Brand New Climber

[mzvarner]

HEy Guys,

 

So im brand new to this. I am just now finishing up a mountaineering course in Spokane, and am going nuts. I want to climb so much, but i dont know if im picking routes over my head. could i get some route advice from you guys.

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Welcome to the fun! Why don't you tell us what you climbed in your course and what type of climbing you want to do (rock, ice, glaciers, day trip, week trip, etc). What routes are you thinking of that might be over your head?

[mzvarner]

I have really only done Stevens peak on the border of Idaho and Montana. A friend AND I going to do Hood here in a few weeks as our first real climb. As for my style, alpine rock is what i want.

[111]

alpine rock is the pinnacle of climbing enjoyment and style (argueably) but it is also where it can go the most wrong. Start by cragging and single pitch, and work into multipitch climbing slowly. Get Freedom of The Hills (climbers bible) and rehearse everything you can make heads or tails of then get someone to show you the rest you cant make sense of. Then find someone who knows climbing well (indoor gyms can be good for making connections) who can mentor you on longer low commitment alpine rock climbs. Then go off and have yourself a few epics, to learn some lessons, then come back to cascadeclimbers and spray about it.

[111]

slowly is the key. don't get over confident, it will bite you in the ass quick

[mzvarner]

SO IS HOOD TO MUCH OF A JUMP RIGH TNOW OR IS IT A GOOD CLIMB TO DO FOR SOME NEWBIES

 

[mattp]

Hood has killed as many or more climbers than any other peak around but the south side is a good newbie climb. Choose a day when there is no big wind or wet weather predicted for the next three days, and maybe check for an avalanche warning, and take it half way seriously. It should be just fine but you better know at least a little bit about climbing steep snow.

[mzvarner]

so what do you recomend aas a good climb. we are going as a class to do Athabasca at the end of the month, so we want to do a little more snow practice before hand

[Mtguide]

T.M. Herbert of Yosemite fame followed an excellent beginner's path on the way to his later highly respected status, by doing dozens of moderates in the low 5th class range all over the West, many of them first ascents. His name is on climbs from the Bighorns, Sawtooths and Tetons,to the Cascades and Sierras. It's a great way to develop and hone basic skills, conditioning and confidence, routefinding abilities, the art of protection and anchors, good safety habits, on relatively forgiving ground, before moving on to more difficult,serious and challenging things. A worthy and enjoyable apprenticeship, not without its dangers, as with any climb, but at a realistic and manageable level for new climbers.

 

Read Hermann Buhl's autobiography, "Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage", for another perspective on the progression of a young and fiery climber into a cool-headed master alpinist.(Lots of stories about what NOT to do). Also read Heidi Pesterfield's excellent book "Traditional Lead Climbing:Surviving the Learning Years"; "On Snow and Rock" by Gaston Rebuffat, Arno Ilgner's great book "The Rock Warrior's Way: Mental Training for Climbers", and finally, if you can find it, "Care and consciousness in Climbing" by Pat Ament.

[montypiton]

I would second Mtguide's recommendations, and add one title to his reading list: Climbing Self-Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations, by Andy Tyson and Molly Loomis, published by the Mountaineers. Having practiced and taught technical mountain rescue at both professional and volunteer venues for thirty+ years, I have to say this is the most accessible work I've seen for the layman. Tyson and Loomis start with the most basic of basics, the simplest rescue being lowering a climbing partner off of a toproped climb, and build from that to progressively more complex scenarios.

 

Generally, I would recommend exploring your technical limits at roadside crags (the old-school traditional alpinists used to call these "practice areas" a couple of generations back...)and choosing alpine/backcountry objectives well within those KNOWN limits for the first season or two... expect challenges and learn from the occasional mistake: "good judgment is the product of vast experience, much of which may be the product of poor judgment..."

[rocky_joe]

third for Climbing: Self Rescue. But don't just read it...set that shit up. it gives you more than enough tools to get out of many hairy situations. also, read Accidents in North American Mountaineering...learn from other's fuck ups.

 

but most of all (this is what I'm learning) get on shit that is inspiring and well within your ability. be safe and have fun!

[Skeezix]

Read The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac to get oriented...

[dhrmabum]

Read The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac to get oriented...

 

I second that recommendation!

[Mtguide]

Wow, lots of great advice there, from Monty, Rocky, Skeezix and dharmabum. I didn't know about the Tyson/Loomis book, is it pretty recent?; the one I have is by David Fasulo, in the How to Rock Climb series pub. by Chockstone press, illustrated by Mike Clelland.

 

And absolutely,get a partner, go out there, take the book with you, and set that stuff up, spend all the time you need to really get it down, and then keep refreshing it. I look back on some of the stuff we got ourselves into years ago, knowing almost nothing of self-rescue, and am just amazed at how stupidly lucky we were.

 

As far as Kerouac's The Dharma Bums is concerned, you bet; one can only bow to the Buddha in gratitude, with a peaceful smile.

 

 

 

"These mountains and rivers of the present are the actual realization of the Way of the Old Buddhas. Each, abiding in dharma state, possesses universal virtue."

--Dogen Zenji, The Mountains and Rivers Sutra

 

"All true paths lead through mountains."

--Gary Snyder

[genepires]

rock climb as much as you can. Get real comfortable on the rock and the alpine rock will seem reasonable. I have seen some people get so excited about the alpine but not built the skills needed to climb safely and confidently.

 

Also, don't neglect the simple backpacking skills. I would suggest lugging around the overnight gear and travel in the areas that you will want to climb in eventually. Get to know the lay of the land (sawtooths?) before you add the extra burden of climbing and hauling the gear.

 

Never disregard a bad weather forcast. Test all alpine rock handholds. enjoy!

[Frikadeller]

Also, don't neglect the simple backpacking skills. I would suggest lugging around the overnight gear and travel in the areas that you will want to climb in eventually. Get to know the lay of the land (sawtooths?) before you add the extra burden of climbing and hauling the gear.

 

This is prime advise! Learning, and mastering the bivy is as, if not the most, important part of learning how to climb. If you don't know how to bivy, all else is lost in the alpine. There are many climbers that have died as a result of not knowing what to do if they become benighted on a trek that turns into an epic.

[LostCamKenny]

Read The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac to get oriented...

 

Jaffy would be proud!

[Bishopp66]

I think Hood is a good first objective for budding alpinists, but like they said above, don't take it lightly, it can kill. As for begining alpine routes, why not try something like The Tooth. Easy climbing and an easy approach, but still has that great Alpine feel. Some others are Kangaroo Temple, Slippery Slab Tower... there are many, many more. Maybe get one of the "Selected Climbs" books and scope the easier climbs.

Edited May 20, 2009 by Bishopp66