I'd like to do the EBC this year, and thinking about maybe climbing one of the "easier" peaks there, Island or Mera. Any guide recommendations please? Past experience is Kilimanjaro.

https://preview.redd.it/x144v7rt9czc1.jpg?width=3869&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1ef368b9895ab493035f534fb454675bc79a66e

My name is Mark Allen and I run a small shop called the Mountain Bureau based in the North Cascades of Washington State. I also work in Alaska, Peru, Canada, Norway and the Alps. I have come to learn that I really enjoy working with individuals or teams that want to progress in higher level alpinism. I have been a professional guide for 25-years and you can find my bio on my site https://www.mountainbureau.com

I'm currently forming a mentorship program and am gauging interest. I'm gearing up for a big season in the Cascades and then plan to work with several clients in the Alps this summer. If ticking off a peak of your dreams in high on the list, we can do that to. I base out of The North Cascades and Zermatt for the summer and finish on the Dolomites as the Alps get dry late season, then final summer days in the North Cascades.

I get a lot from sharing my craft. I've been climbing for over 35 years in the alpine and want to share this gift with you. Drop me a line. I'm looking forward the connection.

As the title says, I’m flying to Chile, this is my first international flight so I’m not so savvy with picking for an aeroplane, I don’t have plans but I like to keep options open and would like to possibly climb some volcanoes while I’m there perhaps.

Would you bring alpine gear on an international flight? Or just count on hiring? I reckon you can be much more spontaneous and free with your planning if you have your own gear. How would you go about bringing it? Ice axe, crampons and helmet (without getting crushed)? I’m figuring camping gear will need to be left behind.

Any help here will be much appreciated, cheers :)

Basically the title, I truly want to conquer the Karakoram. I want to climb all the K's; K1,K2, K3a, K7 etc. These are all very very hard to climb and some of these have only like 15 successful summits. I am a city person all my life, never trekked, never hiked. I know that I need to start trekking for the next four years (I am 18) and attend climbing courses then build a rapport of easier 5-6-7000ers before even thinking about easier 8000ers like Broad Peak in my late 20s to early 30s.

Hello!

I work for a guiding company in Alaska and we had a guide drop out last minute. We are trying to fill that spot

Training starts May 20th and can be entry level. We will teach you the skills, though someone with technical experience is preferred. This is a great entry to mountaineering and an incredible program to learn these skills and get paid for it

The way the program works is we have technical trips and hiking trips. Entry level guides will get trained on how to guide a hiking trip and run those trips (is still on the glacier, but mostly the moraine and low consequence terrain). Once they’ve learned the technical skills and can pass off an assessment, they can then run the technical trips. It can take a few years before green hiking guides run technical trips, but there is no timeline. You can run the technical trips as soon as you can prove you have the skills

Our company also provides rafting trips (we don’t do water, the white water guides have their own program) but we do live with them. We can go rafting with them for free, so if you’re also interested in learning some river stuff, this is a great spot.

It’s a great mix of outdoor enthusiasts living in the woods together. We live onsite in tents, have a cook shack with power, showers and an outhouse. It’s like an adult summer camp

This is a very special place to me, it is filled with love, madness and is a hell of a good time. You can also make some money here

If this interests you, reach out and I’ll give you more details about our company and check out our website

https://www.novalaska.com/

There's loads of general advice out there on "best X for Y", but there are the little things that you figure out over time. Small things, that just become indispensable in your days out in the mountains, and you really wonder how you managed so long without.

It would be great to hear a bit what those "little things" are that work for you, and how they made your life better (or more bearable).

Hello everyone

I'm planning a trip to the Dolomites in early June to do some hiking and via Ferratas. It's still pretty early in the season so I know there's gonna be some snow higher up, but I would like to know if someone has experience doing some of the higher via Ferratas at this time of the year.

I'm gonna bring cramps and an ice axe if I need to cross some snow section, but since I'll be going on my own and probably won't bring a rope I don't want to do anything too sketchy.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Looking to link up for alpine routes in the Zermatt and/or Chamonix areas!

I'll be in the Saas valley for mountaineering from June 29-June 6/7 and am looking for a partner (or group?) for the two weeks through July 20/21)

I have experience leading alpine routes rated PD+/AD- and have followed up to D/D+. In general, I'm fine with snow to ~55 degrees, exposure, etc.

I'm not as experienced of a rock climber so none of the routes I'm looking to do have climbing moves harder than UIAA III (not incl. Dent du Geant b/c fixed ropes). Most of my climbing these days is indoors where I can climb 6a on lead and 6b+ on top rope. I don't think of myself as a particularly great climber so I'm fine leading easier pitches or following if there's a rock route that's interesting

In terms of altitude experience, I've been to 6400m and that was fine plus I'll spend the week prior doing PD/PD+ stuff between 4000-4500m so I think I'll be well acclimatized

On to the fun stuff! I have some tentative plans but things on my objective list include (but aren't limited to!):

Zermatt area:

• SW ridge of Pollux (PD+, III rock)

• WNW flank aka Swiss normal route of Castor (PD+)

• Lyskamm traverse (AD)

• Traverse of the Tops (PD)

• Zumsteinspitze to Dufourspitze traverse (AD, III)

Note that all of these can be combined in an epic traverse. Pollux and Castor can be climbed individually as day trips.

I'm also open to most of the normal routes in the Mischabel group so happy to discuss those

Chamonix area:

• Mont Blanc via the Trois Monts or Aiguilles Grises. Could potentially be convinced on the Royal Traverse

• Dent du Geant SW face aka normal route (AD, IV)

• Aiguille Rochefort W Ridge (AD)

I'm a bit wary of the other 4000m+ peaks in the area (e.g., GJ, Les Droites) at my experience level but I'm open to various single day routes on whichever aiguille or ridge

If you're looking for a partner and have some similar interests, let's discuss! Thanks!

Hi kids,

I’ve been struggling to find the right boot fit for my big boots. I’ve either found boots that are too big everywhere or found boots that are tight around the toes.

I’ve finally found a boot that feels great length wise and around the toe box (Scarpa Zodiac Tech) but for the first time I’m noticing that the heel has a little space at the sides and I’m noticing that I get a little heel lift when stepping in them.

Should I be worried about them not fitting too snug at the sides of the heel? And also, I’m thinking my foot is more flexible than a B1/B2 boot so is a little heel lift expected or have I just not found the right fit?

Sorry for the boring and mundane question but it’s hard to get this right and the people I’m speaking with in the various shops I’ve been too don’t really seem to be very informative.

Any advice welcome. Thanks guys.

Hello,

Last summer, I had my first hiking experience. We hiked to the highest mountain in Germany: Zugspitze via Reintal valley. This route was not very technical expect maybe the last summit section.

Currently,I don't have experience using via ferrata or the technical knowledge and skills required to do glacier crossings.

This summer, could any of you please make some suggestions that are similar to Zugspitze hike via Reintal valley which had no via ferrata sections or glacier crossings. I live in Germany, I am not from any of the countries with the Alps, so I have limited knowledge on deciding my next hike.

Thanks for your help.

I’ve started a summer alpinism course and I have gotten the advice to buy an Osprey 38L ice climbing specific alpinism backpack.

But I’d rather get a bag that isn’t limited to 1 activity, especially if I’m not sure I want to continue with the hobby after the course. I don’t live near mountains and don’t see myself going alpine climbing every year.

That said, I have a 9L backpack, which I use daily and carry for up to 3 day city trips. I have a 60L backpack, which I use for hiking and camping. I also lent a 28L backpack which was plenty for a couple of weeks in asia, hiking and sleeping in hostels. I like to travel light and compact.

So I would like to buy a bag that is acceptable for summer alpinism, but can also be used for other purposes. We will start our alpine climb every day from a mountain hut or refuge and will only carry essentials. Of course we also need to get to the hut. I am not sure of the size though but I am thinking something around 30-35L. Can a 33L backpack suffice for alpinism? Because I might get an Osprey Talon 33. I would preferably use it as cabin baggage and not as check-in.

Hi all,

We're a team of two french climbers, aged 24 who aim to climb Mt Kazbek next year. We were supposed to this year but it has been delayed. It'll give us a year of properly preparing. We're seasoned, climbed Mont Blanc last year and train regularly. Two friends, one from Germany and the other from the UK may join us on our ascent.

As such, I was looking for the best tour operators, thinking it'd be a safer bet than attempting a solo climb, we lack the expertise to do so I think.

As such, I wondered if anyone attempted the climb and could recommend a tour operator? We have quite a few shortlisted (Alpinism Project, Wild Guru, Explore Share....)

Thank you!

Hi, I've done three seasons of climbing and now its time to get my own crampons. Looking at my next trip(s) I need some 12-pointer, classic / technical , steel, preferably lightweight crampons. Strap on system doesn't really matter as my boots can do all of them.

My next climb is Ortler in South Tirol, Italy. Some mixed climbing, with quite steep ice and a snow plat on top. Looking to climb Mont Blanc, Matternhorn whenever I am ready for it.

When looking around in shops and on the internet I came across:

• Petzl Vasak

• Blue Ice Harfang Alpine.

Now just looking if people have suggestions or have any experience with these two mentioned crampons.

Hi Everyone, I will be visiting La Drome in France and Olargue outside of Montpelliers for two weeks (one in each) in June. I was told that there are lots of via ferrata routes out in the Drome but I haven't really been able to find much on the internet as to where these via ferratas are located. I have my own climbing helmet, sling & locker, and harness and was wondering if I should even invest in getting my own Via Ferrata Sling given that once I'm back in the States, there won't be much of an opportunity to use them.

I tore my ACL in January while I was skiing. I got it reconstructed in the beginning of April with a hamstring autograft. Does anyone have experience with climbing/mountaineering after an ACL reconstruction? How long did it take to get back to climbing?

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.

For those who have climbed in Nepal, what was your most memorable summit and why?

Trekking paths in Nepal are diverse and provide unique landscapes, cultural experiences, and breathtaking views of the Himalayas, making them ideal for both beginner and expert trekkers. There are lots of eco-friendly and sustainable travel options available in Nepal that help local communities, encourage responsible tourism, and protect the environment. Here are some of the recommendations:

Community-Based Homestays

Eco-Lodges and Sustainable Accommodations

Low-impact trekking Routes such as Langtang Valley Trek, Annapurna Community Trek, Khopra Ridge Trek

Wildlife Conservation and Nature Reserves such as Chitwan National Park, Bardiya National Park, Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve

Responsible Wildlife Tourism such as jungle safari; nature walks, bird watching, elephant-friendly safaris

Cultural Experiences and Indigenous Tourism such as the Tamang Heritage Trek, Traditional Dance Performances, Handicraft Workshops

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?