Questions tagged [mountaineering]
This tag should be used on questions that discuss possible places for mountaineering in a specific region; do's and don'ts during a mountaineering expedition; safety and equipment associated with mountaineering; general advice for making it a better experience; etc.
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What size backpack do I need for mountaineering expeditions?
I am trying to decide on a backpack strategy for Himalayan expeditions to 6k-7k peaks. Typically, these involve a few days approach march to the base camp. Then the actual climbing is another 3-5 days ...
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What was the highest mountain climbed without supplemental oxygen, and the lowest one climbed with oxygen, before Messner's 1970 Nanga Parba ascent?
I wonder what the highest mountain (or highest elevation above sea level, not necessarily a summit) had been that was climbed without oxygen and the lowest one that was climbed with oxygen out of fear ...
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When did it become commonplace to rely on Sherpas' technical skills in climbing?
I am rereading Annapurna by Maurice Herzog, the account of the first successful ascent of an eight-thousander, which took place in 1950.
In Chapter VII, the following dialog takes place:
[Lachenal, ...
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At what elevation do 50% or higher percentages of mountaineers report symptoms of altitude sickness?
I've read somewhere that above 2500 meters (8,202 ft) 20% of climbers report having had altitude sickness. IIRC they also wrote that 40% of climbers report altitude sickness above 3500 meters (11,500 ...
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What is the record for the longest amount of time someone spent on the summits of Denali and Aconcagua?
Babu Chiri Sherpa holds the record for the longest time spent on the summit of Mt Everest, about 21 hours. He did so on purpose, and people usually don't spend more than about half an hour at the ...
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How high can one go from sea level without having to worry about altitude sickness?
If you're an average-healthy person from (near) sea level, how high may you climb a mountain before needing to stay at the altitude to acclimatise? Is it alright to go/drive up a 9000 ft (2750 m) ...
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Why aren't ground penetrating radar drones used for hidden crevasse detection
In a few studies, researchers used ground penetrating radar to detect hidden crevasses in alpine regions. Since the cavity of the crevasse refracts and reflects differently than the surround snow, the ...
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6 day trek in Nepal Himalaya
What are some easy/moderate hikes in the Nepal Himalayas that do not span more than 6 days of walking? I looked at Jomsom trek but it is 8 days. I am looking for a trek that offers nice scenic beauty ...
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What is the difference between a Pass and a Col?
Are there any specifics about how to differentiate a Pass and a Col in terms of mountaineering?
For non-mountaineering and non-geographical interests it's all the same.
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Are there something like student mountain guides clubs in Western Europe?
Student mountain guides clubs are very active in Poland. They are organizing non-commercial mountain backpacking trips, where participants have to pay only their part of costs, such as when you travel ...
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What easy 6,500m peaks would serve as easy qualifiers for Everest?
So there's been talk of this for a while, but it seems like the Nepalese government is finally committing and closing Everest to inexperienced climbers. So from now on, as a safety measure, if you ...
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How can I make a winter mountaineering boot into an extreme winter boot?
I am planning to make a winter ascent of a mountain with a height of 4850 meters (15,900 ft). Its summit's lowest and wind-chill temperatures are around -30 C (-22 F) and -40 C (-40 F), respectively. ...
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Garmin watch with vs without maps
I'm looking to get a new Garmin wristwatch.
Broadly, I'm looking at the Garmin Instinct 2/solar and the fenix 6.
Neglecting the price differential, the main difference seems to be that the fenix has 1....
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How do I know what size ice axe I should get?
I'm going to start mountaineering. Is there a recommended size per height/weight for ice axes for general mountaineering?
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What is the highest "hikeable" mountain in the world? [duplicate]
What is the highest mountain in the world that can be hiked all the way up?
That you can go up to the top without any sort of experience climbing.
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What are the pros and cons of ice axe leashes?
My ice ax came with a leash already on it and I have never had any problems with it, but almost all of the other ice axes that I have seen in use lacked one.
One obvious pro is in case of dropping ...
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Is it possible to sleep at an altitude more than 500m above last night?
On a high altitude climb or hike, there is famous safety rule for acclimatization "you should never sleep at an altitude more than 500m above the last night"
One of my hike require to me ...
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Use of high altitude (8000 M) boots at lower altitudes (6500 M)
On Himalayan climbs, good hiking boots (hard or flex soles) will suffice till base camp. Single boots like La Sportiva Nepal Extreme can suffice (in combination with gaiters) till maybe 6000 M peaks ...
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Traversing a knife edge ridge
Are there any specific skills and/or techniques for traversing a knife edge ridge in the mountains? The route to many summits (e.g. Mt. Matterhorn, Mt. Satopanth, etc.) includes sections of traversing ...
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Risk of permanent damage from high to extreme (6000m) ascents
I'd be grateful for any views on the risk of sustaining permanent structural and cognitive changes from a climbing trip to high altitude (5000-6000m) if acclimatisation is reasonable and no HACE/HAPE ...
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Mountain weather archive
Are there any weather, or at least temperature, archives for mountains?
I have read that this information is very spotty, that it is not recorded for many mountains. In searching for this data, ...
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Making a (retrievable) base in soft snow using a pair of ice-axes
When an ice ax is used to make a T slot base in soft snow, it cannot be retrieved after the last climber gets down and has to be left behind.
We were taught and shown (and I have forgotten, hence the ...
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Retrieve ice-screw after descending
Suppose for climbing/rappeling down the team uses ice screws to make the base. Obviously the screw will need to be recovered after everyone has gotten down.
We were taught and shown (and I have ...
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Himalayan mountaineering - pre-monsoon vs post-monsoon
The four seasons in the Indian subcontinent are Winter, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn. The monsoons go on for a few weeks on end, and bring heavy clouds and rains/thunderstorms, and often enough, floods.
A ...
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How do you distinguish mild altitude sickness from mere exhaustion?
Is there a way to discern exhaustion due to altitude sickness from exhaustion due to the climb itself? Of course they go hand in hand but the lower oxygen levels would make you feel even more ...
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How come there's a camp in the "Death Zone" on Mount Everest's north route?
On Mount Everest's north route, the one from Tibet, the uppermost camp ("Assault Camp") is at 27,300 ft (8,300 m) placing it in the so-called Death Zone which begins above 26,200 ft by ...
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Why do Everest climbers go up, down and up again, instead of acclimatizing by simply staying in a camp longer?
To acclimatize to extreme altitude oxygen levels, why do Everest (Chomolungma) climbers go first up and then back down before going up again, instead of staying at say Camp II (21,000 ft; 6,400 m) for ...
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Are there any handy gadgets to increase visibility range in whiteout conditions?
Low visibility in white-out conditions are a common cause of mountaineering accidents/deaths.
I wonder if there are any gadgets that can boost the visibility in such conditions? Can using a thermal-IR ...
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How many "Munro" revisions have there been?
In 1891 Hugh Munro published his list of mountains in Scotland over 3000 feet, since then the list has been revised a number of times and the current total stands at 282.
How many revisions have been ...
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Why is the "alpine style" of climbing not as popular in the Himalayas?
While there have been some accomplished climbers who have done this in the Himalayan peaks, alpine style remains relatively rare in the Himalayas. Most climbing is done in the expedition style with ...
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When does a snowfield become a glacier?
Based on my understanding, glaciers are formed when massive packs of snow gets compressed under their own weight; essentially snowfields are the early stage of glacial formation. When crossing ...
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Correct technique to traverse exposed sandy rock slope
I have hiked quite a lot, and today I challenged myself to an easy 'alpine route'. At one point I came across this exposed slope (Is this considered a scree slope?) Considering that at the base of a ...
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Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
This image has recently come under considerable criticism on social media for dangerous mountaineering practices. The location is unknown as the qualified mountain guide observer wanted to maintain ...
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What makes certain mountains more dangerous than others?
Why do mountains like K2, Nanga Parbat and Annapurna (36 successful attempts, 47 failed) have higher fatality rates than, say, Everest or Cho Oyu (79 successful attempts, 28 failed)? (source)
Can I ...
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Do I need a rope on the Großglockner?
I want to climb Austria's highest peak, Großglockner via the "normal route" (the easiest route).
However, I am unsure what I really need for that.
Most information advices to use ropes with ...
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What is the intention behind webbing the rope through snow?
Please refer the image below. This is a screenshot from the movie Meru which is about the successful attempt of climbing Meru by Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk.
I didn't understand, why the ...
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Are snow shoes useful in mountaineering?
In mountaineering one often encounters snow fields with about knee deep snow that basically needs to be trudged through. This is extremely tiresome, especially at high altitudes. Typically the team ...
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Can an energy absorber or elastic lanyard be used in glacier travel to give greater time to react in case of a fall?
In the case of a roped up team marching along a glacier with some hidden crevasses, the greatest risk is of a team member falling in and then dragging everyone else along before they can self-arrest.
...
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What's the difference between Mountain Hardwear's Trango and AC lines of tents?
Mountain Hardwear presently lists two major lines of mountaineering tents: the Trango series and the AC series. The primary difference seems to be that the Trangos feature a double-wall, are cheaper, ...
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How to prepare for a blizzard while trekking on a mountain pass?
This winter (not sure about the possibility) I'm planning a solo trek across a mountain pass.
It's 3000 m (9800 ft) high and I'm pretty used to high altitudes. I've heard that about 30 ft of snow ...
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Trekking Har ki doon (India): Permits and Guides
We are going to Sankri-Har-ki-doon trek. So, from various sources in internet we found a that a forest permit is necessary for the trek.
From where should we obtain this ? And is it mandatory to hire ...
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How to Maximize Survival Stranded on a Snowy Mountain
I'm looking for survival information similar to what happened to the rugby team in Miracle in the Andes. If a plane crashed on a similar rural mountain range during the winter, what are the important ...
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Fitness for hiking to Everest base camp
I'm wondering what general fitness would suffice to hike to the base camp of Everest? Does it requires special fitness regime and focus on main body parts like legs and core strength?
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Climbing Mount Teide from sea-level
Is it possible to climb Mount Teide from sea-level in 2 days for a reasonably fit person? Essentially, I was thinking of walking up to the Altavista mountain refuge on the first day (can that be done ...
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What conditions should lead an alpine team to abandon a mountain climb/expedition?
This is a very subjective question but the goal is to make a somewhat comprehensive Wiki-style list of, let's call it "mission abandon criteria", that should prompt a team to turn back.
In a siege ...
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How to split 3-5 people into rope teams for glacier travel?
I'm starting to go through the book "freedom of the hills". Somewhere in the initial pages, it states that a climbing party must consist of a minimum of three members. A bit later it states that ...
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Where do I find hiking partners to go on glaciers/mountains?
Is there a well-known free webpage in Europe where you can find hiking partners to go on > 4000 m mountains?
For bouldering and climbing it is usually not a problem to find "new friends", since I ...
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Post-hike shoe care
How do I get rid of bad smell of mountaineering boots / skiing boots which comes from sweaty feet?
I know the best way is preventing that smell by putting them in a ventilated area, but sometimes it ...
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Are "fall-arrester" devices used in climbing/mountaineering?
I came across an interesting looking device on the Petzl website. As per the description,
the mobile fall arresters follow the user automatically as he moves,
whether on an inclined or vertical ...
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Can a regular backpack be worn on top of an avalanche airbag vest?
The majority of avalanche airbag makers seem to package their system in backpacks of varying sizes. If one doesn't wish to get locked-in to a specific backpack, or have multiple backpacks each with ...
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