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Is Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership worth it?
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I was looking to get into mountaineering and i was looking at this program because it saids it.can get you from a benigner to a advanced alpinist and a qualify rope team leader. I was planning on doing 1-4 in a year or 2. I have some experience in backpacking and a decent amount of climbing. I had a goal of getting of climbing seven summits and climbing other 8 thousand peaks like Lhoste, K2, Cho Oyu and others in 10 years. I was wondering would the AAI leadership program be worth it if i do all 4 parts as a soild Foundation. Also I was wondering why there not a lot of young people involed the sport because I'm 17 and everyone i meet a 30 or older. |
justin OWENS wrote: Because...$$$$. |
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yes...money. go be a bum. if I could do it all over again (Life, not just climbing) I would get some shit job in a mountain town—-whatever I could do to feed myself—and just be outside in the mountains as much as possible. That’s what I would do if I were 17 |
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I cant tell you if the AAI program is worth is. But I’ll tell you the reason not as many young people are involved is because of money. As a kid it is up to your parents if you climb or not. And in your 20s if you climb you’re either dirt bagging or have a trust fund (or don’t climb that much). Pretty tough to get to the Himalayas with the money of a dirt bag. Also guides cost money which young people don’t have, and to do it without a guide it takes experience. Which likewise a lot of young people don’t have. There’s plenty of people in there 20s doing rugged stuff in the mountains, it’s just a little harder to be in the big name mountains without money or years of experience. |
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Take the first one and try it out. I think getting some formal training is great and helps you to learn about limits and expectations for the sport. |
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Justin, the best thing to do at your age is to make a 3-year plan with a big objective for each summer and smaller trips throughout the year. This will also help you set a budget and calendar whether you are working or going to college. The reason there are almost no teenage mountaineers is because it takes years to get the skills. The only shortcut is having extremely rich parents so that you can travel and buy equipment and never need to work. Even then, most of us laugh at those people who pay their way into antiquated expedition programs and never know what it's like to operate on their own in a minimalist style. Getting organized and putting together your own plans is a big part of climbing mountains and exploring wilderness. If you already have experience with belays and rappels, you're ahead of the curve. You can continue to develop skills at home. Buy The Freedom of the Hills and read the whole book. Learn the knots and practice building anchors on a pull-up bar. Suggested trips: 2021: hike the whole John Muir Trail northbound in mid-June. Don't take it easy, try to attack each day. Spend some time in the Yosemite valley at the end of the trip, scouting routes and meeting climbers. 2022: Take a month to drive around to summit as many CO 14ers as you can. Sleep at the trailheads. Start with easy ones (Class 2+3) and progress to harder peaks or harder routes on the same mountain. Mix in a few overnight trips in the Weminuche Wilderness or in the Sangre de Cristo range. 2023: Partner up for an easier technical route on something like the Grand Teton in WY or Mt. Hood in OR. Pick easier summits nearby that you can do on your own after the trip. Have fun be safe and wear a helmet. |
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Unless you are really getting after it in the alpine, its something you do later in life when you cant send your sport, trad, or big wall projects anymore. |
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For the money you’re better off hiring a guide for 1-3 skill-specific trips periodically over a 1-3 year period as opposed to trying to learn it all at once. That way you’ll learn a little, go apply it on your own and eventually master it, and then repeat the process as needed. |
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Look into clubs like the Mountaineers, Mazamas, Colorado Mountain Club, or school climbing clubs. Great way to learn skills cheaply |
Petey Gil-Montllor wrote: I recommend all of the above.. in year 1. No need to wait, get your mileage in when you are young and can get after it day after day after day. Stay away from anyone from CO you meet in Yosemite, they'll take you sport climbing even though they are in Yosemite. CO don't know how to jam or climb slick granite. Look out for WA, ID, MT, NH, NC, OK, SD, AZ climbers there if you want to get shit done. Stay away from "ow". Save that for year 2. You will need to find a mostly safe, more experienced partner for sure. Trade belays for laps and mileage. Watch them carefully, your life does depend on it. you do need to read the whole book, know your knots forwards and backwards, and wear your helmet. Plus train like a beast, get aerobically strong and most things get easier. |
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dude, what Max said above. Those courses are spendy (I just had a buddy ask about a 10-day, $3700 course) and you could book a 1:1 custom course with a fully certified guide (like Max!) and get way way way more out of it. You won't get 10 days necessarily, but it'd be you and a guide, 100% attention and focus. Way more effective. Those courses are often held back by unprepared people, too, which is a major drag. They're also often taught my uncertified "guides" with very little training and experience in the kind of terrain you are hoping to experience. If you do elect to do a course, ask specifically who is teaching and what her/his certifications/experience level is/are.......good luck, slay, dude! |
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In Seattle the Mountaineers offer a curriculum over the course of a few seasons that will take you from zero to hero. For what it costs it might be the best deal out there until you factor in the cost of living in or around Seattle. |
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At best those courses will give you a foundation but its the miles making your own decisions and planning personal trips that will get you where you're going. I got into it through rock climbing rather than an alpine course but there is no one right way. Just how you use the skills and experience that you have the opportunity to learn. As a 21 year old aspiring alpinist, I've found that guiding is the best way that I've found to work on alpine goals. Certainly guiding is not the path to "climbing hard" (at least rock-wise) but for young people like us its about building up alpine experience and putting in the miles that we don't have in years. I cant afford to spend the whole summer going climbing but by working on the a glacier in AK I can spend 100 days a summer in crampons and working on technical skills (V-threads, ice climbing, rappelling/belaying, learning gear, terrain assessment) while being surrounded by others with many more years of experience. Oh yeah and then you have close to no living expenses and you're located in a perfect location to find experienced partners and off-day missions. Breaking into guiding can be hard but if you work towards your an AMGA SPI and look for companies that do in house training there are endless opportunities. Good luck! Would love to see more young people getting after it in the mountains! |
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My 2 cents --learn a trade in construction now!! Become very good at it,ask for a premium price for your labor. Work part time anywhere in the lower 48!! If you want to set your self up for free time in your 30s buy your home know put like minded renters in and go play!! If done correctly you can work 20/30 hrs a week and play the rest, you work for yourself so take off when you want!! If done correctly in 10 years you will be tenured and skilled with money and poised to tackle any mountaineering objective your heart desires at a young age!! Dirt bagging at 17 will only make it harder at your prime to do the big things that you just learned the skill sets for. Why in mountaineering some one would tell you to take short cuts for immediate self gratification baffles me!! Mountaineering is not easy, requires long term commitment respectively and will stick with you in to your 60s. Prep your self mentally,physically and financially now for some fantastic hard man years!!!(age 25 to 45) |
Michael Allgood wrote: Or go into a field that remote working is a thing and make real money still have loads of free time to climb and retire at 40. Then you have all the time in the world and still raged in your youth. |
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Ed Viesturs guided in the summer ,finished college & grad school ,worked as a vet ,& compiled an unmatched global mountaineering record. I've meet many guides who wished they had stuck it out in school. |
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Steve Swenson is one of the most accomplished climbers and mountaineers, who never climbed professionally. Yet he has made dozens of expeditions over his career and even won the piolet d’ors. He was a working professional who obviously was great at time management and had a job that enabled him to put both the time and finances toward climbing. Others are dirtbags, some are guides. Life happens, just try and be where you want to be. And something always gets sacrificed. It may be your family, your climbing, or your career. You can’t have all your attention on everything at the same time. You gotta decide, not the people on this forum |
sandrock wrote: ^ this + study, study, study. Find an experienced mentor/partner that you get along with through the clubs and then go practice/climb. Mountaineering courses are great introduction to concepts and techniques, but, no matter what you will still need to practice those skills outside of those courses to achieve proficiency. Think that through for a second. People love the courses because they tend to do a big climb right after them and they feel more confident about it, how much have they actually absorbed long term? The answer really hinges on how much they practice over time - this is where a climbing mentor > climbing guide (unless you can just afford to pay a guide all the time). For a lot of people mountaineering happens once or twice in their lives so they we willing to pay a few thousand bucks for a bucket list dream - this has created an industry that has little relevance to a young motivated dirtbag (or would be dirtbag). You need someone with experience to watch over your initial ventures but there are plenty of people willing to do that for comradery instead of dollars. |
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Also if you have the opportunity - get a job at an outdoor gear shop. You will meet likeminded people and get sweet deals on gear which helps a lot. Obviously this is only possible if you live near one... |
