Mountaineering is not the easiest sport to learn. Experienced mountaineers often spend years mastering the techniques and skills needed to complete a mountaineering quest, regardless of its difficulty.
However, you can join the fun if you build the right skill set and equip yourself with the tools needed to get into mountaineering.
Here are six of the most impactful tips you can apply to get into mountaineering.
1. Get Familiar with the Outdoors
If you're considering mountain climbing, one of the first things you'll need to do is familiarize yourself with the great outdoors. As a mountaineer, you'll spend long hours away from the comfort of your home and all that comes with it.
You can become familiar with the outdoors by spending quality time with nature and its elements. Some ways to do this include going on basic hiking or camping trips to get your body in sync with all of nature's elements.
These types of hikes are usually short-spanned trips. The main aim isn't to go on a full adventure but rather to get a feel of what it's like to go mountaineering. You'll get experience hiking with heavy bags, varying terrain, and weather conditions.
If you're not acclimatized to the outdoors' terrain, elements, and climate conditions, you'll find it hard to succeed on your mountaineering quest.
2. Improve your Fitness Levels
Once you've gotten a feel for the great outdoors through your mini hikes, the next thing to do is work on your fitness levels. If you didn't get the memo during your mini hikes, you should know now that mountaineering is an extremely physical and difficult activity.
It requires a working combination of strength, endurance, flexibility, and optimal reaction and reflexes. If you're not in the right state of health and physical shape, you might do more harm than good by mountaineering.
Improving your fitness is probably the most demanding preparation you'll have to make before going mountaineering. However, it is worth the time and effort you put into it.
You can improve your fitness by going to the gym, taking long walks, jogging, running, etc. Taking high-intensity fitness classes is also an efficient way to quickly level up your fitness to meet the threshold needed to go mountaineering.
3. Enroll in a Mountaineering Course
Mountaineering is a recreational sport; however, certain skills and knowledge are necessary before making your trip a success. A mountaineering course is one of the easiest and quickest ways to learn the ropes.
A standard mountaineering course educates you on the techniques and skills needed for climbing. In addition, you'll learn essential safety procedures, how to navigate, and other skills that might come in handy.
You can find tons of free and paid mountaineering courses on the internet. If you're more of an in-person learner, you can enroll in a mountaineering course in a mountaineering institute.
You can also check out books and YouTube videos on mountaineering to fully equip yourself with the knowledge needed to go mountaineering.
4. Invest in Proper Gear
Mountaineering might be a recreational activity, but it still requires a bunch of gear to facilitate climbing. So, if you're trying to get into mountaineering, it's worth investing in standard gear to set you up for success.
Thankfully, the gear needed for a standard mountaineering trip is relatively affordable. You can purchase gear like helmets, ropes, axes, backpacks, GPS, water bottles, etc., at very affordable prices.
While you may not need to invest heavily in gear, you must kit yourself with the proper clothing to endure a mountaineering trip.
Invest considerably in quality clothes and shoes to remain comfortable and fully protected during your trip. The ideal clothing kit should include sweatproof clothing, wool socks, and high-quality boots.
5. Start with Easier Summits
We know you're eager to jump right in the eye of the storm while mountaineering, but it's crucial to exercise caution, especially as a beginner. Mountaineering is a difficult experience; you'll never truly get the hang of it if you don't take it slowly.
To ensure you stay safe on your mountaineering journey, you can kickstart your adventures by visiting terrains that are pretty easy to navigate. Start with easier summits that'll help you hone your skills, offer much-needed experience, and prepare you to embark on harder summits.
6. Join a Mountaineering Club
Linking up with a local mountaineering club can save you a ton of stress and get some friends who might want to go hiking with you. Mountaineering clubs usually boast many experienced mountaineers, hikers, and climbers.
You can connect with such experienced folks to gain more knowledge, participate in group climbs, and make valuable connections along the way.
Mountaineering might be a recreational sport, but it has several safety risks. It's always safer to climb along with someone. You'd need someone to respond quickly in case something goes wrong. Climbing with a friend solves this entire problem.
Conclusion
Mountaineering is no easy task. If you're not fully equipped with the knowledge, skill set, and techniques needed for mountaineering, you will most likely have a sour and frustrating experience on your journey.
Luckily, getting into mountaineering as a beginner isn't impossible. With the right skills and knowledge, some of which we've highlighted, you can set yourself up for a very successful and fun experience.
