Hot answers tagged mountaineering
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You cannot book most huts in advance. You simply arrive and get a place to sleep. If you're late then you will have to sleep on the floor. Places are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. I speak from (limited) experience.
I haven't slept in huts much, but I've visited quite often, and most are quite basic. There are some modern huts that can be ...
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One possibility is the trek to Gosaikund - also known as the "Frozen Lakes". It can be done in six days walking. However, I'm not sure I would call it easy- the first day, especially, will be very strenuous. However, it's a very pretty trek, and the first two days are very rewarding. Another advantage is that it's relatively close to Kathmandu, which means ...
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These letters stand for Basic and Technical
The real differences are:
B's are lighter, relatively cheap and not recommended for technical climbing. They are considered general mountaineering axes.
T axes are heavier and much stronger. They will cope with technical climbs and be much more durable.
Aside from that, they look similar and the same styles ...
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I would recommend an American Alpine Institute mountaineering course.
For a mountain like Elbrus, you are probably most interested in their 3-Day Glacier Skills and Crevasse Rescue course, but the Alpinism Intro and Baker Skills and Climbs might also be appropriate.
AAI guides are top-notch, and although I have not personally taken this course a friend of ...
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I have heard that RMI (one of the places you listed) is great as well as Alpine Assents, but neither are very formal in the guide education area. Try taking a look at National Outdoor Leadership School. They have a pretty well setup program and work with some schools to get you credit (if you need it) They are pretty thorough and offer a 17 day course and a ...
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If you are expecting snowy and wet weather then I would suggest following the concept of "layering", with a base layer of merino wool, and a hard shell jacket and pants (Gore Tex or similar) as the outer layer. If it is raining or snowing quick dry clothes have a hard time drying as the air is already very humid. Quick dry clothes are not typically very ...
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One place you can look is in an appropriate online hiking/mountain forums. For example, in CouchSurfing there's a group called mountain hiking. It has a subgroup called alpine enthusiasts. It looks like there are posts there of people trying to arrange hiking trips in the Alps, which would be a good place to find partners without knowing someone beforehand. ...
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Beal Ropes has a guide that covers this. Read the page but two images for quick reference:
A robust half rope such as the Mammut Genesis is probably a very good choice; such a rope is much lighter than a 10mm Single but still has a thick sheath.
See also: A Comparison of Stretch and Forces Between Low- and High-Stretch Ropes During Simulated Crevasse ...
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When exactly do you plan to go? If you head over there in mid-late June, you should be completely fine without reservations. High-season for European trekkers doesn't start until much later in the summer (around mid-July), and the trails and huts will be significantly less crowded earlier in the summer.
Otherwise, I would strongly suggest booking your huts ...
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This doesn’t really answer the question, but it’s good to know that waiting for the mountain rescue team to dig you out of an avalanche is wrong, because there’s preciously little time left. About 90 % of the people survive the first 15 minutes under the snow, but after half an hour the number sharply drops to 30–40 %. Here’s one graph (source):
This ...
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The essential items are a jacket and boots. You need a decent waterproof and windproof jacket with a good hood. The jacket must be properly waterproof (eg GoreTex or similar) and not just water resistant. You should also have a decent pair of waterproof boots. If you're taking one of the popular routes and staying on paths/tracks then lightweight summer ...
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If I was going, I would bring something like what I brought for an overnight walk from Braemar to Aviemore in the Cairngorms at the start of February some years ago.
So apart from gloves, hat/scarf or balaclava - base layer top and bottom, hard shell jacket and pants, gaiters, a 100wt fleece and a 200wt fleece (giving 3 options for warmth) and for a day ...
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There are also excellent hiking books that describe hikes along with their difficulty. Even if the description may take some work to decipher (although with a dictionary and some time you should be able to), the route sketches, estimate for duration and difficulty can be quite helpful.
I recommend På tur i Lofoten which contains a whopping 193 descriptions ...
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Mountaineering ice axes serve a few simple functions: self-arrest, belay, and T-anchor. (And occasionally cutting steps, but hopefully by the time you're doing that, you will already know what you like.)
For belay and T-anchors, any length of axe is fine.
For self-arrest, however, there are some factors you could consider:
In self-arrest, you are ...
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