How to get into mountaineering

Mountaineering can be a lot of fun and take you to some incredible places, but a lot of people struggle with how to get into it. You see pictures of climbers covered in ice, carrying all the technical gear, and looking so comfortable on terrain that looks frankly terrifying, and think you could never do that.

The problem with ‘inspiring’ photos of mountain athletes is often they are off-putting for the mere mortal, as what they are doing seems so unachievable. They end up intimidating, rather than inspiring.

The thing is, the more you do something, the better you get. And what seemed impossible at first gradually becomes possible with time, guidance, and practice. All of us have been through this process of mastering a complex new skill at some point; for example, learning to drive a car. The first time you get behind the wheel it’s terrifying, there’s too much to think about, you get the fear you’re going to crash, your movements are jerky, and you feel like you’ll never get the hang of it. But with enough experience, we get good enough that we can drive for hours at a time, have a meaningful conversation with our passengers, and arrive at the other end feeling as fresh as when we left.

When we see images of the places we aspire to go and the things we aspire to do, it's easy to think “it looks too hard or too extreme for me”, but that is the present-day version of you limiting what future versions of you could do. It’s true that if you’ve only ever climbed at an indoor wall, you probably won’t be able to climb Everest this year. But it’s not true that you never could. Whatever your aspirations are, try to break down the skills you need into small, achievable chunks. This will make it much easier to get started, and help you work towards that seemingly impossible goal without feeling overwhelmed or demotivated.

So how do you get into mountaineering? It all comes down to building experience (which is a combination of time, practice, and guidance) in layers. A natural progression might be climbing indoors and hiking to scrambling and rock climbing, then some winter climbing before graduating to alpine climbing and eventually expeditions to the greater ranges. That’s not to say this is the only way, but it has the benefits of building technique, fitness and decision-making skills in a progressive way, starting with lower risk situations before progressing to those with greater consequences if something goes wrong.

But how do you actually get all this experience? Once you start seeking out opportunities, you’ll be surprised how many there are, and how many other like-minded people are out there. This is a non-exhaustive list, as it varies a lot depending on your geographical location, and it includes a variety of approaches depending on your existing skill level, budget, and time constraints.

• Take a course at a climbing wall or outdoor centre.
• Use partner-finding message boards, forums, & social media groups.
• Join a club: universities, local climbing clubs, national organisations, etc.
• Go to events or festivals where you can meet like-minded people and attend workshops.
• Hire an instructor or a guide.
• Seek out organisations that provide subsidised training courses.
• Apply for support roles in outdoor centres that offer training/experience opportunities in exchange.
• Join an organised expedition.
• Consider approaching expedition/logistics providers that need an existing skill you have (e.g. being a medic) where you can volunteer or work and gain more experience.
• Just get out and have a go yourself!

Hopefully this has given you some ideas, and next time you see a photo that makes you wish you were there, you’ll be inspired to find a way.