It happened when I was on the Mèr de Glace glacier in Chamonix. A rock which was laying down just jumped up out of nothing. Prior to the jump there was a loud crack. I was about 15 meter away. The rock was the size of a human head. It shot up to about knee height. The were multiple fractures in the ice on that location.

So the only thing I can think of is that the glacial ice was compacted so much and then internal pressure of the ice shot the boulder up with quite a lot of force.. Wouldn't want my foot in that spot.

Is there anyone else here experienced this?

They say the higher you get, the higher you get.

Headed to baker to attempt the north ridge in June. The only route I've climbed with any alpine ice was the Kautz on Rainier, but they had a solid snow year and it was essentially all snow. I had a pair of sum tecs for that trip though. Just got into leading WI5 this past season here in the northeast, so the grade of the ice isn't really the concern. Just curious what most people would bring. I only own sumtecs and nomics, should I consider getting other tools or would what I already own be a solid choice?

Thoughts on Klättermusen trud for skimountaineering and mountaineering?

I’ve used the decathalon ones however they seem to have a design flaw in the way their plastic slot makes the bladder watertight after extended use - making a kink in top of the bladder and causing a leak.

I’m looking for a system that is reliable for not leaking when some occasional pressure is applied to the bladder whilst climbing, like stuffing the sack or pressing slightly on the back for a squeeze (…perhaps I’m asking for a unicorn here, noting that they probably all leak in this scenario). Naturally I’d take it off on one shoulder for a chimney squeeze etc.

This would be for harder granite routes where moving light and fast is key (where hydration on the fly is essential). I’ve also used it for ski touring with heavy sacks having it coiled on the top portion of the sack however it was so sensitive to pressure I gave up using it.

Thoughts and recommendations anyone?

Hi, I think I will have the first three weeks-ish of May free from work. Would like to get out and get on some granite or big multi pitches though it's definitely on the earlier side for that. I am slightly aware of the snow and access situation in Switzerland, which would be quite hard already in May. Even once the passes open, there will probably still be ski approaches for the climbs in central switzerland. So I was wondering how other areas of the Alps are looking--maybe the southern french alps or some lower stuff in the dolomites? No idea of the snow situation in those places. Otherwise open to suggestions on what might be good around this time. Cheers

Hey all,

Some friends and I want to go for some North Face climbing in the Alps early June. We want to go for some beginner routes and then work our way up. They are not as experienced as I, but they are good ice climbers and allround climbers. I’m not that familiar with the Alps so, so far we have on the list:

Tour Ronde North Face

Couturier Colouir

Migot Spur

Gran Paradiso NW Face

Does anybody have recommendations that can add up to this list? Maybe with some more mixed climbing? Preferably not around Chamonix as we are all on a budget and don’t mind making a longer approach and bivy somewhere, to avoid lift costs.

Thanks!

I'm going to be spending 3 weeks first in the Ecrins (La Berarde-based) and then in the Mont Blanc area this summer - last week of June in Ecrins, first half of July in Chamonix but stuff's flexible (Zermatt is also a possibility). Am looking for partners for ...mostly alpine routes in the AD range but I wouldn't say no to some rockclimbing or easier alpine either.

Experience can be seen in my thecrag profile, but tl;dr:

• alpine-wise, it's my first time in the Alps, and my friends tell me the stuff I comfortably lead in my native Carpathians would be AD in the Alps, and the worst stuff I've seconded comfortably would be D+/TD-. Feel comfortable on 50-60 degree snow slopes, exposed ridges, rock up to 3b-3c in boots with shit pro and 4c-ish if there's a bomber gear placement/good piton. Two ice-tool-wise, I'm good up to M3 on lead and M5 as a second, and can second WI4 in comfort but haven't led any. Altitude experience is 2 PDs in the Caucasus at about 4800m each.
• climbing-wise, I lead 6a on bolts and 5ish on the mix of old pitons and shit gear we call "trad" in my home mountains.

So... if anyone's in the area and looking for a partner, hit me up. I'm really hoping I find someone to do Traverse de la Meije with, and the Alps objectives are super flexible (aka got a whole damn list)

Anyone have recommendations for 125-150 adjustable mountaineering/skimo poles. 130 is my ski pole length, but would like to be able to extend for traversing on skis, or when I am on foot. Needs to be fully collapsible, had some close calls last year with the pole tips and eyes while hiking in some steep terrain. Most poles top out at 135, esp the z-folds

My friend and I are planning a road trip this summer (mid july-august) to get into some bigger mountains and hopefully touch some sweet alpine granite. We are both completely inexperienced with glacier travel and alpine environments in general (we are from Hawaii, not much snow). Not too worried about the rock aspect, we are both pretty experienced trad/desert choss climbers with a handful of 20+ pitch days under our belts. We also are pretty good with ropework (sprat cert from previous job) and have been able to practice crevasse rescue in the glaciated Arizona desert.

We are just wondering if you guys had any advice/tips for the unique terrain that we will experience in places like the Bugaboos or North Cascades in WA. Gear we should definitely have on us? Other skills that we should get familiar with before getting into the snowy mountains? We definitely plan on working our way up to anything major but we would really appreciate any advice you guys have to offer so we don't end up being those guys that end up calling SAR or worse.

Thanks!

BTW, does anybody know if the Abisko lite 1 can fit a 25" inflatable pad? It looks to be designed to hold only 20" pads?

Good morning to anyone!

I'm looking for a rainshell for my multipitch rock climb.

It must protect me during a summer rainshower and when the wind gusths penetrate my light softshell (OR Ferrosi).

It must be:

Durable enough to withstand rock abrasions

Waterproofness

Not so heavy and expensive like a 3L Gore-tex

Do you have some suggestions?

Thank you

Davide

Join us here to track and update us on your training progress.

About Training Club

A lot of people on r/alpinism train systematically using TFTNA or other approaches. In order to stay motivated and work towards goals, it's useful to share your progress or discuss obstacles; to celebrate your achievements or learn from your failures; and to share knowledge widely about training for the mountains.

New to these training concepts? Uphill Athlete has a condensed explanation: https://www.uphillathlete.com/training-for-mountaineering/

Also recommend:

• Kilian Jornet about training and racing advice for non-elites, heart rate training, HRV & what leads to the greatest performance for any runner.
• Also part 2: Kilian Jornet's Advice for Ultra Runners To Improve in Training and Racing, How Kilian Deals With Failure, Nutrition, Recovery and more!
• The Training for Mountaineering Podcast by Rowan Smith: https://www.summitstrength.com.au/blog/welcome-to-the-training-for-mountaineering-podcast

Members

• u/AaronGerry
• u/stille
• u/JSteigs
• u/brown_burrito
• u/AscensusMontium
• u/DerFrange
• u/muenchener
• u/Jealous-Package-2743
• and hopefully soon many more :)

A weekly thread will be posted every Monday - if it's Monday and it isn't posted yet, feel free to take the initiative! Those who are regularly training can post an update on their progress, and anyone who wants to contribute or ask questions is welcome to. I suggest we should follow an approximate format of:

What did you do this week? This is best itemized into days of the week, but you don't have to. As much detail as you feel is necessary.

What are you planning to do next week? This doesn't necessarily have to be itemised into days, but just a rough list of the training you plan to do.

What are your Short Term, Medium Term, and Long Term Goals? This will help to keep you on track. What are the STG you'd like to achieve in, say, the next month? What are the MTG (say, next 3-6 months) that these will feed into? What are the LTG (12+ months) that your training plan is helping you work towards? These should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. The more specific you can be, the more motivated you will be to train.

Some Notes

Posting consistently in Training Club will keep you accountable and provide a useful log of your training journey, so aim to post every week, irrespective of whether you achieved what you set out to achieve.

Anyone who wants to get involved is welcome to. It doesn't matter whether you're making your first forays into the alpine, or whether you're a seasoned expedition veteran. Training is training, and this is a community that's supportive of all the different facets of alpinism.

If you have any suggestions for improvements, changes in format, tips for other users, questions, comments etc. etc. then post them! If you see an opportunity to make things better, if you've got a question about training, or you want to chat with other participants about their activity/goals, then post it up in here!

First time contributors should give a short introduction. Happy to keep it anonymous, but it'd be useful to know a little bit about your background, where you're based, how long you've been climbing in the alpine, and what you're psyched for.

Hey everybody

I’m looking for recommendations for some climbs around Chamonix. I just did the Arete des Cosmiques which was really nice, but I want to do more like that climb. I unfortunately down own 2 ice axes, so it would need to be a climb that doesn’t require 2 ice axes.

Hi, im in the market for a backpack for all kinds of mountain activities. I would buy the Khorma if Rab had them in stock(only downside is only one ice axe mounting point), but i started thinking about the Latok 38. But i need to but my avalanche gear some where. I was wondering if i could put my avalanche gear some good way in the Latok and buy the Latok instead of the Khorma. What are your experiences with avalanche gear in main compartment?

I would like to stash an inexpensive sleeping bag in the mountains, as preparation for a bigger mission. What is the best way to do so? Just use multiple trashbags

On a recent trip, we've been melting snow using one of those winter gas blends, but I wasn't impressed by the performance. It wasn't so cold (around freezing temps) but before I put the cartridge into warm water all I got was just the mild isobutane burn, all the propane was at the bottom. So I've considered if there any more convenient preheating options.

The stuff based on powder iron used for boot/glove warmer inserts seem to have a long start, low power and run for several hours, that's not entirely it. Benzine evaporating and reacting on catalyzer probably won't work in subzero temps. Gel warmer is obviously too heavy. Maybe those military food warmers using calcium hydroxide+water? In the end, I would thing about 3d printing some small support and having a tiny candle under the canister. ☠️ it's gonna explode ☠️ applies.

Did anyone figure anything better? And yes, I have MSR whisperlite but it's rather heavy for a weekend climbing+ski touring trip when I just need ~8 litres of water.

Looking for gps recommendations for high altitude 6k meter+ peaks. Please share!

The goals is 2 fold.

1. safety, it’s true intended purpose
2. book of record - we’ve all hated to see the posts on here claiming routes or ascents only to be debunked by clever investigation. I’d love to have a record like the gps to prove our team accomplished what we set out to do

Thus far my online searching suggests Garmin inreach explorer+ and GPSMAP 67i. What are your thoughts on these and other models?

Thanks for your help!

I understand ski goggles are used as eyewear in very windy/ stormy conditions.

Is it feasible to use them or are dedicated glacier goggles a thing? I’m thinking of using Decathlon Wedze ski goggles with interchangeable lenses. S1 fog lenses and you can put S3 sun lenses on top. Are the S1 lenses (90% light transmissivity) light enough and the S3 lenses dark enough. They offer UV protection obviously.

If not, are there are goggles that offer 100 light transmissivity and dark enough lenses for very bright conditions?

I’m thinking of having my eyewear system as one pair of photochromic sunglasses with sidepieces for sunny days with little wind and a pair of goggles with interchangeable lenses as the windy solution, day and night.

I'm after some wider b2 boots, seems a challenge.

My current boots are meindl comfort terlan gtx in 10.5UK and lowa alpine expert B3 in 11.5 ( which feel roomier but still snug enough to grip the foot)

I've tried a good selection so far and I'm either being fussy and not letting them bed in or expecting to feel perfect from the get go

Currently trying la sportiva aequriblium LT in UK 11.5 and they are perfect in length and height but a tiny bit snug in the front sides of the foot but no slippage or movement ( possible these will bed in abit and im overthinking?)

So far

Mammut kento pro high gtx ... too snug in 11.5 uk Scarpa ribelle hd 3 ... width wasn't too bad but the flex was anchoring onto the stiff heel uk11

Scarpa ribelle in UK 11 too tight in toe box

2024 zodiac tech gtx ... felt burning on top of toes straight away and abit snug as and felt like they are going to stub all the time uk 11 (don't think they'll be durable enough for colder days as feel very light and thin )

Lowa ticams and clevedale in uk 11.5 ( clevedale in uk11 where too tight on small toe)... felt loose like my feet will have too much movement and the ticams give me arch pain straight away

Hangwag makra pro in UK 11. Felt way too narrow and small

I (30M) am searching for a climbing partner at the end of May to climb some mountains (AD or something) with a guide in the Alps (e.g. Monta Rosa Massif or Berner Oberland). Last time I can go to the mountains before the baby will be born. I prefer to go between 3-5 days and sleep in huts.

Anyone else also planning to go at the end of May? I am curious!

Prior experience: Mt Blanc (guided), Gran Paradiso, Breithorn and Allalinhorn (unguided), Lobuche East (6.120m Nepal, guided), Aiguille de tour and more. Quite fit (1/2 marathons, gym-goer).

I'm contemplating ascending Kaskeb and Tetnuldi peaks in Georgia during summer. However, I'm aware of the unstable political and criminal climate in the region. I'm seeking reassurance regarding the availability of trustworthy mountain guides in Georgia, and I would greatly appreciate any recommendations for reputable guides or companies. Your help would be invaluable!

Hello! I started wondering, how helpful drones can be for route finding, especially the more vertical the terrain gets.

The idea is, that I can check out a potential route by drone before I attempt it, to have a better idea of what I'm getting myself into and to find new routes.

Does anyone already have experience using your drone for that? If so, what are your thoughts, what should I have in mind for that use?

I don't own a drone currently, but would be up for getting one - apart from being light & cold-/wind-resistant, what are things to look for?

4000m peaks steal most of the show in the Alps. Unfairly so! The rock is almost always crap, they're expensive endeavors (huts...) and crowded...what are some of the most interesting peaks/routes that don't quite make the 4000m mark? Mountains that would be ultra classics if humans weren't so obsessed with arbitrary points of reference :) Let's say 3300-3999, just to narrow it down a bit more.

I’ve been hiking and scrambling all my life since I’ve been young the past 5years I’ve got back into it properly again with my friends doing the highest peaks in the uk and more technical scrambles. We love pushing ourselves and all want to get into mountaineering we’re all very fit and passionate to get into it. Except we’re not naive and know mountaineering is taking it to the next level (also expensive).

I was hoping to get some advice from people with experience in this field and hope to hear how they got into it and what steps they took to progress when starting off. We’re all uni students so money is a bit of a struggle but we’re more than happy to invest into it.

I’ve seen a lot of recommendations for reading the book ‘training for the new alpinism’ and I’m also going to join the mountaineering club at my uni next year as is a bit late to start now as the uni years almost over.

Our plan for summer is to join a climbing gym and go as much as possible, also at the start of summer to head up to Scotland and go to glenmore lodge and do a mountaineering course, however we’re unsure on what one to do and what’s the best value for money to gain the best experience. After doing that we all agreed to work as much as possible and in between on weekends go up to the lakes or Scotland. Then head to somewhere in Europe to practice the skills we’ve learnt at the end of summer.

I heard Gran Paradiso is a good 4000m mountain for less experienced mountaineers. Although I’m aware I will have to hire a guide and also do a course in crevasse rescue due to the glacier. Was wondering if this was worth it too?

Just any pieces of wisdom or advice or just hearing from your experiences would be much appreciated. As I am clueless on what equipment to invest in or course to do or what beginner mountains are good to do. The main thing is making sure I just throw myself out there and try get out as much as possible

Any advice will be much appreciated and can private message me and happy to have a proper conversation about it.

I recently moved from Paris to the Geneva area, in part so as to have easier access to the mountains, and am looking for climbing partners for a variety of objectives: major high-mountain routes, mixed routes, rock climbing, waterfall/goulotte ice climbing, ski mountaineering (although not extreme freeriding), etc. My experience/skill-level is intermediate (comfortable un-guided up to AD) with a look to progress in all technical areas. For logistic purposes, I'm mainly concerned with regularly climbing around Mont Blanc, the Aosta Valley and the Valais (and occasionally the Bernese Alps).

DM me if you'd like to chat more.

Edit: Also worth mentioning that I am looking for English- OR French-speaking partners.