Beginning to alpine climb

Hi all!

I’m building out my Subaru Outback preparing for a summer of climbing next year with a buddy, and I am looking to get into some alpine climbing. I have some decent experience with class 3-4 routes in Colorado, and so I feel pretty comfortable on mountains, but I know it gets a lot more complicated when you add multi-pitch climbing into the equation. I have a some trad experience, and a standard rack, but have never done anything more than a pitch at once. I am a broke college kid so I would rather not hire a guide, and I am mostly wondering if there is a way to get to where me and my buddy can safely do alpine climbing by just reading up and practicing a lot on easier stuff. Anyway any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks y’all!

Wanna do ice or just rock? Single or multi-day? I'd get a pair of crampons and an ice axe, cause you're gonna run into snow to get to rock. Wanna do PNW high peaks? Get good at snow. Plenty of multi-pitch trad routes to keep you busy, just don't bite off more than you can chew. Learn rescue techniques, snow techniques, and a touch of aid/bigwall. The best climber isn't the strongest, it's the smartest one with the biggest toolkit. Freedom of the hills is a good guide to start with. Pretty broad and a little elementary, but basically a bigass Wikipedia page. Biggest advice is wear a helmet. Rocks fall for what seems like no reason in the alpine. Baby steps.

It may help to know what kind of alpine climbs are your goals. believe it or not, different people consider "alpine" climbing differently (yes, there have been debates on this before). Are you talking more liberty ridge or exum? i would call both of these alpine climbs, but they are obviously quite different in skill set and approach.

Safely NO!  But do it any way. Alpine climbing is an apprenticeship; perhaps a life long one. Work on your trad and multi pitch trad competency first and the rest will come. There are plenty of people willing to teach reliable, focused and committed young people so ask.

Good luck, climb safe, and if you can't climb safe, climb fast.

P.S....ABM....Always Be Moveing is lesson one in Alpine Climbing 

Thank y’all for the advice I’m not really looking to get to into ice climbing and will likely avoid routes where that’s a big factor for a while but I think my grandparents have crampons and an axe I can borrow. Freedom of the hills is already on my wish list I’ve heard so many good things about it! And I don’t have any real routes as goals rn but I want to get to where I’m doing to some pretty big and challenging climbs eventually but I know that’ll just come with time.

A lot of great suggestions in here already. Just to throw in some more:

1. Start browsing the mountaineering and trad climbing forums here regularly. While there's plenty of stupid antics and trolling, there are also awesome discussions on gear, technique, climbs, ethics etc where you can pick up a lot of information relatively easily. If you have five minutes of twiddling your thumbs at work, it's worth it to check the MP forums just to see if any new discussions have come up.

2. Likewise, if you're on FB, look for groups related to the skills or areas where you want to climb. Pacific Northwest Mountaineers, Utah Climbing, and Utah Ice climbing, for example, are three groups where I regularly pick up really excellent tips and beta regarding conditions on different mountains and climbs. 

3. Start reading Accidents in North American Mountaineering. Every time I plan on visiting a new climb, mountain, area, etc., I use their free, public search function and read as many reports as I can about the climb I'm planning or just undertook to understand what went wrong for others, and how I can avoid the same. Be careful you don't psyche yourself out, but it's an excellent learning tool. 

4. In terms of books, read Freedom of the Hills cover to cover. I'm not kidding. Even if you don't plan on utilizing some of the techniques covered in that book, understanding many of the principles covered throughout all of the sections can really help translate to other skills. Quick side note: A big, big, big hurtle to get past will be glacier travel--many of the best objectives in alpinism require some knowledge of getting through glaciers safely, so reading up on them and starting to play around with pulleys etc. at your local crag will pay dividends in the future--even if you have no immediate plans to climb glaciated peaks this next year. 

5. Keep up the stoke. Watch videos or read books about climbs you want to do. Put up posters of peaks you dream of climbing. I know it sounds childish, but it works. 

6. Train your body. Alpinism is extremely demanding. If you run, get in the habit of putting in a lot of miles each week. Hangboard or undertake ARC training to build up your endurance. Enter a 50k race. Pick up cross country skiing. This is explained in Training for the New Alpinism, but essentially, training for endurance can also increase your margin of safety--the less exhausted you are, the clearer you can think, plan and act when things really get serious in the mountains. 

7. Don't be afraid to look silly or ask questions. The only people I've ever seen at a crag or on a mountain cop an attitude towards beginners are other beginners trying to hide the fact that they're scared or insecure. 

8. Be philosophical about it. Weather, partners, life events, etc can totally disrupt big plans you might have had for your first crack at Liberty Ridge or Exum Ridge or the Casual Route on the Diamond or whatever. But just roll with it. I tell myself the mountains had different plans that day--I'm only up there by their permission anyways. 

9. Start doing. Get on some easy trad multipitch once you feel you've got anchors nailed down. No shame in messing around all day on a 3-pitch 5.4 with your buddy just to dial your systems. That's how everyone learns. 

+1 on #8 there. Every peak's got an attitude, regardless of if you believe in a higher power or not. Sometimes she doesn't want to be climbed.

See everything as a learning experience. Even a failed summit attempt is valuable, and even an epic of sorts where a bunch of things don't go as planned is worth it, even though it still sucks balls to be caught up in one. 

But do consider finding a mentor or more experienced partner if you can't afford a course or guide. Studying from books or training movies and then training with a partner is valuable, but there is nothing like having a guide or mentor to answer questions and point out mistakes in your thinking/doing. 

I’m planning on living on the road for a good bit of this winter. I kinda want to try out a lot of areas but will probably only have time to check out a few. Any recommendations? I’ll be driving so preferably in New Mexico, Arizona or Utah but I’ll be mobile so if there’s a good reason to go farther I’m more than willing. As for right now I’m working on easier stuff at enchanted rock and I built a crack training system for home so I won’t be entirely out of my element as I work on my trad skills but will mostly look to get experience this winter and in the gunks next spring.

Also thanks for all the advice y’all! (love this community)

Traddest Dad hit the nail on the head.  Not much more to add other than don’t leave out some practical first aid and basic rescue equipment, training, and books.    Not Just a cell phone.  

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or expert, most mistakes or just bad luck in the alpine will require some of the above.  

After all, If you don’t plan for mistakes/shit happens, you might as well make it easy on yourself and go light and just free solo everything.