Where to climb in September

September often brings the changeover of seasons, but some years it can feel like it forgets to get going (the longed for ‘Indian summer’ in the northern hemisphere). It pays to be flexible with your plans and expectations for this month, and be prepared for both unseasonably warm or cold weather! As with ‘shoulder seasons’ anywhere, it can be a case of packing all the gear just in case and seeing what the weather gods throw at you.

These are some mountaineering destination suggestions, but as always, you’ll need to check up to date information regarding access and logistics, particularly for those areas subject to geo-political tensions. Here’s a little inspiration for the month of September. And if not this year, why not next?

Europe & the Middle East

September is the tail end of the Alpine summer season, with some of the lifts and high alpine huts beginning to close. This does have the advantage of reducing the number of parties (particularly guided) on any given route significantly, so if conditions and the weather are kind and you’re willing to overnight in a more basic winter-room (or bivi) then you might enjoy more solitude (or just fewer crowds on the classic routes!). Shorter days and longer approaches with heavier bags can make objectives harder though, so adjust your ambitions accordingly.

Sometimes plan B can lead to you places you would never expect; Aguille Dibona in the French Alps.

The Dolomites can also be nice and quiet in September, and depending on the weather, you could enjoy long multipitch rock routes in the sun or be dusting snow off ledges on a via ferrata. It’s also still possible to climb in the High Atlas (for example Toubkal in Morocco) and Mount Ararat in Turkey during September, and again it’s likely to be quieter than earlier in the season.

Asia

Of course, central Asia is home to the world’s highest mountain ranges so if you’re after bigger, more adventurous challenges, then read on.

By September, the focus of the mountaineering season moves more towards the Himalayas in India, Nepal and Tibet (China), as the monsoon season finishes. However, the Pamir range in Tajikistan is also in prime season, with peaks like Muztagh Ata offering a fairly non-technical introduction to higher altitudes, and plenty more to explore besides.

The Himalayas contain some of the most famous peaks in the world, and 10 out of 14 of those over the ‘magic’ 8000m mark. September is the month that most ascents are made of Manasalu (sometimes touted as the ‘easiest’ 8000m peak to climb) and Makalu (one of the hardest). Both Island Peak and Mera Peak in the Everest region of Nepal are good introductions to climbs of around 6000m altitude with lower technical difficulty, and are often a stepping-stone for trekkers who aspire to become mountaineers. They can both be climbed in Spring or Autumn, but their popularity means going slightly earlier in the season might be quieter.

Australasia

Carstenz Pyramid is arguably the most technical of the Seven Summits, and because of its location near the Equator the weather is tropical and wet, so there is no real ‘good season’ to climb it, but September is arguably one of the better months. Over in Malaysia, there are plenty of other interesting rocky peaks including Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. For something less technical but significantly more wild and remote, Mount Giluwe is found on Papua New Guinea and is the highest volcano in Australasia.

Africa

September is undeniably one of the prime months to climb Kilimanjaro, but if you want to avoid the crowds perhaps consider one of the more unusual routes to the summit. There are also some adventurous alpine rock routes on Mount Kenya’s north face that can be climbed in September. There are two distinct summits, Batian and Neilion which are just over 5000m high, and are separated by a col known as the ‘Gates of Mist’, which gives you some idea of the conditions you might expect!

North America

September is also the tail end of the summer mountaineering season in the Canadian Coast Range mountains as well as the Rockies, and the Cascades. As glacial approaches have melted out over the summer, the best options are reduced to predominantly alpine rock climbs – although as ever, this can vary from year to year.

South America

With Spring arriving in the Southern hemisphere, there are plenty of mountainous areas which are still climbable in September.

In Bolivia, this is the last month of the season for the Cordillera Apolobamba, Lipez, and Real (including Illimani) all of which are stunning alpine ranges which are relatively easy to access. Just factor in feeling terrible in La Paz for a few days after landing at the world’s highest international airport at 4062m!

For more technical climbs, Peru has loads to offer including the Cordillera Huayhuash, although September is again the tail end of the season, particularly for southern Peru. You might get lucky with the weather and conditions, or you might not!

The volcanoes of the Cordillera Occidental chain that spans Peru, Bolivia, and Chile have a long climbing season that spans May to October. Some of them are still active, which adds another dimension to the usual mountain hazards you might encounter. It’s also still possible to climb many of Ecuador’s volcanoes (including Cotopaxi) in September, which can be a great introduction to higher altitudes with moderate technical difficulty.

So there you have it, there’s plenty of mountain adventures to be had around the world in September.