This might be a bit of a shot in the dark, but I'm looking for help remembering the title of a mountaineering book I encountered a few months back, and have since lost track of.

It was a re-issue of a diary / instructional manual / biography written by a British mountaineer in the early 20th / late 19th century.

I don't remember many specific details, aside from a few in the opening pages of the book.

The writer mentioned how they would go on trips in scotland and wales with their parents in their youth, and picked up the habit of carrying a long stick / walking staff with them. There was also a brief remark about how those who didn't have some kind of stick with them in the mountains were irresponsible.

There was also a dig at people approaching climbing as a sport, rather than as a tool for exploration, which seemed out of place given the age of the original book.

Amongst other sections describing various rope skills and climbing techniques, there was a paragraph that enouraged the reader to climb trees with a partner as training, belaying eachother with a rope wrapped around the torso.

It's definitely a tad optimistic to think someone's going to recognise this book from these details alone, but worth a shot. Any info helps. Cheers.

Anybody hot recommendations for hiking in Austria

My infatuation with this subject happened 1-2 years ago, kicking off with a re-read of Krakuer's Into Thin Air. Since then, I've read and watched a lot of content. Everything from the Eiger Sanction and the Alpinist to Touching the Void and Broad Peak. I've read a lot of Freedom of the Hills and am working on Annapurna (a favorite so far) and along with Ed Visteurs K2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his first book, No Easy Way to the Top as well, and I'm particularly glad it was one of the first ones I read for his dogma of "safe ascents."

I suppose this is the book that sort of radicalized me against the recklessness in this sport. Of course, I am very well aware that some risks cannot be mitigated and this sport has inherent danger (as does everything) but good grief; the amount of stories of people pushing way beyond their limits and needing to be brought down in astonishing. Herzog's Annapurna is a great example; the whole crew ends up hospitalized after, and again, I get that any 8000er is an enormous undertaking, but a trip to the hospital should only be for trips that have gone horribly wrong; not as an inevitability after a reckless ascent.

As I've learned more about this sport, I've been able to cut through some of the fear mongering and stories of recklessness to an actual understanding of what scaling a mountain is. And, at this point, I'm pretty comfortable saying that a lot of these "legends" did it wrong. Ed is far more of a legend in my mind because he was very particular about risk mitigation and making the right call; that's why he's alive and came home to see his family. That is a successful mountaineer in my mind; one who knows their limits and doesn't try to make daring, dangerous ascent..

Those reckless ascents seem to be the ones that get promoted, though; a bivouwack at 8000m, a 24 hour climb to the summit through the night, a miraculous heli-evac that put every single persons life at risk. These are not the hero's; they are fools that often need to be saved by real hero's that put their own lives on the line to save fool's sorry-ass's.

And again, I get that you can take every safety measure and buy all the expensive gear and still find an early grave in the mountains; that's just the name of the game (really mortality as a whole.) That said, I think Visteur's No Easy Way to The Top is the most sane piece of media I've read so far on the topic, and I love his saying "Summiting is optional, coming down is mandatory." I wish that sentiment, and stories of turning around were the ones that were more often promoted. Then maybe my family wouldn't think I had a deathwish for getting into this game.

Does anyone have insight into the best water bottles for expeditions / prolonged winter camping / ski tours?

Nalgene seems common because most people might already own them. In the past Duesseldorf bottles were the gold standard, and I've owned them. I didn't see much of a difference, but I might have missed something.

Di you think there's a noticeable difference?

Can someone give an advice and maybe opnion what backpack is better. Cilogear I am looking 45 L because price cheaper and it possible extend to 75 liter HMG I think about models Porter, Halka or Ice pack

Trying to decide between the two boots. I plan on purchasing a lightly used pair.

What is the warmth comparison?

Most comfortable one?

Most durable?

Any other info would be great. There seems to be limited information about the Scarpa ones though

Title says it all! I'm a newer mountaineer looking for some opinions / advice before an upcoming trip. I've read all the relevant threads I can find as well.

Edit: my climb starts December 12, so a bit earlier in the season.

Down Parka - Rab Neutrino Pro - Is this enough for an outer layer down parka? I am planning to put a mid layer synthetic puffy (Rab Cirrus) and a micro grid fleece below it

Should I invest in a better midlayer puffy to layer more? Rent a down parka from the guiding company instead? Get a fleece that's not a microgrid to have as a warmer layer?

Double / Triple boots - I am planning to wear Scarpa 6000 double boots without an overboot. However, I've noticed that several guiding companies recommend triple boots. Should I adjust the plan?

Sleeping Bag - Feathered Friends Widgeon (-10F/-23C) - Again, is this enough? I will put a water proof bivvy bag outside of it to keep the in-tent condensation off of it, but it won't provide much/any insulation

Headlamp - Petzl Swift RL. Ok this one isn't so much a question of whether the gear is correct, but does anyone know how to get it into red light mode? Have just bought it a couple weeks ago to replace a weaker one and have scoured youtube/reddit/reviews and can't seem to crack the code. Maybe I can't afford to lose those brain cells at altitude after all....

Ice Axe - I have a Petzl Summit Evo, purchased for another climb. I'm 5'6" and have a 52 cm length, but the guiding company suggests 60cm....Do I need to address this? It's a bit short to use as a third leg / walking pole on light/moderate slopes, but I have trekking poles for that anyway. I was thinking it would be an appropriate length for higher grade slopes when I purchased it at the time.

Photos - What would you suggest to take a summit photo? I was thinking to take a fully charged phone, kept off during the rest of the trip then carried up next to my body on summit day. But I'm concerned that 1. touch screen is not the best even with compatible liners 2. the phone will not turn on due to cold. Is an old fashioned disposable the best way to go here?

Backpack - Did you bring a separate smaller backpack for the summit push? (apart from the 70+ liter main bag)

This question has bothered me for long -- partly because I have likely gotten wrong answers from my expedition company. I am doing the Vacas Valley 360 route, and have a personal porter who will carry 20 kg for me (from Base to Camp3, and down; we have carry-days to Camp 1 and 2). I was told that I may have to carry 3-5kg of "group gear". My questions.

1. What should be the SIZE of my day backpack? I am presuming that 30L should be more than enough, but my expedition company suggests 40L.
2. I presume my backpack weight on most/all days will be around 5-10 kgs. Is that not a reasonable estimate? I'm aiming to have 15kg of personal gear (is that reasonable? I'm buying mostly high-end/lightweight stuff) -- so that with the 3-5 kg of group gear, all the gear is carried by my personal porter.
3. SUMMIT DAY: I presume I'll be carrying crampons, Ice Axe, 3L water, Snacks (10 cereal bars), some layers (when too hot, but mostly will be wearing them), and minimal misc stuff (gopro camera, batteries, first aid). Do I really need to carry a sleeping pad (saw Ian Taylor's video where hikers were carrying it to the summit)?

Thanks. I'm focussed/hoping on minimal backpack weight -- so some confirmation will help. Thanks.

A group of my friends and i are trying to information gather for a New Years ascent up Katahdin most likely the Abol Trail because it is non-technical.

We are all thru hikers and lifelong campers. A few of us have indoor rock/ bouldering backgrounds. I have a glacier travel experience, experience in the alpine out in the PNW, and have climbed on ice once. None of us have any winter trekking experience.

Do you think that attempting a non-technical winter ascent without a guide is reasonable? Is avalanching a big deal thing in Baxter? Any recommendations on gear rentals?

Any other info is appreciated.

Hey guys,

im looking for a new sleeping bag with a limit-rating of -15°C to -25°C and as light as possible for a price around 400€ (can also be more expensive)...

So looked around and found sleeping bags like

- Rab Ascent 1100

- Rab Neutrino 800

- Mountain Equipment Glacier 700

- Therm-a-Rest Parsec

but i cannot decide which of these to buy or didnt find anything else...

So my question would be: Could you guys help me to decide between these or recommend me some of your trusted sleeping bags that i could take a look at?

What are your favorite cheap locations to stay for a month or two and focus on the peaks around.

Here are my favorites:

Huaraz, Peru

I've stayed here for months. Great access to so many peaks in the cordillera blanca and huayhuash. Cheap rooms and guides. The town is a bit too quiet socially. Gets boring between climbs.

Cusco, Peru

Great city and cheap. Access to some of the highest peaks of Peru. Less climbing culture here but so many glacieted mountains. Many have not been summited so a great place for fa attempts.

Santiago, Chile

Easy day or multiday trips into the Andes around. Aconcagua. As a city it's a bit dangerous and expensive for what you get.

Anchorage, Alaska

Have to stay in a tent to keep it cheap. Short summer season. Beautiful but expensive. Hard to get around without a car.

Monterrey, Mexico

No big peaks but access to potrero chico for rock climbing. Kinda expensive rent, polluted city.

Guatamala

Antigua and Quetzaltenango make good bases. Cheap and fun. Some "high" altitude non technical volcanos. I honestly hate dry volcanos now, pretty sure the dust destroyed 20% of my lung capacity.

Canadian rockies

Great place to live out of your car and climb and hike. Not possible without a car. Beautiful, but a bit lonely by yourself after a while. No great cities to use as a base.

Places I haven't tried yet:

La Paz, Bolivia

On my way here this year. Access to many 6k peaks. Cheap rent, cheap guides. Big city with lots to do.

Puebla, Mexico

Access to many volcanos, Izta, Orizaba. Cheap.

Skardu, Pakistan ?

Himachal Pradesh, India ?

The Alps I assume it's difficult and expensive to dirtbag around that part of Europe.

Anyone toured up to Camp Muir in the past week or two? Is it still rock ski season?

i live in the north carolina section of the appalachian mountains (completely already fucked ik) but just wondering if anyone would have any good spots in the appys to start rock climbing and or backpacking? i’m a young fit dude and every where i try to look just looks like a cake walk. (because it’s the appalachian mountains i know) complete shot in the dark for this sub but ill take whatever could be fun.

Referring to the technical capabilities of the axe, would something like a pair of petal sum’tecs or (more likely) DMM vertex’s be enough for my use?

I don’t really have a desire to climb anything much above Scottish winter grade III or alpine PD, and on the very odd occasion that I do can likely just rent gear.

So with that as the upper limit, and then probably a bunch of less technical climbs as well, is there any reason for me to consider going for some more technical axes and a separate walking axe, or will the aforementioned pairs cover all my needs?

Hi, I am 17M. I have been a scout all my life and have been camping for over 10 years. By camping, I mean sometimes I hiked up a very small local mountain and stayed near the summit or just camped in the forest and hiked to discover new routes or places to use the next time.

I am a good skier in my opinion and have been involved in winter sports for over 5 years. However, I have 0 knowledge about mountaineering and how to start winter mountaineering.

• How do you find routes that are not dangerous?
• How can I start? I live in Turkey, but I can access Europe once or twice a year.
• How can I find a community or classes to attend online or in person?
• Do I need classes to attend to start?
• In winter mountaineering, do you climb like in a climbing gym, or is it more like something in between a hard hike and a literal climb?

I'm looking for warm, full-length pants with full side zippers that I can quickly put on during breaks, similar to the Helly Hansen Lifaloft Insulator pants but full length. I'm having trouble finding anything that fits this description. Any suggestions or recommendations on where to look?

I recently delved into "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills", and it has been nothing short of transformative. Over the course of 29 days, this book became more than just a guide—it felt like a mentor patiently teaching me the art, science, and philosophy of mountaineering.

From foundational techniques to advanced skills, the book covers everything:

Knot tying and rope management.

Navigating treacherous terrain.

Essential survival skills for extreme conditions.

The ethics and stewardship of the mountains.

It's no surprise that this masterpiece is often referred to as the "Bible of Mountaineering." The depth of knowledge and clarity it provides make it an indispensable read for both novices and seasoned climbers.

What struck me the most was its emphasis on safety and respect for nature, which aligns perfectly with my own values as an aspiring mountaineer. Every page felt like a step closer to understanding not just the technicalities of climbing but the spirit of adventure itself.

If you're a climber, trekker, or even just someone who dreams of summiting peaks, I can't recommend this book enough. It's a guide, an inspiration, and a humbling reminder of the grandeur of the mountains we aspire to conquer.

I'd love to hear your thoughts—has anyone else read this book? What were your biggest takeaways?

I've always been a fan of old school forums because of a wealth of knowledge there.

I also like magazines because the overall production quality is quite high.

Any recommendations?

Hey all,

I’m heading to Aconcagua soon, and was wondering if anyone had any recs on what kind of chargers you guys use to charge up your phone etc. during longer periods on the mountain.

Last time i was on a longer hike, I had brought a bunch of charging banks but it weighed my bag down a LOT, so trying to find an alternative this time.

Whitehorse Mountain making a cameo in 1983’s Wargames.

Hello Have a trip planned for fort william at the end of JAN we have general winter hiking experiance and are trad climbers (vdiff/S) with a rack but have not done winter climbing.

I was looking at loactions like No4 gully and wanted to know if snow stakes or ice screws would be required. we have crampons ice axes helmets and dry ropes. I know some people don't use protection for gullys but being our first steep outing in the snow want to play it safe.

Any advice on kit regarding the climbing/mountaneering side is appriciated.