is that big of an accomplishment.

[G-spotter]

Hiring a guide = hiring a hooker.

[DirtyHarry]

That's the worst analogy ever, Dru. Hookers get paid way more.

[G-spotter]

And they can work lying down too.

[billcoe]

Hiring a guide = hiring a hooker.

 

You bet, total agreement - both are highly recommended! You get what you want, when you want it, how you want it.

 

Instant gratification. Awesome stuff, especially the Dutch ones.

 

TURN ON THAT RED LIGHT MISSY!!!!!!

 

Until you get married anyway.

 

And Harry, the reverse use to be true, but thanks for the pricing update.

[billcoe]

I don't think out-climbing me is that big of an accomplishment.

 

Well, I naturally included myself in that percentage too, and feel just like you do

 

But the point remains: hiring a guide can often be a smart, enjoyable thing.