Skate Bowls Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Yo I want to climb Steep shit. I thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail this last summer and want to climb the glaciers and the majestic beauty Washington has to offer. I am willing to take instruction and want to do this. I am serious and will consider any learning opportunity to learn. Please let me know if you can show me the ways of Mountain Climbing. Thanks, Tyler Quote
TMO Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 Tyler, A decent way to learn to climb is to just start off easy... join a climbing gym and learn some technique, climb St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, etc... and read, instructional stuff like "Freedom of the Hills" and "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" as well as books like "Seven Summits" or "The White Spider". We can learn an awful lot from others misfortune. The Tatoosh range in Mt. Rainier National Park also holds lots of opportunity to get steep without being totally committed. I think it was the great Lionel Terray that said "If you survive your first 4 years of climbing you will probably live a long life" (or something to that effect). Bottom line... Learn about placing protection, belaying, and good judgement BEFORE jumping in over your head! This sport has inherent risk so it's a matter of managing the risk... Here are some things I learned the hard way; -Get an early (alpine) start so your off the glacier before the snow bridges and cornices weaken from the sun/heat. -Learn about avalanche/snow assessment. If the avalanche hazard is high GO HOME. -Always, repeat ALWAYS carry a headlamp with you! It helps to avoid epics. -Conditions are everything! Is the snow hard for easy cramponing or are you sinking to your knee every 3rd step? Just read the recent reports about ice climbing when it is too warm out. I actually kissed the ground after rapping off a frozen waterfall that turned to running water 3 pitches up... Scary! Most importantly have fun! Quote
111 Posted February 25, 2009 Posted February 25, 2009 NOLS If you want steep, start in a climbing gym to learn technique and rope handling Quote
billbob Posted March 4, 2009 Posted March 4, 2009 Didn't Lionel Terray die in a climbing accident? Quote
ivan Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 Didn't Lionel Terray die in a climbing accident? no, he was certainly abducted by aliens - the corpse found in the vercors was clearly a clumsy copy made by high-powered half-breeds wishing to confound us of thier treachery Quote
PGT Posted March 5, 2009 Posted March 5, 2009 Your post offers an eclectic mix of linguistic beauty and street punk-ness. You sound like a climber already! Check out the Mountaineers, or any of the other clubs. And enjoy. Quote
TMO Posted March 6, 2009 Posted March 6, 2009 "Didn't Lionel Terray die in a climbing accident?" Shhh... OK, Fred Beckey would be a much better example. Quote
Mtguide Posted March 7, 2009 Posted March 7, 2009 Actually Lionel Terray died on the approach to a climb in the alps; he was crossing a patch of slick wet rock and gently sloping grass on an exposed trail, slipped and took a bad bounce off the pack he was carrying, and rolled about 6 feet before going over the edge of a 900 foot drop. The weather at the time was perfect,and everyone was in high spirits. Merely a momentary lapse of caution. Another famous hardman, Hermann Buhl, died skiing into a crevasse on, I believe, the Midi Plan glacier on Mt. Blanc. This was also in good weather, and moderate skiing. Locally, a well-known Smith Rock climber,very skilled and experienced, who did a number of first ascents at Smith, died when he tripped coming down the Misery Ridge trail and fell down Red Wall. Many of the worst accidents occur on relatively easy ground and often on the descent, and it's not far from the truth to say that an experienced, seasoned extreme climber on an extreme route, is actually safer than a novice on an easy route. Read Heidi Pesterfield's book,"Traditional Lead Climbing:Surviving the Learning years", and keep in mind as you go, the admonition of Edward Whymper, leader of the first team to summit the Matterhorn: "There have been joys too great to be described in words, and ... griefs upon which I have dared not dwell; and with these in mind I say, climb if you will. But remember that courage and strength are naught without prudence, and a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning, think what may be the end." Never take a single thing for granted, remember that the climb is never over till you're back home. Once we get back to the car, we always say,"Now for the most dangerous part of the climb--driving home." There's also the story of the Chinese tree-climbing master: many centuries ago in ancient China, a young man heard of a legendary tree-climbing master who lived in the far northern mountains. After great difficulty he tracked the old master down, and asked him for instruction. The master said nothing, but motioned him to follow. They climbed further up into the mountains, where they finally arrived at a secret grove of giant pines over 300 feet tall, towering through the windblown mists. At the base of the tallest one, the master silently motioned the young man to begin climbing. As he ascended, he looked down from time to time to ask the teacher if he was doing it right, but each time, the old man said not a word, but simply waved him on to keep going higher. Finally he made it to the top, and the old man broke his silence; "Stay as long as you like, and when ready, come down." After admiring the view for a long breather, the young man started down, and once again paused at times to ask the teacher if he was doing OK, but again the master was silent, merely motioning him to continue down. The young man was puzzled, but kept climbing down, until finally he was only ten feet off the ground, when suddenly the old master raised his hand, with a horrific scowl of rage on his face, and roared "BEEEE CAREFUL!!!!" at the top of his lungs. Reaching the ground safely, the young man collapsed in laughter, and the old master was enjoying himself hugely as well. The young man stayed on and studied with the old master for a number of years, and went on to become a very great and powerful master of deep knowledge and wisdom about many things, as well as the climbing of trees, and a worthy successor to his teacher. Quote
Bigtree Posted March 7, 2009 Posted March 7, 2009 Actually Lionel Terray died on the approach to a climb in the alps; he was crossing a patch of slick wet rock and gently sloping grass on an exposed trail, slipped and took a bad bounce off the pack he was carrying, and rolled about 6 feet before going over the edge of a 900 foot drop. The weather at the time was perfect,and everyone was in high spirits. Merely a momentary lapse of caution. Another famous hardman, Hermann Buhl, died skiing into a crevasse on, I believe, the Midi Plan glacier on Mt. Blanc. Buhl died on Chogolisa after a cornice he was on collapsed. Lionel Terray died roped together with Marc Martinetti at the base of a rock climb in the Vercors. Perhaps you were thinking about Louis Lachenal, Terray's long-time partner, who died after skiing into a crevasse in Chamonix? Quote
Mtguide Posted March 9, 2009 Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) Hi, Bigtree, thanks for your corrrections; you are absolutely right. I was reading last night about Hermann Buhl and Lionel Terray and was just logging on this morning to correct my entries, but see you beat me to it. Yeah, I think I was thinking of Louis Lachenal, I remember now hearing about it years ago on the news. Regarding Buhl, one of the saddest things about his death was that it occurred within just a few weeks after the first ascent of Broad peak with Kurt Diemberger and two others, and only three years after his epic solo first ascent of the Rakhiot route on Nanaga Parbat. He was really at the height of his career, just 32 years old. My source on Buhl was his autobiography "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage: The Lonely challenge" pub. by The Mountaineers. And since this thread is on the topic of someone new to climbing wanting to get started, I think this would be an excellent read, not so much for technical or nuts and bolts instruction, but as an inspirational and instructive perspective on finding the right balance between youthful fiery enthusiasm and coolheaded, clear-eyed judgement and prudence. To get there, you have to have experience,but, as Buhl and countless others have found out, you have to survive the experience, and it's really interesting following Buhl's progression to that level. Edited March 9, 2009 by Mtguide Quote
Bigtree Posted March 10, 2009 Posted March 10, 2009 No sweat. Good suggestion for Skate B to start with some inspirational reading. Buhl is my favourite and most impressive of the 20th century hardmen. Quote
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