Hi all, I'm 28 years old and I would like to start working towards some mountaineering. I climbed a fair amount in high school (just bouldering and sport routes), but it has been quite some time. In college I started playing rugby and got up to 240 lbs which made climbing not very feasible. It had always been a dream of mine to climb some of the higher mountains though, and even though my thoughts drifted away from climbing for the past decade or so, recently I just have not been able to get the Himalayas, Andes, etc. out of my head. I can't foresee even having the resources to attempt a serious expedition for several years and I suppose I am more cautious of a person than most climbers I have known. I don't want to try tackling anything big until I feel very confident in my skills. I'm not even sure where the place to hone this skills would be as I don't really personally know people who climb anymore and I live in the southern Appalachians. I plan on doing some fourteeners in the Rockies in the near future but from all I've read there isn't anything that technical, which is just fine with me. Something like Aconcagua seems attractive; really high and not so difficult. But I would like to progress to something a bit more challenging, that not just anybody can get up.So where to start? What are some good things to read, peaks to set my early sights on, activities that could help me prepare (like do I need to get back into sport or even trad climbing, or do I need to start making trips for ice climbing?), etc. I have a degree in exercise physiology so I'm confident I can be optimally conditioned for just about any climb if necessary. Thanks for the help!

Once you get some experience and feel more confident in your skills, look into Orizaba and some of the other volcanoes in Mexico. They are good starter peaks for transitioning to higher altitude climbing.

There's plenty of technical climbing in the rockies, sierras, and cascades. The move in modern alpenism has been away from pure elevation numbers and concentrating on style and technical challenge. Pulling off a car to car ascent of Gannet peak, granite, or rainier in a day is plenty of challenge. Try starting to trad climb and maybe work in some hiking up some of the 5-6,009ft peaks in NC. NC is great training ground if you're based in the southern Apps. I grew up in VA and trad climbed in NC and WV a lot. NC prob has ice in select areas right now as well. New Hampshire's Adams and Washington will get you on ice and snow in very bleak weather. A week ago they had -20 degrees with 110 mph winds.....you won't find more inhospitable weather.

Read Freedom of the Hills and these articles:
http://www.summitpost.org/so-you-want-t ... ier/507227
http://www.summitpost.org/alpinism-101- ... ion/756518

Hey Ruggers! I'm 27 and jumped into my first round of alpine play a few years ago. Listen to the experienced fellows above.

Regarding exuberance, I can relate. And my greatest tips are to 1) have patience (a lot of it), 2) assume everything will take longer than you'd like, 3) enjoy whatever you can around you and nearby. Post the dreams and let them rest. Until then, invest in things you might view as smaller places (than Acon, Himalayas, Karakoram, etc.). There's so much beauty and awesomeness in my area (Seattle, North Cascades) to keep one human busy for many lifetimes. So really get in tune with what's truly out there, wherever you are. Just go play! It'll be a kickass experience man!

ruggersp wrote:Hi all, I'm 28 years old and I would like to start working towards some mountaineering. I climbed a fair amount in high school (just bouldering and sport routes), but it has been quite some time. In college I started playing rugby and got up to 240 lbs which made climbing not very feasible. It had always been a dream of mine to climb some of the higher mountains though, and even though my thoughts drifted away from climbing for the past decade or so, recently I just have not been able to get the Himalayas, Andes, etc. out of my head. I can't foresee even having the resources to attempt a serious expedition for several years and I suppose I am more cautious of a person than most climbers I have known. I don't want to try tackling anything big until I feel very confident in my skills. I'm not even sure where the place to hone this skills would be as I don't really personally know people who climb anymore and I live in the southern Appalachians. I plan on doing some fourteeners in the Rockies in the near future but from all I've read there isn't anything that technical, which is just fine with me. Something like Aconcagua seems attractive; really high and not so difficult. But I would like to progress to something a bit more challenging, that not just anybody can get up.So where to start? What are some good things to read, peaks to set my early sights on, activities that could help me prepare (like do I need to get back into sport or even trad climbing, or do I need to start making trips for ice climbing?), etc. I have a degree in exercise physiology so I'm confident I can be optimally conditioned for just about any climb if necessary. Thanks for the help!

Going to require lots of time and copious cash to get into 'big' mountain high altitide mountaineering. That's why many 8000m climbers are in their 40's and up. They've secured a statues in their careers where time and cash are no longer road blocks to such objectives. Keep this in mind and don't get bummed by starting 'small'.

ruggersp wrote:Something like Aconcagua seems attractive; really high and not so difficult. But I would like to progress to something a bit more challenging, that not just anybody can get up.

That’s so invalid statement.

It’s not the mountain; it’s the route. It’s not the route; it’s the conditions.

However, as many already explained, the Cascades may be your best school or kindergarten if you wish. I fell in love with these volcanoes. They provide all kind of conditions and challengers all year around. They can well prepare you, make you suffer or even take your life, especially if attempted with ignorance.

clmbr wrote:

ruggersp wrote:Something like Aconcagua seems attractive; really high and not so difficult. But I would like to progress to something a bit more challenging, that not just anybody can get up.

That’s so invalid statement.

It’s not the mountain; it’s the route. It’s not the route; it’s the conditions.

However, as many already explained, the Cascades may be your best school or kindergarten if you wish. I fell in love with these volcanoes. They provide all kind of conditions and challengers all year around. They can well prepare you, make you suffer or even take your life, especially if attempted with ignorance.

In his defense, he did state he's a complete noob. The unoficial. Success rate on Acon is 60%.....so apparently not "anybody" can get up it.