SummitPost.org

Note: I don't know where else to put this since it encompasses the entire world, so i am putting it here for now.

I've been thinking recently, and this is something I really want to do but cannot find anyone who can get the time to do this. I am looking for someone to do a full year long mountaineering tour of the world, starting around new years 2017 (exactly 1 year from now) and lasting throughout 2017 and likely into part of 2018. Ideally I could find one person who would like to travel the world for a full year, rather than just plan dozens of shorter trips with a bunch of people. The main thing we would focus on is mountaineering fairly big mountains and obscure peaks that pose distinct challenges varying from altitude, remoteness, technical difficulty, and climate. Other interests would include big rock climbing routes up to 5.10 and long treks. I am realizing more and more each day that I only have one life to live and there is no point wasting it away working every waking day with only a few weeks off each year.

Obviously, anyone interested would need to be somewhat prepared with a decent chunk of cash but I want to do this bad enough I am more than willing to help financing a potential partner for this trip (I will be working a good job all this year).

Below is a possible generic route but it can really be changed. I would like to follow summer so we don't have to worry about staying in too many hostels and motels and just camp everywhere we go.
The likely route would have us start in south america from jan-march visiting mainly Chile and Argentina for a few months, then in April head north and go to Ecuador/Colombia for a month. Then from may through June head to Europe and hit the alps and dolomites and other nearby areas in mainland Europe for a couple months. In July we would go to Norway and Sweden for some rugged Scandinavian mountain climbing, then spend some time in iceland. August we could then head back west to Alberta and BC for climbing in the Canadian coast ranges and Canadian Rockies. In September we can spend in the US working on climbs I haven't done in WA, and MT.

From that point on, we would head to Australia and new Zealand for a few months to climb in the southern alps.

If you're serious about this feel free to reply. Ideally you'd be just as crazy about mountain climbing as me!

Do it. If I didn't have family obligations I'd be there with you! You can always find work...but the clock ends for us all.

I have thought about this before : if-you-could-do-a-1-year-mountaineering-trip-t69491.html

I would be interested in doing something like this but wouldn't have the technical climbing skills to do what you are suggesting, I could only do more of the less technical climbs. Very interested to see how you go ☺

How old are you?

I'm 25...

Take Scott P along. He's working on a list.

A couple of years ago I met a Norwegian at Red's Meadow in California who was wrapping up a two-year trekking/climbing tour. (He was hiking the JMT to Yosemite Valley for a finale of big wall climbing.) He started in Patagonia setting out to cover most of the world's major ranges but ended up spending 18 months climbing in the Andes alone! Regardless he was having a blast.

Vitaliy M. would be someone I'd contact.

The likely route would have us start in south america from jan-march visiting mainly Chile and Argentina for a few months, then in April head north and go to Ecuador/Colombia for a month.

If you can, maybe reverse the order. April is the worst month to climb in Ecuador by far.

Thanks for that info Scott... I'll plan accordingly

Marmaduke wrote:Vitaliy M. would be someone I'd contact.

His climbing goals are likely much different than mine, but if our climbing interests do happen to align more than I think they do, his climbing abilities are much, much higher than mine.

ozarkmac wrote:ended up spending 18 months climbing in the Andes alone! Regardless he was having a blast.

Now this I could do sounds awesome.

I've done this twice. First time for 1.5 year and second time 3.5 years. It would be difficult to do it with just one person. The hardest thing to do is to be with someone 24/7 for that long of a period. Having partners for different parts might work better. Having said that, I would be interested in some of the trips. Let's keep in touch.

PS, there is no way I can take a year off, but Kessler and I may be able to join you for the part around Christmas/New Year's if you wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind a crack at some of the peaks in the Lake District, Patagonia, Ecuador, or Colombia. I speak passable Spanish and have a fair amount of experience in the Andes (but nothing harder than AD).

kevin trieu wrote:I've done this twice. First time for 1.5 year and second time 3.5 years. It would be difficult to do it with just one person. The hardest thing to do is to be with someone 24/7 for that long of a period. Having partners for different parts might work better. Having said that, I would be interested in some of the trips. Let's keep in touch.

PM to be sent.

Awesome plan, but I won't go on a trip that long myself; I've gone on trips up to a few months, but whenever I come home from something like that, my knees need time to recover. I believe a year would do too much damage to them.

Matt Lemke wrote:... from may through June head to Europe and hit the alps and dolomites and other nearby areas in mainland Europe for a couple months.

This isn't the best time for many of the mountaineering routes in the Alps. It's no coincidence that few mountain huts open earlier than the middle of June. That said, some of the difficult ice covered north faces can in fact be in excellent condition in May and June. On the flip side, the normal descent routes may have a whole lot more snow, to the point that climbing any of the north faces becomes a very serious undertaking indeed.

A case in point is the Lenzspitze. Its NE face is one of the biggest steep ice routes in the Alps. I considered climbing it a couple of years ago, looked for information. Late spring is probably the best time for it, though conditions can still be good later in the year too. However, you also have to get down again and that means following one of the three summit ridges. The problem is that these will still have a lot of snow early in the season, which can make them a lot harder than without it. Even in good conditions this will be a long trip; in poor conditions you can find yourself descending a difficult route in the dark, or you may be forced to bivvy up there somewhere, and I'm not sure if there are half way decent bivvy spots to begin with.


Lenzspitze and Nadelhorn. One of the easier descent routes from the Lenzspitze follows the ridge to the Nadelhorn (which is actually a little higher than the Lenzspitze). Imagine having a forced bivvy up on that ridge somewhere!

Cheers, Rob