| Climb On! Umm OK, but where? Article |
| Climb On! Umm OK, but where?    | 
| Page Type: Article Activities: Mountaineering | Page By: Alan Arnette Created/Edited: Sep 22, 2006 / Nov 29, 2008 Object ID: 228110 Hits: 5255  Loading... Page Score: 87.55% - 43 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
It is time. You have made all the arrangements. Time off from work. The best shape of your life. Got the money put aside. And, most importantly, agreement with your spouse. Oh, but there is one more thing … where to go?
As mountaineers we are so lucky. With mountains on every continent and routes that span from walk-ups to impossible, our choices are unlimited. I have been very lucky in my life to experience many of these choices so I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few of the places around the world: Nepal, Pakistan, Argentina, and Alaska.
It is easy to over simply these areas by reducing the comparisons to highest and lowest, yaks versus mules or safe or unsafe. But there is much more to consider.
Cold or Cold?
Let’s start with Alaska. I have been there a few times including a Denali climb. A great place without a doubt. As an American, I found it familiar and convenient. A short airplane ride to Anchorage and then the fun begins. The infrastructure of bush planes makes the entire U.S. state accessible.
The mountains are rugged but not as tall as the Himalayas. The weather is challenging – to put in mildly! Sitting next to the Bearing Sea, Alaskan peaks get hammered. It is not unusual to get socked in for days … and sometimes weeks with heavy snow and brutal cold. But the climbing…
World class routes in all flavors. Take your pick: St Elias, Hunter, Foreaker, Denali or, a great option, a new route. Alaska offers tons of unclimbed routes on unnamed Hills. It is known as the last frontier in America and that it is for climbers as well!
But be careful if you go to Alaska to climb. With the massive variety of routes, awesome views, amazing people and an unlimited opportunity to be really remote - you may never go home.
Mules or Tequila?
Argentina. Word association time: Climbers, what came to your mind? Andes? Touching the Void? Gauchos? Mules? Aconcagua? Well all of the above for me. I have been there twice: a trek in Patagonia and a climb of Aconcagua. Both life changing experiences.
While the mountains are special and the climbing is some of the best in the world, it is the culture and remoteness that sticks in my mind. The Argentines know how to live. I will never forget walking the streets of Mendoza in a tequila haze at 3:00 AM feeling safe and comfortable. The Gauchos, local leaders and shop owners. All polite to a fault. Smiles that make you put your glacier glasses on. A handshake and a look in your eyes that puts you on notice that they are listening to what you are saying. They care.
Driving the pampas of Patagonia, I realized how big the world is and how narrow we sometimes view ourselves. Horizons that never meet the sky. Unlimited potential. Guanacos who graze with a confidence we humans could only hope for. And those towers of Paine’. Stunning
Aconcagua, while not the hardest Hill, it may offer the best lessons for jaded climbers. Take the rare route. Take your time. Take it in. Let Aconcagua become part of you. You will be better for it.
Make my Day 
Let’s get rough. Karakorum climbing that is. The Himalayas in Pakistan leave nothing to the imagination. It is all there. Layed out for anyone to see … or climb. It is in your face daring you to make the next move. Go ahead, “make my day.”
I was speechless trekking the Baltoro glacier on the way to Broad and K2. Peak after peak jutted into the air. Sharp points, steep angles, awkward like your first time – they presented themselves like no other range I have been to.
Hundreds of porters line up to carry our gear. Yes it is a job, but they seem to understand that this is life support for climbers. I got in trouble on the trek to BC. It was the porters that stayed with me - made me tea, cooked me chapattis - got me well. It was not a job.
Not many people go there each year, it is hard to get to, hard to maneuver in, hard to leave. The term "mountain" will be forever re-defined in your mind.
“Good morning Didi"
Everest, the most famous name in mountaineering. Often the sole focus of a trip to Nepal. But there is so much more. I have never returned from Nepal the same. There is something different, something unique and something spiritual about Nepal that borders on a cult-like attraction.
Walking the trails of the Khumbu, mountains with familiar names to mountaineers stand out like street signs in your hometown. The trails are streets. They have staus, queues and embouteillage. You give way – always on the uphill side - to the single-minded yak.
For all the beauty of the Hills, it is the people of Nepal. The women in the teahouses that tirelessly cook the meals, serve tea, offer their’s as yours. The Sherpas, who haul your gear higher and higher, bring milk-tea in the morning; never make you feel like an outsider. You are family – now and forever.
And the climbing. Anything you want. Trekking peaks, dangerous routes, the highest in the world. Whatever. Logistics and support provide a sense of security that is misplaced. Mountains are mountains and Nepal offers them to any takers. But be careful.
And so much more...
So a look at a few places. There are so many more: the Alps, Canada, Rockies, Dolomites, Russia, Vinson and a “few” others! We all have our favorites. The ones we know so well. Would lead anyone to the top given the chance. We bore everyone with our stories. We love to talk about our mountains. After all it is our passion. But … there is so much more out there!
It is easy to focus on the mountains. After all that is what our friends and family relate to. What a shame. What we experience on our Hills is way beyond the mountain or the climb. Yes, our personal struggle against the mountain is often the story we tell but deep in our hearts it is the smile of the local that welcomed us to their world, the smells of the morning after a restless night, the sights that no camera could ever capture, that feeling late at night trying to sleep but also listening to the rhythms of the silence that surrounds us.
Mountains are why we climb. And there is so much more. Images
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