14ers.com

daway8 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:52 pm

HikerGuy wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:42 pm

daway8 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 1:25 pm I'd hate to hike all the way up to a tough section and then turn around because I'm not ready for it (since I'm often solo and don't yet know how to lead climb).

I prefer solo hiking (77% of summits), but for the more difficult peaks I like to have a partner. Whether it be route finding or pointing out holds, a partner is good thing to have. A partner also helps with confidence. Turning around is not bad either, in fact it's often a valuable learning exercise. I would much rather partner with someone who has turned around on peaks than with someone who has not.

Oh I have and do turn around when needed but only a few times out of well over 100 summits - mostly because I check the route and weather in advance to minimize the chance of needing to turn back. Plus by slowly increasing the difficulty of what I'm doing I'm less likely to have to turn back due to the difficulty of the route.

I prefer to keep those turn arounds few and far between...

It's funny, I don't make it to the top of about a quarter (or more) of the peaks I set out in the morning to summit. But I'm not particularly motivated by chasing lists, so I rarely leave the car bound and determined to do anything besides have a fun day out in the mountains. Sometimes it's weather/safety related but more often I just get distracted by something else in the area. Some of my best days out have been days where I divert from whatever my original "goal" happened to be.

The biggest mistake I’ve seen for prepping for your first harder peaks (3+) is doing too much Class 1 and 2 for training. Sure, that’ll help you get more endurance for big days and make you more comfortable in the backcountry, as well as just enjoying being in beautiful places. However, there seems to be a misconception that it preps you for the technical challenges of 3+. I see people with 20-25 easy 14ers wondering if they are ready for Class 3.

The only thing training on Class 1 and 2 does is make you better at Class 1 and 2. It will not help with fear if you are scared, or technique if you are bad at climbing. The best way to train for something, is of course by doing that thing.

If you’re enthusiastic enough to be on this forum and already have some mountains under your belt you’re physically ready for Class 3 and 4. You should not be using any “arm strength” for a class 4 climb. You can even climb most of the 2nd flatiron without using your hands...what you need is climbing technique.

For some reason this seems to intimidate people and lots seem reluctant to try "real" climbing but you don’t even need a rope or a gym to understand how to move your body more vertically (although climbing is w/o a doubt the easiest way to be comfy with exposure. I don't know any climbers who fuss about classes in hiking...either <5.6 and you prob don't need a rope or >5.6 and some might). Find a buddy and go anywhere with rocks (clear creek, boulder canyon, flatirons, etc) and just try climbing onto some boulders. They don’t need to be tall, they don’t need to be difficult. You just need to start understanding what it feels like to be at height and how to use your entire body to climb things. Once you feel chill with it then run up the 2nd a billion times and then do the 3rd a billion times. By that point you will never worry about the distinction between 3/4/5 again.

Stop wasting your time doing dozens of Class 2 to get ready for Class 3, unless of course you are enjoying those Class 2 for other reasons.