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General Climbing Discussion

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Mountaineering/ Ice Climbing 28-May-2010 At 11:46:54 AM sleake

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The main thing you need to realize, is that comparing rock climbing to moderate grade mountaineering is like comparing surfing to scuba diving - similar medium, different skills. The hardest move you will ever to up to about NZ 4 or so will be less than grade 14 - and will most likely be just a single move.

Climbing real mountains is about making the correct judgment call, moving quickly for long periods of time, and doing simple but exposed and sustained climbing with little or no gear.

Take me for example - Went to NZ at the start of the last season for my first ever mountaineering trip - got told by heaps of climbers here that i shouldnt go cause a 13 yearold girl can climb better than me on rock. Just hung out on my own, scratching for parteners, practising stuff and talking to anyone who would hear me, didnt bother with a guide/course or anything. Ended up climbing Cook, Aspiring and dozens of other peaks, and I can lead maby grade 14 at the absolute limit of my skill and confidence. However, I saw a heap of strong, sport climbing aussies get shut down on the most basic of peaks, because they couldnt cope with the cold, objective danger, terrible weather, overall intimidation etc. While I will never be able to climb harder than 20 - I know I can get up a heap of peaks, not because I have heaps of skill on gymnastic rock moves, but because I can solo absolute choss in plastics and crampons and pack, solo sustained steep ice and snow faces for hours, and over all cope with the whole misery and suffering that you must endure.

Mountaineering is a different game, but it leads to far greater rewards, in my view at least.

ps - none of this applies to ice climbing - leading technical ice is a amazing test of headspace and skill.