sharperblue wrote:Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:There is NOTHING better than alpine rock climbing.
precisely! thank you!
Agreed!
But to answer your question, it really depends on what kind of objectives you set for yourself. If you intend on just doing class 1 and 2, long slow slogs, that kind of thing, then they're won't be much benefit. If you start scrambling, however, things where you'll be using both your hands and your feet, it will be a big boost. One, you'll be much more solid on the rock; and, two, you'll be much more confident moving quickly and safely on that type of terrain.
Given how big mountains are and how quickly weather can change, speed often equals safety. If you're scrambling up a long ridge, you'll need the skills and strength to get up and down fast. Also, climbing often puts you in situations that you hadn't intended. You could slip off an easy ridge and need to climb a steep wall to get back on route. You could get off route and need to climb something to continue or retreat, etc., etc., etc.
You need to learn to climb rock, however, No big plastic holds in the mountains. Lots of good cragging in the UK. Take a lesson and learn on the real thing. The gym is just a place to get fit. Unless you have an underlying skill set on the real thing, IMHO gyms are pretty close to being worthless.