SummitPost.org

Hi Guys,

My name is Emma. I am 27 and from UK.

I have just read 'Into Thin Air' and Bear Grylls Everest book. I have never ever been interested in mountains but just fancied the read when I was in waterstones looking for a good book. I adore walking as I dont drive but have never climbed in my life (although i did a mini hike up mount vesuvius in Italy 2 weeks ago).

My husband and I are going to Nepal to do the Everest base camp trip for 2 weeks so we are currently both getting in shape.

I am off to climb Cada Idris in Wales on Sunday (pathethic I know) and Snowdon in a few weeks.

What other mountains in the UK or abroad are good for learning on?

My dream is to in a few years time to Kilamanjaro and Mont Blanc....providing i dont get altitude sickness

no but i do run on the beach sometimes and i am a professional belly dancer so i dance 3 times a week so i am reasonably fit.

It is like a whole new world has been opened up to me.

I have never been into hiking. I used to walk into Millets or camping stores and be bored to tears if i needed to buy a waterproof for a camping holiday but yesterday I spent 2 hours looking around for walking boots!!!

I am now going to buy Mallorys writings.

All my friends are laughing at me and saying it is all a phase band how I wont last 5 mins trying base camp but I have a new found sense of sheer determination

Thanks

I picked up Joe Simpsons book yesterday but didnt end up buying it as the queue was massive!!

I shall make that my next read

Have I left it too late to get into this now??

thanks so out of interest where have you climbed and what are your goals next??

wow thats amazing good luck

There are many good books to read. A well known classic is the story of the first ascent of Annapurna. It's abit... detailed about certain parts but it's a good book I thought anyway. It's called "Annapurna" by Maurice Herzog. It was written right after he came back from doing it (they ascended in 1950). Really quite a feat what they did. I can fully understand what you're going through having been completely bitten by the mountain bug. I always enjoyed hiking and camping etc but thought rock and mountain climbing was something only someone with alot of expendable cash could do so never really looked into it. But a couple of years ago I did and there's no turning back now!

guys what is a throll??

I know what you mean...being from a lazy family who were more into music and fashion and booze and fags I was never encouraged as a child to do anything like this.

I shall read the book you have suggested thanks.

I always thought mountain climbing and trekking was for posh folks or those who just loved the outdoors and have always done it.

Now I can see it is attainable to pretty much anyone.

I literally was in the travel section at Waterstones looking for books on Nepal or Sri Lanka for my next holiday then found myself enxt to the adventure section and started nosying at south and north pole books to pass the lunch hr then I came across Into Thin Air and read it in Italy and now Im bitten and off to base camp trek in April (providing i can get a loan!)

I do worry about altitude sickness as I got it up Mount Teide in Tenerife!! It is onl 12000 feet but I got dizzy and felt so short of breath but i have since learnt going up in a bus in one day is bound to be a shock to the system and to trek slowly will help.

sigh sigh sigh

Just googled it...no I am not a Troll!

I just thought this site was a good place to start.

Never mind

emmieuk wrote:Hi Guys...

Hi Emma

Cadair Idris a pathetic mountain! I don't think so. Height doesn’t necessarily relate to quality, and if you live in Liverpool, you’ve got plenty of good mountains just down the road. Snowdon, the Glyders, Carneddau are all great little mountains to visit (but then again, being Welsh I would say that!). The Lakes or even Scotland aren’t that far away either.

While summer hiking in the UK will get you fit and used to a bit of self reliance, it isn’t really going to help you much for Europe’s bigger mountains. My advice is to get some winter days in, though be sure you know what you’re doing first and have the appropriate kit etc (people, experienced and inexperienced alike, are hurt or killed every year here). We had a great winter this year, so fingers are crossed for the next one!

FYI, the BMC, along with the Jonathan Conville Trust, run a series subsidised winter/Alpine courses each year, which are excellent, and I would say essential, if you’re lacking experience and have no one to teach you. You have to apply for the courses, and there’s no guarantee that they will accept you, but I highly recommend giving it a go as they are very good value for money. Check out the following links:

http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1166
http://www.jcmt.org.uk/

Do you rock climb at all? Having a bit of basic knowledge on rope work will definitely help you along (the competition for getting on the Alpine course is particularly fierce).

Good luck!
Dan

(By the way ignore the troll stuff, every single climbing site on the net is the same...)

Thanks Dan!

I may end up bugging you in the future for help on Welsh Mountains to climb!

I will check out those courses.

I have done literally nothing before...i only walk because I cant drive put it that way but I do love going on long walks in Wales and in the Lakes but never attempt the climbing parts!!

If there is no one to teach you is it possible to still go on treks? Companies like Mountain Madness over treks to various Mountains and never ask for experience just tell you to get fit! Even for Mont Blanc.
I want to learn properly though and not just be someone who pays for the thrill but has no concept of the bigger picture...ya know...

Buy "Freedom of the Hills" and read it cover to cover. It's the go-to book for any aspiring alpinist...... and then train, train, train.
good luck....
john

Where I am there really isn't much of anything as far as a mountain would go, for at least a 2-3 hour drive. So I do alot of hiking in the woods, running, biking that sort of thing. As far as rock climbing experience there's a local gym but I like practicing on the real stuff. Then I discovered bouldering. It's a great way, IMO to gain some on the rock experience and it's great at strengthening you too. Pretty much everywhere has some spot to practice on. Sometimes it's a trick to find though. I particularly like the one I found because nobody really goes there, it's not as common usually as rock climbing I guess, at least not where I'm from. Best to have a partner though for safety. I'm sure you could find a spot somewhat near you if you were interested in that sort of experience.

emmieuk wrote:Thanks Dan!

I may end up bugging you in the future for help on Welsh Mountains to climb!

I will check out those courses.

I have done literally nothing before...i only walk because I cant drive put it that way but I do love going on long walks in Wales and in the Lakes but never attempt the climbing parts!!

If there is no one to teach you is it possible to still go on treks? Companies like Mountain Madness over treks to various Mountains and never ask for experience just tell you to get fit! Even for Mont Blanc.
I want to learn properly though and not just be someone who pays for the thrill but has no concept of the bigger picture...ya know...

No problem, bug away! Always happy to promote my local(ish) hills.

If you go on one of these courses you shouldn't need guides, as they teach you the skills you need to summit by yourself. Just hit the easier routes/mountains first and work from there.

Good luck on Cadair by the way, the weather's not looking too good...

jvarholak wrote:Buy "Freedom of the Hills" and read it cover to cover. It's the go-to book for any aspiring alpinist...... and then train, train, train.
good luck....
john

The ONLY book to start with.

Welcome. This is an amazing place to start. You can find info on anything and get advice from other people.