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Getting started in mountaineering

Written by Tom Briggs, October 2007

Jagged Globe offers a range of mountaineering courses and expeditions designed for those who wish to make the transition from hill walker to mountaineer.

At its easiest level, �mountaineering� is a small step up from summer hill walking or trekking. Even on popular �walking� routes on hills in the British Isles, you may need to use your hands and feet to make upward progress over rocky sections of ground. More interesting routes to summits such as Crib Goch on Snowdon or Striding Edge on Helvellyn, are classed as �scrambling� and are given a grade. Enjoying this type of easy �scrambling� is the reason many people become interested in mountaineering.

Scrambling Courses
�Scrambling� wouldn�t normally be considered steep or sustained enough to require the use of rock climbing protection and ropes all of the time. However, on more difficult scrambles, two or more people may rope themselves together to help safeguard themselves when on steeper or more exposed sections. Jagged Globe Scrambling Courses teach you the techniques of �moving together�, which are frequently employed in an alpine mountaineering and expedition setting. This makes these courses particularly relevant if you want to climb in the Alps or in the Greater Ranges. Also, scrambling teaches you about movement over rocky ground and whether you have a head for heights.

Scottish Winter Courses
Scrambling techniques, combined with basic ice axe and crampon skills, provide a solid platform from which you can pursue your mountaineering further. To climb bigger peaks in the Alps or Greater Ranges, you need to be able to move confidently and efficiently over snow and ice, as well as rock. The mountains of Scotland remain a superb training ground for this. Jagged Globe�s Introductory Winter Mountaineering course teaches you how to use crampons, an ice axe and basic ropework. In addition, you will focus on assessing weather and snow conditions, route finding and avoiding hazards such as avalanches or stonefall. Having completed a Scottish Winter Course, you can consider joining an introductory expedition, such as Mera Peak, or an Alpine Course.

Summer Alpine Mountaineering
Summer mountaineering in the European Alps on bigger, glaciated peaks is a step up again from scrambling and winter mountaineering in Scotland. You can join an Alpine Introduction course if you have never been winter mountaineering in Scotland, but at the very least, it is a good idea to have done some scrambling. The course teaches you about the Alpine environment and how to climb securely and efficiently within it. In the Alps in summer, snow and ice freezes overnight, but as it melts during the day, risks are posed from stone fall and from crevasses in the glacier, sometimes hidden by soft snow.

By making an early �Alpine Start� you should climb to your summit and descend before the heat of the day begins to melt the snow and ice and before the threat of afternoon thunderstorms. All of the techniques on the course, whether it be roping-up for glacier travel, crampon and ice axe work or route finding are designed to teach you how to climb efficiently and avoid the hazards which are intrinsic to the alpine environment. These hazards are ever present on bigger peaks in the Himalayas and beyond.

I want to climb a Himalayan Peak!
There are some 6,000m peaks in the Himalayas that can be attempted so long as you have learnt basic mountaineering principles, gained on an Introductory Winter Mountaineering or Alpine Introduction course. A mountain such as Mera Peak in Nepal involves climbing easy-angled snow slopes, using an ice axe and crampons, with ropes used primarily for glacier travel. There is a short �fixed� rope on the final section to the summit and you will need to use a prussik to secure yourself to this rope.

Mera Peak is achievable if you are reasonably fit, healthy and motivated. In addition to your physical training and technical proficiency, less tangible factors influence your performance at high-altitude. For example, you are more likely to focus on staying well-hydrated, remaining relaxed and sleeping sufficiently at high camp and ensuring you have the correct clothing with you on summit day, if your technical skills are intuitive and you are confident about your pre-trip training. You might not be able to do anything about the weather conditions on the day, but the more you prepare for the expedition, the better your chances for reaching the summit.

I want to climb Everest!
Everest endures as a goal for both the amateur climber and the seasoned mountaineer. It is still rare however, that someone without a significant number of high-altitude expeditions under his or her belt is successful in reaching the summit. Jagged Globe has facilitated the attempts on Everest of many climbers over the years, and we know what makes a successful Everest climber. It is in fact quite straightforward and comes down to one fundamental element � previous mountaineering experience.

The level of experience a team member has is almost directly proportional to their chance of reaching the top. As a minimum, we suggest that to attempt Everest, you need to have climbed, or at least had a good crack at another 8,000m peak, such as Cho Oyu. To attempt Cho Oyu, you need a broad base of alpine mountaineering experience and to have climbed at least two or three other mountains of no less than 6,000m.

Climbing Everest is just as much about confidence and mental strength as it is about physical prowess. The ability to look after your health at high altitude, endure hardship and remain positive comes from one�s previous experiences in the mountains. Everest can be climbed within a few years of starting mountaineering, but you must be a proficient, all-round mountaineer to join a well-supported team.

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