From Rock to Mountains

Don't rush and make mistakes. Climb smoothly and efficiently. Focus on upward progress.

Learn how to move confidently over mixed terrain.

Switches between boots and crampons and rock shoes are difficult to accomplish smoothly and efficiently. Practice them before you are stuck at a hanging belay. The struggle to get your rock shoes on and not drop your boots and crampons can be truly epic. Keep everything clipped in! (Often, you'll only need one pair of rock shoes in a party. One person leads the rock in rock shoes and the other follows, or jumars in boots, and takes over the lead on snow, ice, or mixed terrain.)

Held up by a hard move? Pull on a piece to get by the tough section quickly. This is alpinism, not a bouldering contest.

Safety

Survival is the true yardstick of alpine success.

Know how to get down. Don't lower your mental guard on top. Lower it back in base camp.

Be alert for your first mistake — that's okay, recognize and correct it. It is chains of mistakes that kill climbers. Don't make that second mistake.

Do not hesitate to leave gear. When you need to retreat, leave whatever gear is necessary to safeguard the descent. It is foolish to take risks for the sake of a few dollars' worth of gear.

Speed is safety in the mountains, which is often hard for newcomers to appreciate. Many alpine hazards are objective — they can't be avoided. Weather, snow conditions, avalanches, and rockfall are prime examples of objective hazards. Climbing fast and efficiently minimizes the amount of time that you are exposed to such risks; therefore, there is less chance of getting hit by objective hazards. Speed is a truer measure of alpine competence than numbers and grades. (The difficulty of mountain routes varies so much based on current conditions that number comparisons are largely irrelevant. Take all grades on alpine routes with a grain of salt — they are not consistent.)

Blending the full gamut of climbing technique in rapid succession is what makes the alpine game so interesting and challenging. Build your experience in small steps, and try not to gain too much experience the hard way. Go to the mountains and do it. Becoming an alpinist isn't training at all — it is a transformation. Shape and build your base of experience and soon you'll be adventuring among the most beautiful mountains in the world. Just go climbing — and wear a helmet.