3 ms·

I’d like to piggy back on this comment and ask you: what do you see as your aspirational mountaineering accomplishment(s)? Or is that even the right way to look

I’d like to piggy back on this comment and ask you: what do you see as your aspirational mountaineering accomplishment(s)? Or is that even the right way to look at mountaineering? And what would you suggest to a beginner how to get more into the sport safely? I’m getting pretty into mountaineering (or at least setting myself up to be), I rock climb outside about once a week now in Clear Creek, Colorado. I hike as many 14ers as I can a summer. I also back country ski in the winter and am getting my AIARE 1 this winter. Currently I aspire to do the seven summits once I’m confident I’m prepared and ready. So I’m wondering about the above because I’m starting to see this as a flawed accomplishment.

ahelwer 7y ago
It's certainly worth examining what you want out of the sport, because at some point you'll get seriously injured, or have a near-death experience, or have a friend die, and will have to justify your participation to yourself. I won't go so far as to say that if a traumatic incident changes your approach to the sport then you were living/climbing inauthentically (trauma has real mental effects), but it shouldn't send you into too much of a crisis. Mountaineering is a very personal sport and I don't want to gatekeep it saying you're approaching it the wrong way. Having a list of peaks you want to climb is fine, but I do roll my eyes a bit at the box-checkers. It's a fine line. It sounds like you're taking a good approach into mountaineering (I'm really not much of an authority here, honestly). Personally I went the route of joining a local volunteer-run mountaineering club, but independent close-knit groups of climbers are just as good (assuming you have similar attitudes toward safety, risk, and technical education). My personal goal with mountaineering is to be climbing well into my 70s, just like some of the older people in my club. This requires avoiding routes with higher objective risks, but there are more than enough mountains in the world with which to fill one's heart.
- samschooler 7y ago
  I definitely struggle with the idea of box checking, it is however one of the easiest ways to show progress to myself. Which is why I think many people start with it. I think I'm going to reevaluate how I show personal progress, as well as always double check that safety is my number one priority vs summit chasing. Even though you aren't an authority, this is great info, thanks for this.
jdietrich 7y ago
As with anything, people get into trouble when they fixate on goals rather than the process. If your objective is simply to become a better mountaineer rather than tick off a list of summits, that'll naturally lead you in a sensible direction. You'll get the right training, you'll work on your skills and fitness, you'll look for routes that offer the greatest technical challenge at the lowest risk. The inverse attitude is what gets most people into trouble on Everest - they push far beyond the limit of their abilities, they ignore clear warning signs that their body is failing, all because they're preoccupied with the summit.

ahelwer 7y ago

It's certainly worth examining what you want out of the sport, because at some point you'll get seriously injured, or have a near-death experience, or have a friend die, and will have to justify your participation to yourself. I won't go so far as to say that if a traumatic incident changes your approach to the sport then you were living/climbing inauthentically (trauma has real mental effects), but it shouldn't send you into too much of a crisis. Mountaineering is a very personal sport and I don't want to gatekeep it saying you're approaching it the wrong way. Having a list of peaks you want to climb is fine, but I do roll my eyes a bit at the box-checkers. It's a fine line. It sounds like you're taking a good approach into mountaineering (I'm really not much of an authority here, honestly). Personally I went the route of joining a local volunteer-run mountaineering club, but independent close-knit groups of climbers are just as good (assuming you have similar attitudes toward safety, risk, and technical education). My personal goal with mountaineering is to be climbing well into my 70s, just like some of the older people in my club. This requires avoiding routes with higher objective risks, but there are more than enough mountains in the world with which to fill one's heart.

samschooler 7y ago
I definitely struggle with the idea of box checking, it is however one of the easiest ways to show progress to myself. Which is why I think many people start with it. I think I'm going to reevaluate how I show personal progress, as well as always double check that safety is my number one priority vs summit chasing. Even though you aren't an authority, this is great info, thanks for this.

jdietrich 7y ago

As with anything, people get into trouble when they fixate on goals rather than the process. If your objective is simply to become a better mountaineer rather than tick off a list of summits, that'll naturally lead you in a sensible direction. You'll get the right training, you'll work on your skills and fitness, you'll look for routes that offer the greatest technical challenge at the lowest risk. The inverse attitude is what gets most people into trouble on Everest - they push far beyond the limit of their abilities, they ignore clear warning signs that their body is failing, all because they're preoccupied with the summit.