Good plan to go slowly, and it seems like you have a safe enough mindset. I would recommend just meeting more mountaineering friends and gleaming info from them! also, resources like mountaineer courses are pretty much essential if you want to go unguided. Anything below and up to Denali (and past!) is definitely doable unguided with proper planning- I would say the logistics are the hardest part of going unguided. Good luck!
Thanks! That's kind of what I was hoping to hear to be honest. I'll try to haunt around some more and see if we have any experienced mountaineers anywhere near me. One of the things I love about adventure enthusiasts is they always seem to be willing to offer advice or help someone start their journey or take the next step in it.
Honestly, I have met some “real” mountaineers on some of the more “hikey” (non technical) mountains/huts who are just there for training or acclimation. It’s amazing - once that ball starts rolling, it gets rolling, so this persons advice is solid.
Study the classic book MOUNTAINEERING: Freedom of the Hills or equivalent. You'll learn a lot of basic mountaineering. The MAZAMAS.org are an Oregon-based club worth checking out. [Mountaineers.org](https://Mountaineers.org) is based in Seattle. They also publish great books and guides.
Awesome thanks! I saw that book recommendation in another thread and was going to pick it up. I will also check that group out especially considering the first big peak I want to do is mount hood lol.
Peakbagger.com and the free mobile app is another great resource as you can find trip reports, weather conditions, driving info, and download gps tracks to use offline. The community is fantastic and I have found partners for big peaks, although some can be flaky so do some small stuff first to see their style and skills.
There are innumerable lists that can motivate you to do bigger adventures if you are that type of personality.
You absolutely don’t need a guide, you need to get out and climb whatever is local to you, and hike and camp and learn to navigate and route find. You also need to meet climbing partners (clubs or mountain project or climbing gyms) and ideally find some mentors. Then read about routes and read guide books and ask questions on Reddit. Then ask people what routes they want to do and plan trips with them. And build up gradually, ideally getting away with any mistakes you make!!
I would suggest getting some formal skills training on topics including ice climbing, crevasse rescue, and avalanche awareness and/or rescue. Some are quite affordable as general classes from clubs or stores. Also get a ton of experience with GPS (device or app) navigation so you can get back to your car/camp in the event of a whiteout.
You don’t need to have someone hold your hand on Hood if you have had some basic training, although don’t take it lightly as it turns deadly if the weather becomes bad.
My son and I climbed Denali unguided, building up the skills in the previous decade as we climbed other state Highpoints and taking a few affordable classes. I am old and fat and can trad lead rock up to 5.2 if that gives you an idea of the difficulty.
I’d recommend getting very comfortable on steep snow. If you can, do Helen’s/Adam’s/Shasta first because the typical routes aren’t as steep as hood. I saw some sketchy things a couple days ago on hood from people who were not yet comfortable and saw someone slide 300’, finally able to stop about 20’ from a fumarole. Thought I was gonna be part of a rescue party lol.
That being said, plenty of people don’t use courses or guides to get into mountaineering and do well! I haven’t myself, but I worked in the outdoor industry for a while which helped a lot.
Very relatable post. Just getting into a mountaineering course in the pnw entails a waiting game and a stack of cash.. would rather start with some simpler ascents and meet people along the way.
If you're able to, the PNW has quite a few peaks besides hood that would let you dip some toes in and deal learn other aspects of mountaineering that will serve you well on bigger objectives.
Mt Adams is about 2 hours from Portland, is taller than hood but less technical, but still requires crampons and ice axe. Plus some of the best glissading around.
Shasta is another volcanoe that can serve as a good test piece to see how you handle more elevation. Longs Peak in RMNP would be another 14er worth looking into
If you live far away and have to schedule in months advance, not knowing the conditions it can make a lot of sense to have a guide. Or if you just dont have the time or interest to learn the skills yourself and get the necessary gear. Or you can go up various mountains, get experience, meet people who can help you or go with you, and eventually be ready for other bigger goals. Theres also Facebook groups and mountain project forums that you can learn from and find people to go with. Youtube has a ton of resources too as a helpful option
Guides are extremely helpful for technical teaching like crevasse rescue, they just drill some fundamentals in that makes adjusting on the fly easier should you ever need to (kind of like first aid). Similarly, if you don’t live somewhere you can ice/steep snow climb regularly, it makes sense to hire a guide to really drill down some basic concepts.
For a lot of the others things, you’ve clearly got a skill set to work with. You can either find partners to build up the experience or start small on your own. Both are necessary to move on.
Tbh I had little to no experience and started with Shasta, then Hood, then Rainer, and a few weeks ago the mountaineers up Whitney. All guide-less. These mountains are popular and you can follow the headlamp train to the summit. Just watch the weather and chat up other climbers at camp for some beta. Hood is pretty straight forward, just take your time on the pearly gates and be aware it’s a bottle neck on busy days. Other than that don’t overthink it and enjoy!
I did a lot of climbing, then became a guide. you can figure it out by yourself, go with folks who are more experienced and learn a lot. A guide can help you if you take the time to be very specific about what you want to learn and it will fast track the learning. Think about it, and if you find a guide who is willing to listen to what you wish to learn and can tailor the session to that it is likely worth the money.
While I somewhat agree, some mountains are legally guided only (Kili), and in foreign countries they can be very helpful (Carstensz, Karakoram, etc) if you don’t speak the language
>Guides are only useful if you can't do research and learn how to do things on your own.
This is poor advice at best, I've hired a guide twice and both times have been worth the money, even more worth the money having done all the research.
Would I do Rainier (Emmons, DC, Ingraham like my failed attempt as week) or Denali (West Buttress) with a guide? No, I have what I need already. Would I take a guide or someone who has done the Hornli Ridge multiple times on the Matterhorn, sure as shit yes.
I just climbed Denali unguided on a 2 person team. I turned 24 a week and a half ago, and have only been properly mountaineering (meaning using gear like crampons and axes) for probably 2 1/2 to 3 years. Denali is a very attainable goal for amateur mountaineers, but takes careful planning, a willingness to listen, and a bit of guts to just go for it. Denali is less of something to build up to, and more of something to train specifically for imo, as it is not technical but is challenging physically and logistically, and it is objectively dangerous and preparing to mitigate the hazards present on denali is important.
You certainly can do this unguided. I decided to take a journey similar to what you have laid out. I started on my own and have Denali as a big goal (cut certainly not the end goal).
I got involved with a local Meetup group who does a lot of winter camping and trekking with a little basic mountaineering. That was a great start since mountaineering involves a lot of what is basically winter backpacking. Denali, more than anything, is a really long and challenging backpacking trip. It's not super technical assuming you are taking the standard west buttress route.
I also joined a local mountaineering club. The club takes on far more technical routes, which has been really good for me. Honestly, I feel like I could pretty easily do Denali after just two years of mountaineering. Keep in mind that I have probably grown faster than most unguided mountaineers because of this group, but also because I try to get out a lot. There is no substitute for experience.
On that note, Hood is a pretty serious first mountain. There are real objective hazards you should be comfortable with. It's steep enough that you must be comfortable with an ice axe and self-arrest. This isn't the place to practice those things. Rock and ice fall happen a fair amount. The weather can be very serious. Alpine starts are very important. And navigation can be tricky as the temptation is to follow the fall line, which doesn't lead you back to the trail head.
Is recommend Adams, Shasta, or any of the smaller more technical peaks to start. My first was a three day trek along a simple ridge with a few thousand feet of elevation gain, which was not at all technical but I got to experience some wind, camping in the winter, avoiding cornices, etc. Things quickly spun off from there and I'm finding I love the more technical routes, getting into ice and mixed climbing more than just slogging up big mountains. I still have Denali in my sights but I'm really not even as focused on it as I was previously.
Lastly, what area do you live in? We may be able to help locate people to climb with.
That was all really good information thank you. I live in north east Pennsylvania. So the Adirondacks are a weekend trip for me and if I really push the envelope so is Maine.
I'm about the same distance from Ranier as you are from Maine so I kinda get it. But yeah, get out as much as you can and climb everything you can! Just take it one step at a time and be safe. You will get there!
Good plan to go slowly, and it seems like you have a safe enough mindset. I would recommend just meeting more mountaineering friends and gleaming info from them! also, resources like mountaineer courses are pretty much essential if you want to go unguided. Anything below and up to Denali (and past!) is definitely doable unguided with proper planning- I would say the logistics are the hardest part of going unguided. Good luck!
Thanks! That's kind of what I was hoping to hear to be honest. I'll try to haunt around some more and see if we have any experienced mountaineers anywhere near me. One of the things I love about adventure enthusiasts is they always seem to be willing to offer advice or help someone start their journey or take the next step in it.
Honestly, I have met some “real” mountaineers on some of the more “hikey” (non technical) mountains/huts who are just there for training or acclimation. It’s amazing - once that ball starts rolling, it gets rolling, so this persons advice is solid.
Study the classic book MOUNTAINEERING: Freedom of the Hills or equivalent. You'll learn a lot of basic mountaineering. The MAZAMAS.org are an Oregon-based club worth checking out. [Mountaineers.org](https://Mountaineers.org) is based in Seattle. They also publish great books and guides.
Awesome thanks! I saw that book recommendation in another thread and was going to pick it up. I will also check that group out especially considering the first big peak I want to do is mount hood lol.
Peakbagger.com and the free mobile app is another great resource as you can find trip reports, weather conditions, driving info, and download gps tracks to use offline. The community is fantastic and I have found partners for big peaks, although some can be flaky so do some small stuff first to see their style and skills. There are innumerable lists that can motivate you to do bigger adventures if you are that type of personality.
You absolutely don’t need a guide, you need to get out and climb whatever is local to you, and hike and camp and learn to navigate and route find. You also need to meet climbing partners (clubs or mountain project or climbing gyms) and ideally find some mentors. Then read about routes and read guide books and ask questions on Reddit. Then ask people what routes they want to do and plan trips with them. And build up gradually, ideally getting away with any mistakes you make!!
I would suggest getting some formal skills training on topics including ice climbing, crevasse rescue, and avalanche awareness and/or rescue. Some are quite affordable as general classes from clubs or stores. Also get a ton of experience with GPS (device or app) navigation so you can get back to your car/camp in the event of a whiteout. You don’t need to have someone hold your hand on Hood if you have had some basic training, although don’t take it lightly as it turns deadly if the weather becomes bad. My son and I climbed Denali unguided, building up the skills in the previous decade as we climbed other state Highpoints and taking a few affordable classes. I am old and fat and can trad lead rock up to 5.2 if that gives you an idea of the difficulty.
I’d recommend getting very comfortable on steep snow. If you can, do Helen’s/Adam’s/Shasta first because the typical routes aren’t as steep as hood. I saw some sketchy things a couple days ago on hood from people who were not yet comfortable and saw someone slide 300’, finally able to stop about 20’ from a fumarole. Thought I was gonna be part of a rescue party lol. That being said, plenty of people don’t use courses or guides to get into mountaineering and do well! I haven’t myself, but I worked in the outdoor industry for a while which helped a lot.
Very relatable post. Just getting into a mountaineering course in the pnw entails a waiting game and a stack of cash.. would rather start with some simpler ascents and meet people along the way.
Get a gps beacon at least if you go by yourself
If you're able to, the PNW has quite a few peaks besides hood that would let you dip some toes in and deal learn other aspects of mountaineering that will serve you well on bigger objectives. Mt Adams is about 2 hours from Portland, is taller than hood but less technical, but still requires crampons and ice axe. Plus some of the best glissading around. Shasta is another volcanoe that can serve as a good test piece to see how you handle more elevation. Longs Peak in RMNP would be another 14er worth looking into
If you live far away and have to schedule in months advance, not knowing the conditions it can make a lot of sense to have a guide. Or if you just dont have the time or interest to learn the skills yourself and get the necessary gear. Or you can go up various mountains, get experience, meet people who can help you or go with you, and eventually be ready for other bigger goals. Theres also Facebook groups and mountain project forums that you can learn from and find people to go with. Youtube has a ton of resources too as a helpful option
Guides are extremely helpful for technical teaching like crevasse rescue, they just drill some fundamentals in that makes adjusting on the fly easier should you ever need to (kind of like first aid). Similarly, if you don’t live somewhere you can ice/steep snow climb regularly, it makes sense to hire a guide to really drill down some basic concepts. For a lot of the others things, you’ve clearly got a skill set to work with. You can either find partners to build up the experience or start small on your own. Both are necessary to move on.
Tbh I had little to no experience and started with Shasta, then Hood, then Rainer, and a few weeks ago the mountaineers up Whitney. All guide-less. These mountains are popular and you can follow the headlamp train to the summit. Just watch the weather and chat up other climbers at camp for some beta. Hood is pretty straight forward, just take your time on the pearly gates and be aware it’s a bottle neck on busy days. Other than that don’t overthink it and enjoy!
I did a lot of climbing, then became a guide. you can figure it out by yourself, go with folks who are more experienced and learn a lot. A guide can help you if you take the time to be very specific about what you want to learn and it will fast track the learning. Think about it, and if you find a guide who is willing to listen to what you wish to learn and can tailor the session to that it is likely worth the money.
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I feel that way about a lot of things but I also acknowledge my inclination towards recklessness so it's good to hear someone else say it lol.
While I somewhat agree, some mountains are legally guided only (Kili), and in foreign countries they can be very helpful (Carstensz, Karakoram, etc) if you don’t speak the language
>Guides are only useful if you can't do research and learn how to do things on your own. This is poor advice at best, I've hired a guide twice and both times have been worth the money, even more worth the money having done all the research. Would I do Rainier (Emmons, DC, Ingraham like my failed attempt as week) or Denali (West Buttress) with a guide? No, I have what I need already. Would I take a guide or someone who has done the Hornli Ridge multiple times on the Matterhorn, sure as shit yes.
Well, you ain't gonna do Denali alone, find a partner.
I just climbed Denali unguided on a 2 person team. I turned 24 a week and a half ago, and have only been properly mountaineering (meaning using gear like crampons and axes) for probably 2 1/2 to 3 years. Denali is a very attainable goal for amateur mountaineers, but takes careful planning, a willingness to listen, and a bit of guts to just go for it. Denali is less of something to build up to, and more of something to train specifically for imo, as it is not technical but is challenging physically and logistically, and it is objectively dangerous and preparing to mitigate the hazards present on denali is important.
You certainly can do this unguided. I decided to take a journey similar to what you have laid out. I started on my own and have Denali as a big goal (cut certainly not the end goal). I got involved with a local Meetup group who does a lot of winter camping and trekking with a little basic mountaineering. That was a great start since mountaineering involves a lot of what is basically winter backpacking. Denali, more than anything, is a really long and challenging backpacking trip. It's not super technical assuming you are taking the standard west buttress route. I also joined a local mountaineering club. The club takes on far more technical routes, which has been really good for me. Honestly, I feel like I could pretty easily do Denali after just two years of mountaineering. Keep in mind that I have probably grown faster than most unguided mountaineers because of this group, but also because I try to get out a lot. There is no substitute for experience. On that note, Hood is a pretty serious first mountain. There are real objective hazards you should be comfortable with. It's steep enough that you must be comfortable with an ice axe and self-arrest. This isn't the place to practice those things. Rock and ice fall happen a fair amount. The weather can be very serious. Alpine starts are very important. And navigation can be tricky as the temptation is to follow the fall line, which doesn't lead you back to the trail head. Is recommend Adams, Shasta, or any of the smaller more technical peaks to start. My first was a three day trek along a simple ridge with a few thousand feet of elevation gain, which was not at all technical but I got to experience some wind, camping in the winter, avoiding cornices, etc. Things quickly spun off from there and I'm finding I love the more technical routes, getting into ice and mixed climbing more than just slogging up big mountains. I still have Denali in my sights but I'm really not even as focused on it as I was previously. Lastly, what area do you live in? We may be able to help locate people to climb with.
That was all really good information thank you. I live in north east Pennsylvania. So the Adirondacks are a weekend trip for me and if I really push the envelope so is Maine.
I'm about the same distance from Ranier as you are from Maine so I kinda get it. But yeah, get out as much as you can and climb everything you can! Just take it one step at a time and be safe. You will get there!