Mountaineers Unite!

I've discounted these courses to be a stupid low price.

There is no catch, I am a certified Rock Guide and Apprentice Alpine Guide looking to fill in my schedule as some of these dates get closer.

Only $250 for a two-day course on Mount Baker. Bring your own gear OR we have gear to rent as well.

https://www.accessthealpine.com/2-daycrevasserescue

Hey everyone,

I wanted to circle back with the group here, as if it wasn’t for a recommendation I was given on Reddit, I wouldn't have had the same incredible experience!

Long story short, I'm relatively new to mountaineering, having only climbed Caraihuarizo and Cayambe in Ecuador last year. Cayambe felt like the greatest accomplishment of my life, and ever since, I’ve been hooked on mountaineering. My ultimate goal is to summit Alpamayo 😃

Looking to build my technical experience, I booked a trip to Peru in May to climb Vallunaraju, Yanapaccha, and Ulta Chico. All three climbs were successful, although we originally planned to climb Pisco. We changed plans at the last minute due to the challenging conditions on Yanapaccha and the need for a break.

The company I used was Peruvian Climbs, and Manuel was my guide. He was incredible! The logistical coordination was perfect, with every detail meticulously planned. The food, the people on his team, and the overall experience were spectacular. What truly set Manuel apart was his genuine interest in ensuring my success. He provided me with the confidence, motivation, and support needed to summit each mountain, all while maintaining a perfect balance of safety.

I just wanted to share my experience with you all in case you had any questions

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Thank you all for the recommendation that truly made my entire trip a success! 🌄💪

Hey everyone,

I recently started planning my Rainier climb for 2025 and am debating between a guide service and unguided climb.

I've done Mt St Helen's twice and Mt Hood once. I'm hoping to do Mt Adams this year as well.

I would ideally like to do it unguided but I would need to take a crevasse rescue course before the climb. The other issues is that, being from Michigan, I don't know anyone else that could group up for the climb.

Guided climbs seem a little too easy if that makes sense. I don't want to climb rainier just to get to the top. Last time I was at rainier, I saw a guide service teach people how to wear their backpacks properly. It definitely put a bad taste in my mouth about guides. I don't want to waste time being taught things that I already know. I also don't want to be forced to climb on a day with bad weather just because that was the scheduled summit day.

I've also had people I've met climbing say that rainier is less scary overall that hood and you don't really need a guide. I've always been skeptical about that though.

I want to be safe without being babied.

I'm hoping to get some advice and tips from people that have actually climbed rainier before.

Thanks in advance.

For context, I Intend on doing Ice climbing 2-4 times a year and glacial/snow field type mountaineering maybe once or twice a year. Any recommendations for more affordable step-ins, or are the La Sportiva Evo types going to be the best bet?

I was under the impression that Grivel has been selling all their crampons with anti-balling plates for decades now. Am I wrong?

And yes I know I should've asked for pictures, I'm an idiot.

Looking to get up here in the next couple of months. We don't want to spend on a guide (have experience). What route/itinerary would you suggest for 2-3 days? Thanks.

I'm an armchair mountain climber and I'd like recommendations of climbing books beyond what I've already read (below). I like the most: 1) Himalayan part of the world, 2)audiobooks 3)Non-fiction

Annapurna (Arlene Blum) Can't find Herzog in audiobook

Boys of Everest

Beyond the Mountain

The Climb

Climbing Everest - Writings of George Mallory

Dark Summit

Deadly Race to the Himalayas

Denali's Howl

Epic - Survival Mountain Peaks

Edmund Hillary - A Biography

Everest Inc.

Everest 1953 - Story of the First Ascent

Everest: Mountain Without Mercy Everest

Forces at play in an Everest expedition

Forever on the Mountain

Ghosts of K2 The Epic Saga of the First Ascent

Hidden Mountains (Johnathan McClain)

High (Clint Willis)

High Crimes

High Drama - Rebirth of Climbing

High Exposure (David Breashears)

Hunt for Mount Everest - History

Into Thin Air

K2: Life and Death

The Ledge - Survival on Mount Rainier

Shook (Legendary Mountain Guide, Everest)

Lost in the Valley of Death (backpacker in India)

A Manual for the Climber as Athlete

Moments of Doubt - 20 Mountain Writings

Master of Thin Air (Andrew Lock)

The Next Everest (Jim Davidson)

No Shortcuts to the Top

The Third Pole

The Will to Climb (Annapurna)

Hey yall! I have a Cotopaxi Hooded Down Jacket. I reached out to their customer support to have it repaired and they agreed, but I need to make sure it is clean before I send it in.

My jacket has one very slight stain on the front but ultimately looks lightly worn, except the tear. I'm wondering, has anyone sent theirs in without being washed and have had it successfully repaired? Or is there a way to hand wash it without getting the down wet?

If it matters, the tear is on the right elbow and is smaller than a pencil head. One of my ideas to wash it included putting waterproof fabric tape over the rip, but I'm worried that won't hold.

I'm looking to climb rainier this summer, likely around the end of july but that might change based on the group. I currently have one friend who is also interested in coming. Some details:

About me: besides a lot of traditional hiking/backpacking, I've done a mountaineering course on mount baker, climbed mount washington and mount adams in NH in the winter, and have climbed multiple 14'ers in colorado. I'd also describe myself as fun but thoughtful in the mountains. I care a lot about preparedness and being safe.

About my friend: same as me but has done a lot more winter hiking/mountaineering/ice-climbing, and did a 2 week course on a glacier in Alaska.

About the trip: We want to do a self-guided trip, either up the DC route or emmons depending on conditions and how the team feels in terms of preparedness.

About you: we're looking for someone who is in shape and has some experience in winter hiking/mountaineering. You don't need to be an expert in crevasse rescue (as of right now), but we also don't want someone who has never worn crampons before.

If you're at all interested or curious to learn more, please send me a DM and we'll chat!

This weekend I climbed Mt. Shasta (west face gully, highly recommend just for camping in hidden valley which is magical!) and ended up getting really sick on the way down. I had pretty significant shortness of breath, multiple episodes of vomiting, and severe fatigue. I had been a tired and had some nausea above 11,000 ft but nothing significant. I tend to deal with some mild nausea on climbs- especially with alpine starts (happened on Rainier and Adams but nothing like what happened on Shasta). Thankfully I was with a really strong team and was able to descend safely and am almost recovered with some leftover fatigue.

My question is- what can I do to try and prevent this in the future. I’m really trying to figure out what I might have done better- I am a pretty fit, moderately experienced climber. I’ve heard mixed things about using medication? I think I was decently hydrated. I would appreciate anyone’s experience with having AMS and what you did after to recover/prevent it happening again.

Thanks so much!

So, someone offered me a trad rack (13 cams, and about 11 chocks) for $700. Half the gear is unused, the other has been used max 3 times with no falls. Cams are really the some of the last items on my list.

I’ve been trying to slowly build my kit, but it’s expensive and I’m happy I’ve got the ability to get something like that trad kit (I haven’t bought from yet, so what do you guys think? A steal?). Thing is, I’ve gone climbing and mountaineering before a couple times, and I LOVE it. But, I have no one to go with. Is it worth setting up my own kit right now? Any advice?

Thank you!

Looking for a mountaineering boot to tackle things in the PNW. Will be doing Shasta soon as well. Was thinking on getting the Makalu. However I don’t see a lot of folks talk about them anymore. Curious what your thoughts are.

Hi guys, I am currently trying on the La Sportiva G2 Evo and the Mammut Nordwand 6000 High boots. (There are no shops in my area that has these boots in stock to try on, so I’ve had them sent to my home). Both boots fit well, though I notice that the inner boot/liner of the G2 is a little hard round the ankles which makes it more uncomfortable than the Mammuts, however the G2’s are far easier to take on or off, and the build quality feels better. I feel the liner makes a huge difference in these boots, (when I use the Mammut’s liner in the G2, the G2 feels great!) which makes me question which would be a better choice for me. Does anyone have any experience using liners from other brands (for instance Intuition) in these boots?

Hi all,

I know that this is a long shot but I lost a GoPro Hero 4 on the Mountaineers Route of Mt Whitney this Thursday (5/16). It was in a clear, waterproof case and I believe that it fell out of my pocket near the ledges but before the river.

If anyone has found it, I would really appreciate getting it back, and would pay for the shipping to get it.

Hello -

I do most of my climbing in the Pacific Northwest/Cascades and I got tired of lugging up my old Cubes in the summer and recently bought a pair of LS Aequilibrium boots. I've only used contact strap crampons and these boots call for a semiautomatic. Any recommendations?

Debating between the Petzl Irvis Hybrid, the https://www.rei.com/product/221871/black-diamond-neve-pro-crampons. The https://us.blueice.com/products/harfang-crampon-s22 look interesting too. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Hi there! I'm heading to Gran Teton National Park in mid-June and am interested in summiting the Grand Teton. I have researched the trek and understand that a short 5.4 chimney needs to be cleared at the end of the climb, the crux. I have most of the equipment and stamina to do the trek in one day, but when I call guiding agencies, they keep pushing me for $2000-$3500 multi-day packages that include training, etc.

My questions:

What are the conditions like in mid-June? What equipment would I need? Is a one-day climb possible?

Do you happen to know any guides I could reach out to?

About me:

I have climbed 20+ 14ners across CO, CA, and WA, including Williamson, Tyndall, Wetterhorn, Sneffels, and Rainier (via Kautz). The rainier summit was a guided seminar.

Going to Shasta for the first time with a buddy in two weekends - plan is to camp at Hidden Valley and ascend the West Face, then ski back down West Face. My questions

1. Assuming everything is still snowy - can I get away with a REI Half Dome 2 person 3 season tent if we use extra stakes, guy it out well and build some solid snow walls around the tent?

I have a small “2 person” MH single walled 4 season tent but I’d rather have the roomier, better ventilated 3 season tent for two+ people if possible. Looks like the wind comes from the west, which worries me a bit

1. How are conditions looking? Anyone been up there recently?

Thanks!

the mt hood ranger instagram is saying that it’s really icy right now does anybody think the conditions will improve by next weekend?

I am searching for a ultralight harness for via ferratas as well as classic mountaineering purposes (no wall climbing). Maybe some glacier trips in future, but no ski mountaineering. I would like to go as light as possible, so padding is not necessary.

I found several lightweight harnesses, e.g. Blue Ice Choucas (Pro), Camp Alp Race/Alp CR or Edelrid Loopo Air.

What is the practical difference between a harness with a belay loop vs. a harness with two tie-in loops?

Does the latter have disadvantages with regards to abrasion or longetivity? I often see that ultralight ski mountainering harnesses do only have those tie-in loops instead of one belay loop. Is this suitable for classic mountaineering nevertheless?

Hey guys, I’m an avid hiker and climber, and want to level up and get into mountaineering. I’m in SoCal and will be starting off with Baldy, Whitney, and over the years move my way up to Rainer and eventually Denali and beyond. I guess my point in saying that is, I plan on having some longevity in mountaineering so I’d want to buy gear under the notion of ‘buy once cry once’ haha. Anyways, with the minimal research I’ve done I’ve been eyeing the Grivel G12s for my crampons and the La Sportiva Nepal Cube for my setup. What do you guys Think? For my use case would you recommend anything else? Thanks in advance!