What is the crowd's opinion of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills?

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Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. I do have a high degree of trust in the book as it is often refereed to as the bible of Mountaineering; however, as you pointed out testing it would yield better insights/improvements. Here is a link to the book on amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594851387

Its not a toxic community. Its not because he's a beginner. Its the attitude of not taking responsibility and than basically bragging about it and not caring that those decisions he made put other peoples lives at risk needlessly. There's nothing to be encouraged about that. This is what you shouldn't do.

If you want to learn about mountaineering and you cant find a group like mountaineers (seattle based) or a group that in your area or even if you can I'd get this book. Its basically the bible for mountaineering.

https://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Mountaineers/dp/1594851387

I echo the trekking poles suggestion (they're a lifesaver for me), and I'd say that practice will help you build confidence. I'm not sure where you are, but if scrambling is what you're interested, there might be courses that give you instruction and techniques to better move over rock and snow. I took my alpine scrambling course through the Mountaineers in Washington state, and it did wonders for my confidence on snow (I already felt pretty good on rock). A lot of the material covered is in the Freedom of the Hills book, which might be an interesting read, though it goes into alpine climbing and more advanced subjects as well.

Start hiking in the mountains in NJ, NY, MD and further in NE or down in the Apps. Find a rock climbing gym and get in as much time as you can there. Colorado rules, I live in Denver and don't ever want to leave. Moving here just because you want to climb mountains without experience, not a good idea. Start reading and training. Once you feel ready then decide where to move. Best book you will ever find for helping you in your quest for mountaineering is here. http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Edition/dp/1594851387

yeah those books have good info.

I like (also relevant due to where I live) this book. http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Edition/dp/1594851387 Lot of good info for one side of the equation.

Add in primitive skills, and you're building up a strong repertoire.

Since you probably don't have a personal mentor who has sent a bunch of super high peaks your best bet for solid advice isnt going to be Reddit. It's in books. Start with Mountaineering freedom of the hills There's a reason its Amazon's best seller in rock climbing books and has been in print and rerevised since my parents used the first edition decades ago. It covers all types of climbing, conditioning and even dealing with altitude. Can't recommend it enough.

If you haven't already, I would consider picking up Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. It's a bit much to read cover to cover, but makes for a great reference. I think reading the pertinent sections would help you get the most out of any lesson you end up taking.

https://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Mountaineers/dp/1594851387

I tend to think about the descriptions of trails online as dependent on several factors:

1.) What is the likelihood that the people reading this blog/website are not experienced in hiking at all? 2.) Who wrote the content? Are they someone with intimate knowledge of the area, or a travel blogger who writes about a lot of locations? 3.) Is this difficulty rating just algorithmically determined by the other hikes in the data set? 4.) Is this compared to other routes in the immediate area, or is it in comparison to every route, everywhere in the world? Or something in between?

If someone really experienced like Andrew Skurka describes a place as only for advanced hikers, I take that very seriously. I would assume I needed to do a LOT of research and plan a very conservative route that allowed me to change plans and bail if it got too difficult. I would assume going into it that I probably would not go as far or fast as I thought I would.

On a website like Summit Post, it's aimed at people who climb mountains, so I assume an "easy" route is actually going to be very physically strenuous coming up from sea level.

If it's a guide to hikes in the Bay Area, I know they're comparing all the hikes with each other, so even "strenuous" is really just a normal day in the mountains. My guess is that you'll run into something similar comparing difficulty levels between the east and west coast.

I also look for clues that something may be beyond my skillset by scanning for keywords, like "technical," "ice axe," etc. I'm not a mountaineer, I just walk and snowshoe. If there is recommended equipment that you don't know how to use, assume the knowledge of how to use the equipment is what is really missing from your repertoire and just buying it will not solve the problem.

Some other reasons a trail might be advanced would be the terrain being extremely rugged, or trails unmaintained/difficult to see if they can be seen at all, long waterless stretches, river crossings, and remoteness (i.e. no cell signal within 50 miles of the trailhead).

Some resources I've used:

• Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills has been recommended several times.
• NOLS Wilderness First Aid can teach you how to make good decisions in an emergency and stay calm. You can read their blog and/or buy their manual if the class tuition is too steep, but IMO it's worth it.
• Caltopo will let you explore terrain features. The way I learn from it is to make my own custom maps and then compare how the trip went to how I thought it would go based on the map.
• Andrew Skurka has very practical advice on his blog.

The best way to learn is to just get out there, though. Practice setting up your shelter in bad weather. Practice being wet and cold and then getting warm and dry. Practice getting "lost" in safe places and getting back to your car. See how far you can walk in a day with your pack and then assume it will be maybe half that in the mountains.

The skills you need to acquire (imo) are largely dependent on the mountains you want to hike.

If you have hiking and backpacking experience, then you're already way ahead of many beginners, since many non-technical mountains (that can be completed in a day hike) mostly require you to have good conditioning and some basic skills in wilderness survival, and in being prepared with regards to gear.

2 Books I'd recommend for beginner mountaineers is:

Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills - The Bible for all aspiring mountaineers. If it doesn't have the answer for any question you have, it'll point you in the right direction for where to look.

Training for the New Alpinism - The equivalent Bible, but for strength and conditioning training for all mountaineers, also talks about prepping for high altitude and what not.

Hiya Michnation.

Assuming you have the usual shoes, harness, belay device, etc...

You will need a rope, quickdraws, some cord/slings/webbing, and a handful of carabiners.

More importantly you should probably check out Freedom and Anchors.

These two books have taught generations of climbers how to climb. A huge part of climbing outside is being comfortable and confident in your own skills. My personal opinion is that you will become a better climber through a lot of time spent learning techniques and practicing them, than if you spend money on a couple guided days. But thats IMO.

/r/mountaineering

/r/alpinism

Freedom of the Hills

there aren't any stores in freedom of the hills, i'm not sure what you are referring to. nor is it expensive, in the grand scheme of climbing gear.

http://www.amazon.ca/Mountaineering-Freedom-Of-Hills-Anniversary/dp/1594851387

>Before any of this you should check out some resources on mountaineering in general--Freedom >of the Hills is a great place to start--and really think about what you want from the mountains.

This. If you're going to buy one book on mountaineering, buy this book.

Also, I just want to reiterate what this guy said, it's good advice. Climb stuff near you. Start with mountains that are small and safe. Get to know your comfort zone. What's in your comfort zone, what isn't. Many people get into this for the long hikes, glacier and ice travel, and to be at altitude. Other people really enjoy rock climbing high peaks, and the physicality of it (which isn't to say that glacier and ice travel can't be technically hard, they can!)

Here is a simple and basic explanation of the mountaineering grade system. Sometimes wikipedia has too much information, and this is an example of this. Please pay specific attention to the International French Adjectival System (IFAS) and to the Alaskan Grade System which is called other things in other places. I find the alaskan grade system to be the most useful, and I think of it as not only a way to measure my time spent climbing, but also my commitment level.

Here is a link for freedom of the hills. I have heard mountaineers and alpinists refer to this as the bible. This is where you start.

Freedom of the Hills is required reading for all folks climbing outdoors.

http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Edition/dp/1594851387

Welcome to Colorado! For general conditions of trailheads, etc., 14ers.com is a good resource. For overall hiking/mountaineering education, the best overall resource is probably The Freedom of the Hills. It's good to keep in mind that during summer in Colorado it's important to get an early start when attempting to summit higher peaks, as thunderstorms roll in after noon, and it's no fun being above treeline in a lightning storm :)

Actually the consensus on the internet is the only thing keeping that climber off the ground was the belayer taking in rope.

Not sure I understand the question but when your multipitch climbing you need to be anchored so you don't fall off the cliff.

Also yes, if you are belaying from a dangerous spot it might be wise to anchor in. Again, every climb is different so nothing I've said is really a black or white.

I feel weird talking about safety stuff on the internet. If you're still curious about this stuff I suggest these three books:

Freedom of the Hills

Rock Climbing Anchors

and self rescue

Also read through this if you get a chance. It has a lot about what mistakes people made and what they should have done.

The following two books would have more than enough information for you. You can probably get them through inter-library loan at your school's library.

http://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-8th-Edition/dp/1594851387

http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Walker-Colin-Fletcher/dp/0375703233

For etiquette type stuff, check out the Leave No Trace website.

Nols offers a whole line of books on outdoors skills, most of which are pretty decent.

Also, it's probably a bit advanced for someone who is just getting into hiking, but at some point you're going to want to invest in Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, published by Mountaineers Books. It's more or less the mountaineer's bible...

And finally, since you live in the Northeast, I highly recommend Forest and Crag, which is a history of hiking and recreation management NY and New England. Very informative and interesting read.

https://www.amazon.com/Mountaineering-Freedom-Hills-Mountaineers-Books/dp/1594851387