Looking at climbing Aconcagua and trying to assess whether renting the double boots is a good idea as I won't have much other use for them near-term. Does anyone have experience with renting boots (or also other equipment) in Mendoza and can share their experience on quality, model selection, etc?

Howdy all,

I wear glasses. Contacts don't work for me. I've been wearing over-glasses sunglasses but I'm considering a more sophisticated solution. What do you like and use? Do julbo transition lenses get dark enough to use on glaciers, and light enough to use during alpine starts?

Hi there, I’m following loosely the uphill athlete training program with 80% zone 2 training. When on an expedition and even when summitting should you also be trying to stay within that Z2 range - or then it’s a case of all bets are off, ignore the HR (as it’s likely to be all over the map anyway from altitude, general fatigue, etc)? Thanks. I ask as I’m considering getting a HR smart watch but would be great if there are ones out there that take altitude and general recovery also into account.

Heading over to Squamish/Whistler in the middle of feb to go and take a little vacation. Mostly looking at day hikes, so far, I've eyed Sigurd Peak as a good 12-18 hour ascent.

In terms of experience I've done day hikes around 4-5,000 feet elevation gain in the sierra, and recently did Mount Morrison off of convict lake last month.

I'm willing to do anything in the area, but I like to do more alpine style ascents so camping kinda beats the purpose for me.

I’m in the uk so have no big ones however have climbed most of them. I have somewhat alright gear and so I want to start to move into bigger mountains in other places/countries.

Hey All - I am a complete newbie and looking for advice in what my first climb be in Texas. I am based out of Houston which is completely flat. What can I easily drive to to start things off? I am also looking for advice on what starter gear for me should look like.

Appreciate the help in advance!

This is an old question, but alot of new gore tex performance fabrics have 70Denier, while gore tex pro fabrics may have 80, or split 40/80.

People say gore tex performance is more breathable but less durable, while the paid reviewers and websites say gore tex pro is more breathable. Maybe the denier strength also affects the breathability?

Such as with the Latok Alpine being 40D gore tex pro (for fast climbing), and most top brand waterproofs use gore tex pro now. So what is gore tex performance ?!

Ive recently bought a Phase XT because of the good price which is 70D all over GT performance, the exact same spec as the bergaus MTN jacket.

Overall is there a noticable difference over breathbility and is denier more important?

Hi all, I'm looking for mixed/ice climbing course recommendations. I have 3-4 weeks of leave this year, and want to do the most comprehensive course available. Being from Australia, my time in the mountains is rare and makes it hard to gain the skills for my future objectives like Alpamayo, Cholatse, Patagonian routes.

I've climbed some volcano's in Ecuador and attempted Lenin Peak (turned around on summit attempt due to bad weather) but feel I'm lacking the technical skills to go for my goals. I'm super comfortable on glacier travel, roped teams, ascending fixed lines and rappelling but don't have experience ice climbing or on mixed routes.

Since I kinda only get to go away once a year, keen to travel and make the most out of a trip even if its for a course. If anyone has recommendations that'd be great, or even guides/areas to connect with, thanks!

This trip would be only possible from June onwards due to work

Can remember the name of this small mountain range, pretty sure it was Canadian Rockies and it had a funny name. I keep wanting to say Chic Choc mountains but that’s not right. Does this click for anyone?

Anyone know if this is a commonly climbed mountain? All I know is it's supposedly very high altitude (7000m ish).

Hello all,

A friend and I are considering an Ecuador trip to summit a mountain in mid May. However I am admittedly not informed enough and am seeking some opinions from those with experience. We want to climb either Cotopaxi or Chimborazo, or maybe both if that is something that is common? Here are a couple general questions I have.

What should preparation look like for us? We are in our early 20s and in good shape but we live at sea level. Both of us have strong hiking experience in the northeast usa and some limited experience doing day hikes above 16k feet in Peru, but no technical climbing experience. Are either of these peaks realistic to summit given that experience and some preparation?

What guide companies can anyone recommend? We see guides anywhere from $250 to $5k online. We want to go as cheap as possible but also want to do it safely and give ourselves the highest chance of summit.

Finally, what would you recommend an itinerary be for 10 days in ecuador to summit one of these? And for those of you who have done both, if you could only summit one of the two once in your life, which would you choose?

Im currently doing a volunteer year in Ecuador. At the end of the year I have round about 1 and a half months of travel time. I want to use this to summit chimborazo and as many other summits as I can. Because my accommodation at the moment is at sea level I have no option to acclimatise. So during the weekends I can only summit smaller and more easy summits. I have done Fuya-Fuya, Pasochoa and plan on doing rucu pichincha next week. But due to me being a volunteer my budget is very tight. Do you have any tips on how I can summit chimborazo cheap, where I can find tour guides, summits I can do alone? The travel time starts at the beginning of July.

I (18/M) want to summit the highest 100 peaks in my homestate of Washington. I want to get a tattoo for each summit I complete but I'm not sure how I could do this without looking like killmonger. any ideas?

I'm shopping for a new alpine backpack and had the opportunity to try on the Peak Dry 40L at a store. It was the only one that fit my requirements and was comfortable loaded, but I don't need the Dry capability. I'm wondering if anyone has compared these different Ortovox Peak backpacks and can tell me if they "carry" roughly the same? I want to order the Ortovox Peak Light 40l but I'm worried it wouldn't be as comfortable as the one I tried on. I can't find anything in the way of third-party comparisons and Ortovox's marketing material fails to answer these questions.

Hi there,

Im from the US, and I travel Europe frequently, but have yet to do an Alps or any Europe range summit yet. I usually do Colorado 14ers in short backpacking trips and dispersed camping on the way up or while summiting multiple nearby peaks. My mountaineering skills are limited, but id like to start getting exposure to things like glaciers, crevasses, crampons, ice axe, etc…and I really love the alps snd want to start summiting some.

In my research I am finding many of the high altitude hikes are all hut to hut camping, and tent camping isn’t aloud in many areas? Id prefer to not do huts, something nice and rustic about pitching tents.

Does anyone know any 4K meter plus peaks where you can backpack up and disperse camp?

Hey everyone,

I recently bought a Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter and have already filtered about 4 liters of water with it. I know that this filter contains activated carbon, but I’ve noticed tiny black particles (approx. 1 millimeter or smaller) in the filtered water.

Is this normal or should I be worried about this? Has anyone else experienced this?

I’ve attached a photo for reference. Any insights would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/3cue6and70ge1.jpg?width=1542&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ec10cf0ad0b3109b12ee8931f2da5f6f113f5e6

So I saw a deal on a local secondhand forum for a pair of la sportiva nepals. The rubber around is a bit cracked so it'll have to be resoled for sure. They are however allost 15 years old. Is there a too old for secondhand category?

Starting some beginner mountaineering courses soon, am an avid hiker and this is definitely the direction I want to go in. Are there any decent backpacks in the 30-35 litre range that are suited for this purpose, but could also be good for general winter walking? If possible, I’d like to avoid shelling out for a new bag that will only be used occasionally for a specific purpose. Thanks.

Basically the title. So many of them have a heavy focus on the climbers and are super sensationalized (epic music etc). That’s not quite what I’m looking for.

I watched “14 peaks nothing is impossible” and it was a good watch and interesting story, but I really wanted to know more about the climbs/routes/mountains.

I’ve been watching Ryan Mitchell’s videos and that’s more what I’m looking for. Also enjoyed The Summit, though sensational at times.

Hi guys, so, long story short, I am looking to get some mountaineering pants, and I came across this https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/men-s-mountaineering-waterproof-ice-trousers-slate-blue/\_/R-p-340190. Honestly, for that price tag and those specs, it looks too good to be true, especially since most pants of that kind here range from 200-250 euros. Has anyone here worn them? Would you recommend them?

Does anyone have any experience with this pack? It seems to be by far the lightest in that capacity range and it's also far cheaper than something like the Cilo Gear MOB (which I'm also considering).

I am looking at the 60L for Rainier as well as some smaller peaks in the North East. My thinking is having a lighter but large capacity pack could be a good all-around option for me. Is the lack of an external crampon pocket a serious concern for these objectives?

If you've tried it, is it comfortable? For reference, I've used the Durston Kakwa 40 for trekking for years and absolutely love it. I prefer the lighter weight vs having a heavier suspension system. I imagine it's the same sort of trade-off with the Blue Ice?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.