I have 260$ to buy a set of double ropes, I want 60m and have found myself endlessly scouring through climbing websites to try and find Mammut alpine dry 8mm for a good price (or even at all they are sold out everywhere).

I’ve been debating between two 7.5mm 60m Mammut alpine sender drys, or the 8.6mm 60m Simond ropes, I love Mammut and use their 9mm alpine sender dry, but am concerned 7.5mm will give too much stretch on rappel and not enough friction with regular gear, especially because I’m 94kg. So I was leaning toward the 8.6 Simond in spite of the weight penalty just to have a bit more of a robust system, but then I was concerned about Simond quality as I’ve only ever used Mammut rope.

Wondering what recommendations or experiences people have with either of these ropes. Or also other ropes I’m not thinking of. I liked the specs of the Beal cobras but are unfortunately a bit out of my budget

I’m looking for these ropes for mixed routes in the alps and chamonix, for example routes on the north face of the midi or triangle du tacul like chere couloir, contamine mazeud, frendo, Fil a Plomb. Any and all input is appreciated. (I have scrolled through similar posts and felt there was still room for my questions to be asked, particularly about diameter concern)

Posting this because it's been flying quite under the radar, but guy's got 30 years of the sort of experience not many people have (first ascents in Antarctica etc). and is now writing a stuff-i-learned book. I've found his previous "Down" an invaluable how-to in how to safely descend stuff so I have high hopes for this one too, and I'm putting it here in case anyone else missed it

Mainly for summer use, from alpine hikes to technical routes up to around UIAA III–IV, 4000ers and potentially Mont Blanc.

Requirements:

• Lightweight and not too stiff/bulky
• Comfortable for long days and approaches
• Semi-automatic crampon compatible (full-auto would be a bonus)
• Good waterproofing
• Suitable for glaciers, snow, scree and technical terrain

Currently looking at the La Sportiva Aequilibrium Speed GTX, Aequilibrium LT GTX, Scarpa Ribelle HD and Mammut Taiss Light Mid GTX.

What would you recommend based on experience?

I am a US citizen looking into Mount Custer in GNP starting from Akamina Ridge on the Waterton side. The only information I got from the visitor center in Canada was to download the CBP ROAM app, but he was not sure how set up the trip.

Curious if anyone has any personal experience on how to navigate this. Thanks!

Has anyone else had trouble getting a bed in sold-out huts because cancellations disappear so quickly? I've been experimenting with a way of monitoring the booking pages for this, and I'm curious how other people handle it.

Hi everyone,
I originally booked an organised trip to summit Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso in the last week of August. Because of the current conditions on Mont Blanc, the operator has now replaced Mont Blanc with part of the Spaghetti Tour on the Monte Rosa massif.
I’ve seen quite a few people recommend B2 boots rather than B3s for the Spaghetti tour.
My question is: if I only take my B2 boots, would they also be sufficient for Mont Blanc if conditions improve and the operator switches us back to the original itinerary?
I tend to run slightly cold, so warmth is also a consideration. I prefer B2 if possible as they are way less stiff than B3.
Would you take B2s for the whole trip, B3s for the whole trip, or bring both?
Thanks!

I'm putting together a two-shoe system for alpine trips: a lighter all-rounder for hut-to-hut treks over loose, rocky terrain and as an approach shoe for summits, plus a separate C/D-rated boot for glacier/crampon use. This first pair also needs to work for regular hiking in the Ardennes/Eifel, and for mountaineering/hiking in the Alps and Dolomites more broadly.

Three models I'm considering, each with a slightly different profile:

- Scarpa Mescalito Mid GTX

- La Sportiva TX4 Evo Mid GTX

- La Sportiva TX5 Evo Mid GTX

Has anyone used these across multi-day hut treks with a moderate pack, plus some via ferrata/scrambling? Curious about real-world fit, stiffness on loose rock, and how they compare to each other for this kind of mixed use. Any other models worth considering are welcome too.

Thanks in advance.

I got nerd-sniped by my father-in-law with this exact question, and answering it is not easy!
My first best guess is Ponte Tresa. But i'm currently programming an app to find a better spot.
Anyone has an idea?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been using Evoke Endurance/Uphill Athlete training plans for a while and have had a really good experience with them.

I’ve previously followed your Half Marathon training plans for running, the 20 weeks Big Vert Trail Run, and I’ve also completed some of the Uphill Athlete Alpinism programs. So my background is on the mountains and climbing.

At the moment, though, I don’t have a specific race or objective in mind, because some changes in my personal life. I’d like to keep training consistently and improve my overall fitness for trail running, mountain days and alpinism, rather than preparing for a particular event.

For those of you who have used Evoke Endurance:

Which program would you recommend as a good “general fitness” or maintenance program when you don’t have a specific goal?

I’m particularly interested in something that develops a good combination of:

• Aerobic endurance
• Uphill fitness
• Strength
• Mountain-specific conditioning
• General durability

Would you recommend one of the existing programs?

I’d be interested to hear what programs you’ve used and how you approached training when you didn't have a specific objective.

Thanks!

Hi All,

About two years ago I got into a pretty sketchy accident deep in the Alpes. We were a small group of experienced locals fully geared up but long story short still ended up stuck for a while with no means of reaching out to help.

By profession I’m an hydromechanical engineer, so that got me thinking about building a “bomb proof”, wrist-based, emergency SOS beacon. I’ve been working on it for a few months now and that’s the specs I got to:

- Roughly the size of a standard hiking/sports watch (42mm), ~90g

- Single use, 10y battery life: the device basically stays dormant for up to 10 years and you turn it on when you need it, it’ll ping your GPS position for up to 12h. There's no ongoing subscription needed to keep the device "alive" during the 10y.

- Water proof to 100m, vibration proof, shock proof, temperature range from -40° to +85° (celsius)

- 100% GPS coverage in USA, Canada, Europe (excluding a few Balkan countries), Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Normal phone coverage in all other countries around the world

- You can use your phone (NFC) to do up to 25 tests during the lifetime of the beacon. It’ll trigger a full test satellite transmission to make sure it’s fully functional.

- Custom back end: you can enter as many emergency contacts as you want (I’d probably cap it to 10). When you activate the device, it’ll continuously "spam call" them (bypassing any “Do Not Disturb“ modes or other) up until someone “acknowledges” your SOS.
Note: except with expensive B2B agreements or bulky hardware, it's impossible to reach out directly and programmatically to SAR. In my back end (a "profile" page online) you can enter your health particulars (blood type, allergies, age etc...) and route details (what you're planning to do) which gets sent to your emergency contacts (along with GPS coordinates) upon activation. The backend will continuously "spam call" all of your contacts up until they acknowledge the SOS request.

- All components would be US/EU made and aerospace or military grade

Anyways I’m building a v1 for myself, but I’d be curious to know what the community’s feel is on such a device. Does that feel redundant/useless as compared to an inReach, ACR, or other SOS beacons? Do you see any advantage to it? What’s the biggest downside you see from it? Curious to get any feedback you may have. Thank you in advance and stay safe out there

Hi all,

I made my first summit, Monte Perdido (3355m). Not a massive summit or a technical one, but man, am I hooked! I have been hiking for about a year consistently. Prior to that, I was in the military and was very accustomed to rucking with a large pack for distance. So now I am looking to move from hiking to mountaineering. I scheduled a 6 day course in Chamonix to learn some basics. I am curious if anyone who has made this switch can give me some insight into a good training plan and/or how "prepared" I already am to make this switch.

So here is what I currently do.

- Once or twice a month a 17-20km hike with about 1200m elevation gain. Occasionally this turns into a hut to hut, back to back day with similar stats. I usually feel tired after, but not horrible or wrecked.

- 1-2 times a month I do via ferratas.

- 5 days a week in the gym for strength workouts.

- Stairmaster twice a week in Z2 for an hour. Which equates to a 790m elevation gain. This is starting to get easy and boring. So I think I will start carrying my pack for this.

Do I need more cardio? I freaking hate cardio haha! It's insanely boring to me. I have 0 issues if it's a hike, but just 20min on a treadmill and my brain is so over it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I unfortunately have no one near me who is into hiking, let alone mountaineering. So I feel like I am going at this solo.

I’m 18 and from Croatia, and I’ve been thinking about getting into alpinism for quite a while now. I recently found an alpine school in Zagreb that I really want to join, and for the first time it feels like I’ve found something I genuinely want to pursue.

I’ve been hiking and getting more interested in the mountains, but I don’t want to just keep going on random hikes without knowing what I’m doing. I want to actually learn the skills, meet people who are into the same thing, and eventually be able to safely take on bigger mountains.

The only thing stopping me right now is money. I’m short around €350 for the school and the basic costs that come with starting out.

I know this probably isn’t the kind of post people expect to see here, and honestly, it feels a little uncomfortable asking strangers for help. But I really don’t want to miss this opportunity just because I can’t afford it right now.

If anyone is willing to help, even a small amount would genuinely mean a lot to me. And if you can’t donate, even sharing it helps.

Thanks to anyone who took the time to read this.

https://preview.redd.it/cwvvw8vuqojh1.png?width=2213&format=png&auto=webp&s=63d0a08d6614ebbf23d4f555a3e5ed82cf45e54f

The first stream from a height of more than 7,000 meters.

Is Mt. Washington Good for my FIRST climb? I live in Ohio so it’s the closest thing to me, but I would love to get some advice from the experts!
Is Mt. Washington a good place to start? Should I do it guided? What are some things you wish you knew on your first climb? Please just let me know!
I’ve been training weights and cardio pretty extensively the entire year, so I’m in solid shape and I’m ready to tackle something this winter 🫡

Hey all, trying to figure out my mountaineering boot situation and could use some input.

I'm still fairly new to this, the highest/most technical thing I've done so far is Triglav. So I don't have a ton of personal reference for how B2 vs B3 actually feels on steeper alpine terrain yet, which is part of why I'm asking rather than just trusting my own judgment here.

Near-term goals in order (next few seasons):

* Grossglockner (Normalweg)
* Breithorn
* Grand Paradiso
* Matterhorn (Hörnli ridge)
* Mont Blanc (Goûter route)

After completing these gouals would like to go up in elevation where a B3 is necesarry

I found two solid deals locally and I'm trying to decide if I actually need B3 now or if B2 covers everything on my near-term list:

1. Scarpa Ribelle HD (B2) - around 165€
2. Simond Ice Evo (B3) - around 185€

My actual questions:

1. Is B2 genuinely enough for all four of my near-term peaks, or does the Matterhorn/Mont Blanc combo push you toward wanting B3 for confidence on steeper icy sections? Tho Matterhorn has been crumbling as of late.
2. Would you just buy both (one lighter B2 for the easier days/multi-day approaches, one stiffer boot for the technical days) given the prices are decent, or is that overkill for someone still building toward 5-6k objectives? I wouldd only like to buy one if thats possible.

Appreciate any first-hand experience, especially from anyone who's done Matterhorn or Mont Blanc in a B2 boot vs B3 and especially from people who were also relatively new when they stepped up to that kind of terrain. Don't want to under-gear myself out of inexperience, but also don't want to overspend/overbuild for where I'm actually at right now.