Newbie wanting to be ready for summer

[holdennb]

Hi all,

 

I've had some climbing goals for a while, but I'm not really sure what steps to take next. To give some context, I'm comfortable leading (relatively easy) sport on rock, and scrambling. This winter I've been reading through FOTH and getting more comfortable with snow, doing some snowshoeing/snow camping and did a New Year's summit of St. Helens, dipping my feet into ice axe/crampon technique and dealing with some wintery conditions.

 

I'd really like to tackle peaks like Eldorado, Sahale, maybe Baker/Hood (in addition to non-technical Adams) this year. Looking towards the future I'd love to eventually do stuff like Forbidden/Enchantments peaks/Bugaboos, but that involves the whole world of learning trad and building that experience.

 

I was hoping to do the Washington Alpine Club basic climbing class this year, but unfortunately didn't get in (they had 3x the number of applicants as spots). Now I'm looking into classes from places like Mountain Madness, Pro Guiding, and AAI. I guess my question is, would taking glacier/crevasse classes be sufficient for most of the peaks in the Cascades that don't involve technical rock? It seems like the longer and much more expensive classes seem would be a bit much (and just really expensive), but I'm not sure.

 

Of course it would be great to have a mentor/experienced friend as is often suggested, but I don't think many experienced climbers are just waiting around to teach a newbie like me!

 

Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks!

[DPS]

Of course it would be great to have a mentor/experienced friend as is often suggested, but I don't think many experienced climbers are just waiting around to teach a newbie like me!

 

I am at the point in my climbing career where I get as much satisfaction bringing up the next generation as I do chasing those climbs I never got around to doing. I'm recovering from some health problems, but when I get back on the horse I will be looking for partners. Send me an email if interested: Daniel-p-smith@hotmail.com.

[pioneerian]

In a lot of ways, experience = comfort in climbing and vise versa, meaning you're on the right track just getting out there. I started the same way and even if you're going up Helens in the winter that's generally more advanced than nearly everyone taking a basic climb class/school. My tactic (right or wrong) was just use good judgement and climb until I didn't feel comfortable going for the next pitch. And if you want to meet fellow climbers just climb the south side of Hood and half of them will be there! If not, I live an hour away, shoot me a PM if you're heading up.

 

[Milton Diaz]

Hi,

 

I'm new to the PNW and looking to go climbing Mt Hood, Helens, Rainier and Adams this year.

 

I've been climbing mostly in Colombia and Peru. This year I went snowboarding several times to Mt Hood and want to go to the top!

 

Let me know if you guys want to climb together.