By jasoncm
Jan 4, 2013
| A bit of background info about myself/girlfriend:
30/26yrs old Australians
Been climbing for two years
Climb 5.7-5.8 Trad comfortably
Climb Sport 5.10D-5.11A
Love all sorts of climbing be it sport/trad/cragging/multi-pitch.
Prefer climbing in locations where there are not a heap of people around.
Well we have the urge to travel and outside of Australia. I was originally planning to spend three months climbing in North America (Canada, Calif, Nev, Wyoming, Idaho). I have posted on here before about a north american road trip and have had some great input.
What im looking for input on now is how other people would spent 3-5 months travelling and climbing? Where would you go in the world?
We are heading to Thailand/Laos for two weeks shortly so will get to check that out. Some friends are going climbing in Spain in May and have invited us to come along, which is of interest.
Whilst I love my sport climbing, I also have dreams of big granite Trad multipitches.
Shoot us your ideas.
Cheers
Jason | 
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By Pitty
From Marbach
Jan 4, 2013
| I think you will get so many inputs that you'll have to spend the whole 5 month reading them.....
France, worse some years climbing,
Spain
Thailand
Kalymnos
Switzerland
OMG....
I think even 5 years would not be enough to do only half of my ideas.... |
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By Jake Jones
From The Eastern Flatlands
Jan 4, 2013
| North America sounds good. I would think twice about South America, specifically Peru. |
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By sanz
From Raleigh, NC
Jan 4, 2013
| Jake Jones wrote: North America sounds good. I would think twice about South America, specifically Peru.
That is a truly horrifying story and my heart goes out to the victims. That being said, I don't think that this one traumatic experience should be reason to avoid climbing an entire continent or even country.
There are many documented cases of white foreigners being attacked and even killed in indigenous communities in the Andes. Incidents like this are largely due to a fear and loathing of white people within indigenous communities that is nearly impossible to exaggerate. This phenomenon has been the topic of many books and studies. A discussion of the causes and responses could go on forever and MP is not the place for it. But it is a fact that incidents like the one described in this link do happen.
Any foreigners traveling in the Andes should be aware of this and be careful when traveling in rural areas. Camping in a truck in a rural community with which you are not familiar is indubitably a bad idea. Being in an isolated indigenous community at all, without an escort who is a member of the community, is probably a bad idea. In cities, you should be aware of what neighborhoods and areas you should not be in after dark.
Yes, you have to be careful and take precautions, but it is perfectly viable for a gringo to live and climb in the Andes and be safe. I have been doing it since July. There is a ton of great climbing here and a very cool community. The experience is certainly unique and not for everybody, and yes, you should think twice. But don't confuse 'think twice' with 'don't do it'. |
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By Jake Jones
From The Eastern Flatlands
Jan 4, 2013
| sanz wrote: That is a truly horrifying story and my heart goes out to the victims. That being said, I don't think that this one traumatic experience should be reason to avoid climbing an entire continent or even country. There are many documented cases of white foreigners being attacked and even killed in indigenous communities in the Andes. Incidents like this are largely due to a fear and loathing of white people within indigenous communities that is nearly impossible to exaggerate. This phenomenon has been the topic of many books and studies. A discussion of the causes and responses could go on forever and MP is not the place for it. But it is a fact that incidents like the one described in this link do happen. Any foreigners traveling in the Andes should be aware of this and be careful when traveling in rural areas. Camping in a truck in a rural community with which you are not familiar is indubitably a bad idea. Being in an isolated indigenous community at all, without an escort who is a member of the community, is probably a bad idea. In cities, you should be aware of what neighborhoods and areas you should not be in after dark. Yes, you have to be careful and take precautions, but it is perfectly viable for a gringo to live and climb in the Andes and be safe. I have been doing it since July. There is a ton of great climbing here and a very cool community. The experience is certainly unique and not for everybody, and yes, you should think twice. But don't confuse 'think twice' with 'don't do it'.
Well said, and I agree with every word. My post was more to bring awareness, not to inspire complete avoidance. Like you, I believe that proper research and overall awareness of dangerous potential could mitigate or even prevent most of these occurrences. But I digress, like you said, this isn't really the place.
With regard to the OP, if I had that amount of time, and enough money to finance a nomadic trip from place to place in that amount of time, a large portion of it would revolve around logistics. First, figure out exactly what you want to climb. Big or small? Trad or sport? Alpine or comfy? After you answer these questions, and agree with your significant other, pinpoint the places that offer the best of each, and find the best accommodations and the best time of year to go, etc. Then you can probably narrow it down to a loose schedule and a route of travel. |
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By Ryan Williams
Administrator
From London (sort of)
Jan 4, 2013
| jasoncm wrote: Frank, Trip is still planned. Just making sure that people who live in the country i'm about to visit wouldn't rather visit somewhere else. Cheers Jason
Of course people want to visit other places - same reason as you want to visit the US!
5 months is a good bit of time. Aside from the advice I gave you in the other thread, I'd say do some research about what you want to get out of the trip BESIDES climbing. Three rest days a week is a lot of time not climbing.
And most importantly, do what the g/f wants! |
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By zoso
Jan 4, 2013
| Jason,
Congratulations on having the time/$ to make such trips AND for getting a younger girlfriend. |
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