Climbing peaks: everything a novice climber needs to know

Conquering peaks is pure pleasure, unique emotions and invaluable experience. But for any ascent you need to be well prepared, in every sense. Therefore, remember the following golden rules of mountaineering.

Mountains require excellent physical fitness. The body must be trained. It is important to exercise systematically – jogging, cross-country, strength exercises – to keep yourself in shape – and eat a balanced diet.

The quality of the equipment plays a role. There are no trifles here, nothing can be forgotten, every D-shaped carabiner is needed and works for safety. And all equipment simply must be from a well-known brand, approved and tested by an experienced instructor.

Choose your company carefully. When climbing a mountain, it is important to have confidence in each member of the group. Remember, with these people you have to overcome dangers, sleep in the same tent, walk together.

Without special skills you can’t get anywhere. You need to be able to tie knots, quickly navigate when weather conditions change, and know and follow safety precautions. To learn all this, you should take classes at a mountaineering school.

Choosing a route for a beginner, an experienced tourist, a professional

There are two options. The first is independent: you can consider the proposals of the company organizing the ascent, and choose the program that seems optimal to you, based on the duration of the trip or, for example, the direction. This way you can go without any problems:

  • on Mont Blanc – to conquer the picturesque Alps;
  • to Ararat – to climb on peak in winter, from the Turkish side;
  • to Orizaba – along the way, discovering exotic Mexico;

and so on. But you can do something even more convenient, simpler, rational – and choose the second option. That is, contact the organizing company for advice so that it can help you decide on the tour.

Let’s see how this works using ExtremeGuide as an example. You contact us and, communicating with the manager, talk about your preferences, skills, and experience of previous mountain climbs. Taking into account your level of preparation, wishes, composition of participants, budget, our employee offers several excellent tours at once. Well, after that we will solve all the issues of organizing your trip.

Climate specifics of mountain peaks in different parts of the world

Each famous massif is unique and gives its own sensations and impressions from the climb.

For example, Kilimanjaro boasts a variety of climate zones. At an altitude of up to 3 km there are tropical forests, it is humid, the temperature during the day does not fall below +26 0C. Another kilometer later there are alpine meadows with wetlands, then a hot wasteland (+30-35 C). And from 5 km above sea level the glaciers begin, with practically zero thermometer readings.

Before climbing Mount Mont Blanc, you need to take into account that its climate is distinctly alpine. So, already at an altitude of 1000 m it is no warmer than 18-19 C, and this is in July. The soil is acidic, the lion’s share of the massif’s area is occupied by glaciers, although some plants are found at 3500-4000 m.

As a true pearl of Egypt, Sinai is truly hot welcomed. Even at the top in summer the temperature will remain up to 18 0C, but be prepared for sharp gusts of wind. The layered rock of the massif is excellent for mountaineering.

You can continue for a very long time, because each mountain has its own microclimate, and therefore its own specifics of climbing, which must be taken into account. When? In preparation for the climb, this is a mandatory stage of any mountaineering trip. And it’s not just about training. Developing a behavior strategy is also important.

Preparation before climbing mountains or mountaineering

Before the summit assault, there are a few key things you need to do:

  • Get yourself into suitable physical shape or test it. For this purpose, there are dozens of mountaineering schools, both in Ukraine and in other European countries, and we, ExtremeGuide, can enroll you in any of them.
  • Choose a program and develop a route for climbing the mountain. You can do this with us, plus we will provide guides who will accompany your group from the starting point to the finishing point and back.
  • Prepare and check equipment. While traveling with us, ExtremeGuide instructors will take care of this issue: specialists will make sure that the equipment is in perfect order.
  • Acclimatize at a suitable (more gentle) altitude. We will arrange it in one of the mountaineering camps.

ExtremeGuide, in principle, takes upon itself the complex organization of the ascent and accompanying recreation, transfers and everything else. Contact us, entrust us with your worries, and focus on storming the summit.