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Anyone ever climb a BIG mountain??

David Metsky

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I've done a couple of 14'ers in CO, one as a day hike one as an overnight. The key is acclimatization, hydration, and listening to your body. There's really no way to tell beforehand how your body will adjust to altitude. Some people handle it without trouble, others will have headaches the whole time, others will get sick and have to head down. Fitness doesn't really enter into that part of things; altitude sickness is unpredictable like that.

I've been to 18,000 in Nepal and it was certainly slow going travel, but that was just a walk up. Glacier travel on Rainier is a whole different beast, with real danger from ice falls, crevasses, self-arrest, plus all the altitude problems. Once you gain experience it's something that you can do without a guide, but if this is your first time doing anything like this then a guiding service is really your best bet.
 

kingslug

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I've got some plans to ski Rainier in about a month. We'll watch the weather, and may end up skiing Adams or Baker or something if Rainier doesn't look prime. I've heard pretty much all the same stuff from the people I'm going with. Mostly that you rope up for glacier travel and carry an axe, etc., but it's pretty much just normal hiking.

Full TR will be needed..take pics!
 

Smellytele

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I have climbed Rainier in June. I did not hire a guide. I went up the Fuhrer's finger with my climbing partner who I had been climbing with for 6 years before we went out there. The ice fall was the greatest danger with another party near us with a guide got hit by an ice fall at 3 in the morning. People on the tourist route who did hire a guide fell into a crevasse and one guy from CT died in that group. Hiring a guide you have to deal with other people you never met at different skill levels. The plus of it is that if you get in trouble there is someone with you who MAY be able to help.
I have also climbed the Middle Teton and the Grand Teton with 3 others guys that I had climbed with as well. I have nothing against guides I just think sometimes it gives people the false sense of security and gets people places where they should not be in with the skills they have.
 

Adk_Jeff

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Someone suggested Rainier Mountaineering, and that is excellent advice. I personally have not done any of their courses, but they are very well respected in the mountaineering community.

Several posters recommended bagging some of the Colorado 14ers. You might also consider backpacking / hiking in the Sierra Nevada and bagging some of the 14ers out there. There is some excellent 3rd and 4th class peak scrambling out there that will really give you a taste for climbing some 13-14 thou foot peaks.

I've got trip reports on my blog from climbing the Grand Teton and Gannett Peak (Wyoming's highest peak), The Wind River range, where Gannett is located, is just phenomenal for peak bagging. Long approaches, but plenty of worthy destinations that don't require mega-technical climbing skills.

Jeff
 

goldsbar

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Rainier is a slog up glacier fields if you do the standard routes. I attempted the Liberty Ridge route (google it) which is a harder route up the north face. Made it to Thumb Rock but had to retreat due to weather - think gale force winds, tent bobbing up and down type stuff. Any way you go, it's serious mountaineering. On the low end of serious but serious. You should know all about rope work and how to cross a glacier. We're talking chasms that could swallow a truck - make that 100 trucks.

I strongly suggest the Grand Teton. It's more of the type of mountain climb that most people think of - meaning tons of exposed rock. You'll need rock climbing skills but nothing that hard (well, there are many ways up!). We did one of the classic routes and I think it was rated 5.5. One of the best times I had in my life. Helped that the weather was perfect.

Actually, the trapped dyke route in the Adirondacks up Colden is a classic and a good place to start. Did it in the Winter, not sure how you get to the start when the lake isn't frozen. As good a climb as any but not technically difficult.
 

kingslug

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Hmm..I've never scaled a mountain, just walked up them, well I did have to cling to the wall at TUX for some time but never rope work. I would like to try Pipeline at Snowbird as that is a hairy slog..and you get to ski at the end. Just wish I lived closer to real mountains. 12 mile 14 peak slog through the Hudson valley coming up...
 

Adk_Jeff

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Goldbar's suggestion of the Trap Dike is an excellent one, a classic Adirondack mountaineering route. In fact, many of the slide climbs in the Adk High Peaks make excellent routes to get a taste of mountaineering. There's plenty of info out there on the Trap Dike and many other slide routes as well, feel free to pm me if you want any more info.

Jeff
 

ski stef

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I've done a couple of 14'ers in CO, one as a day hike one as an overnight. The key is acclimatization, hydration, and listening to your body. There's really no way to tell beforehand how your body will adjust to altitude. Some people handle it without trouble, others will have headaches the whole time, others will get sick and have to head down. Fitness doesn't really enter into that part of things; altitude sickness is unpredictable like that.

I've been to 18,000 in Nepal and it was certainly slow going travel, but that was just a walk up. Glacier travel on Rainier is a whole different beast, with real danger from ice falls, crevasses, self-arrest, plus all the altitude problems. Once you gain experience it's something that you can do without a guide, but if this is your first time doing anything like this then a guiding service is really your best bet.

Wow 18,000 is BIG...I'd love to go to Nepal.

Marievdk and I are thinking about hiking Mt. Bross (14,172) Monday or Tuesday of this week and are trying to get prepared for it..... Thanks for those words, we were just going to start walking but realizing that we definitely need to probably take it a little more serious. We are both in great shape but she is coming from a lower altitude so we will definitely keep an eye out for each other..hopefully the weather is nice. Snow shoes aren't needed anymore which will be good but I guess we will take our time. Any other advice? Bringing the dogs with us...do we need to watch out for them?
 

skiberg

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I've climbed Ranier and the Grand Teton as well as dozens of times up Washington in the Winter. I am happy to lend any advice i can. You definitely should use a guide on Ranier. Winter conditions can happen year round, avalanche and glacier travel and crevasses. You best have some idea of how to do a crevasse rescue and identify unstable snow if you are on that hill.
 
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