Learning to Mountaineer

Hi, I just moved to the Bay Area in California, and it has been my lifelong dream to get on to the 8000 meter peaks, I originally started rock climbing with this eventual goal in mind. My question to MP is what is the best way to start gaining knowledge and begin the journey of Mountaineering. Should I begin by dropping the money and taking classes through American Alpine or a similar service? Would it be better/cheaper to simply hire a guide and start going up peaks? Or maybe start by going up the big walls in Yosemite and move from there to proper mountains? I climb at around a 5.10 level currently, but have no experience with ice or glaciers. I know this sport isn't exactly newbie friendly and the community a bit of an insulated one but I am committed to summiting a peak and at least knowing whether or not its for me. I have tried the old fashioned way of networking through other climbers in person, but most I meet have no interest in Alpine climbing and mainly stick to rock or big wall climbing. Any information would be helpful, as I would like to go about learning in the safest way possible or the "proper" way, as the age of grabbing whatever you have and winging it are long dead and I would like to not end up the same.

I would suggest doing a guided mountaineering ascent first. You will learn a lot and see if it's your thing or not

 Try Mt. Rainier or go to Ecuador and do a volcano. Check out IMG as maybe a guide service to try out

5 suggestions ;

1. Dedicate a lot of time to train physically. Training over time creates stamina. Also the self discipline to start small and progress slowly, Gain experience. IE.. Only bad things happen fast.

2. Start saving money now so when you are ready you can afford it.

3.  Find a mentor to guide you, whether a person or an organization, to learn the basics. Some guides take on assistants at reduced costs in exchange for helping with clients.

4. Read every single book you can find written by successful and more importantly, un-sucessful mountaineers. Memorize Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills.

5. Get out any chance you can get to climb.

Good luck !

90+% of mountaineering is walking.  there's a trail to the top of Mt Whitney -- highest point in the 48 contiguous states.  if "summiting a peak" is something you want to sample, try summiting some of the small ones right there in the Bay Area.  Many can be done in a couple hours.  Move on to bigger more remote peaks as you gain experience.  Not nearly so "romantic" as a Yosemite big wall or an Arizona desert tower, but it's mountaineering.  The Bay area has numerous colleges and universities, and most all have outdoor programs and/or alpine clubs offering co-op trips & instruction. Sierra Club runs similar programs.  Hiring a guide is a wonderful way to become expert at following a guide.

-Haireball

Some advices:

1/ Try to find friends with similar interest and the skills to show you the rope (alpine clubs, facebook groups...)
2/ Rock climb indoor and outdoor as much as you can
3/ Train your cardio and your muscles
4/ Buy the gear, at least the basics ones and more if you can - having all the gear means you can be spontaneous
5/ Forget about 8 000 meters peaks - Once you will know more you will realize there is much more interesting goals than this
6/ Stay safe but don't forget to have fun!

Curt Haire wrote:

90+% of mountaineering is walking.  

It's true, at least at first.
Once you get into technical mountaineering you will ask yourself even more questions than today.

Isaiah aka Zay Foulks wrote:

As a current resident of Monterey, I think the central coast is probably one of the worst places to live if you want to get into mountaineering

lol can’t be as bad as southern Sweden. No mountains, not even a good hill to ruck up for training, not tall buildings with staircases to train on, totally unreliable winters, as in no snow or ice, except for a week or two,  Just some quarter pitch sport climbs and the occasional 10 meter ice climb for the one week of ice per year. Fucking sucks. 

DeLa Cruce wrote:

lol can’t be as bad as southern Sweden. No mountains, not even a good hill to ruck up for training, not tall buildings with staircases to train on, totally unreliable winters, as in no snow or ice, except for a week or two,  Just some quarter pitch sport climbs and the occasional 10 meter ice climb for the one week of ice per year. Fucking sucks. 

Try Holland. 

The only upside is that the Alps are within reasonable driving distance for a long weekend, and that it's pretty central within Europe so pretty much everything is doable with a bit of planning. 

Training for the New Alpinism is a great resource for building the necessary strength/endurance for alpine climbing.

Something that you’ll need to clarify: are you looking at simply summiting big peaks, or chasing more technical/difficult routes up a mountain? Mountaineering oftentimes has the end-goal of the summit, so the easiest way up (eg snowy-hike) will suffice, while alpinism is more akin to climbing, where difficult/challenging routes are undertaken as the goal in and of themselves, and the true summit of the mountain serves as more of a capstone to the project.  

I got started with a mountaineering course with the Colorado Mountain Club. I'm not usually one to take formal classes/training for outdoor recreation, but there are a lot of topics to learn for technical mountaineering:  protection, snow travel, wilderness camping, etc. Club classes are cheaper than classes with private companies and guides, and it is a nice way to make future climbing friends. I hear from a couple friends that such clubs exist in the coastal cities. Also, unless you are going after steep mixed lines, there really isn't much that translates from rock climbing to mountaineering other than basic rope work and anchor principles.

Check out some of the California mountaineering focused organizations. Historically California Mountaineering Club had a pretty nice membership structure where, with a small monthly fee, you could take as many courses as you wanted on things like glacier travel, backcountry skiing skills, technical climbing, etc.: http://californiamountaineer.net/ (They seem to have gone somewhat dormant over COVID?) 

But to echo what a lot of other people said, for summiting 8000m peaks (not that I've done it) it is much more about stamina than technical climbing skills. So start hiking up increasingly big hills until they become mountains :P Personally my interest started to wane by 14000ft...

Isaiah aka Zay Foulks wrote:

Lol got a chuckle out of that haha. Never woulda thought...

Apparently, 20-30 years ago (only been here ten years myself) Even here in the south winters were what one would expect when you think of Scandinavia. 2020 was the absolute worst, but this year was far worse than 2021. The trend isn’t good. Even meteorologists talk about how there isn’t a real winter anymore. Totally blows. 

Thanks for all the replies! Im originally from Florida so for me, the Bay Area is a huge upgrade climbing wise lmao. To clarify a little I want to start slow and just focus on trying to summit peaks, or like everyone has said start with gnarly hikes, and eventually move into more difficult/technical routes. I know climbing is a lifelong endeavor for me so Im in no rush to get to K2 or Denali. I love the adventure of climbing first and foremost, but long, difficult, technical routes tend to be my favorite in my climbing experience because I love to be pushed physically, mentally, and emotionally so those kinds of routes are definitely the end goal. I feel like higher levels of difficulty are a big part of the adventure for me, rather than simply summitting peaks to get those sweet ticks. 

Then your focus should be on what some other posts have shared as far as destinations near where you are or can be found otherwise. Learn there and when you reach a point where you no longer are challenged, look to expand out. There are plenty within an extended weekends travel from you. If you are no longer challenged in N. Calif, Oregon and Washington, then look further.

Don't waste money on guides. Find some dudes who are right at your experience level or slightly beyond and get in with them and develop as a team. Build a circle, build skills. It will take awhile to get the skills you'll need. Have some close calls. Get comfortable with death; it'll be all around you, like Shakleton's men kept thinking there was one more guy with them than there really was. Start running. After a buddy, cardiovascular fitness is your #1 safety device. The fittest guy always has the most fun. Try to run thirty miles a week, minimum. You should be able to run up Mt. Diablo from the north side with a light pack; you should be able to car-to-car Mt. Whitney or Russell. Don't waste money on labels like a chump; buy military surplus gear and down parkas at Armani Exchange and use the savings for gasoline. Push yourself masochistically; mountaineering is a gnarly endurance sport.