Another lunatic joins the club.
Honestly, we love seeing this stage. Every single person who now calls themselves a mountaineer went through exactly the same thing. Nobody knew how to place protection, use crampons or read avalanche forecasts on day one.
Honestly, as the co-founder of Jade Peak, I still remember the first time I tried putting on crampons.
I was standing there looking at them as if they were some sort of medieval torture device while a little girl nearby watched me with the kind of concern usually reserved for people about to make very poor life decisions.
The worst part?
She clearly knew exactly what she was doing.
You didn't know how to do your job on your first day either.
And somehow you figured that out.
Is The Transition Really That Big?
It can be: If you've never carried a backpack, spent long days outside, navigated with a map, dealt with bad weather or climbed steep terrain, then yes, there is quite a bit to learn.
But if you've already done those things, relax a little.
You probably have more of the foundations than you think.
So what actually changes?
The mountain becomes more technical. The challenge becomes "Can I get there safely?"
What Skills Actually Matter?
This is where mountaineering starts separating itself from hiking.
Things you should learn:
Rope management
Lead climbing
Belaying
Building anchors
Gear placement
Crampon techniques
Ice axe skills
Avalanche awareness
Glacier travel
Navigation
Weather assessment
Stress management when things don't go according to plan
The Mountaineering Bible
If there is one book almost everyone recommends, it's Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. People genuinely call it the Bible.
And unlike that sourdough book sitting on your shelf that made you bake bread exactly once during lockdown, this is actually a book you should use.
You won't remember everything.
Nobody does.
But it gives you a map of the skills, systems and knowledge that make up modern mountaineering. Please here in jade peak we recommend the latest edition: 10th edition.
Pick A Goal
One mistake beginners make is trying to learn everything. Don't.
Choose a mountain. The mountain will tell you what skills you need. Not what you find interesting.
Need glacier travel? Learn glacier travel.
Need avalanche knowledge? Learn avalanche knowledge.
Need trad climbing? Learn trad climbing.
The Real Transition
There isn't one. If you're expecting a LinkedIn notification saying "Congratulations, you are now a Mountaineer", you can leave now.
One day you're a hiker.Then you learn a few more skills.Then you spend more time in technical terrain.
Then one day someone asks if you're a mountaineer and you realise you've been doing mountaineering for quite a while already.
Originally published at jadepeak.com.
