14er climbing should be simple!

Info on gear, conditioning, and preparation for hiking/climbing.
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greenonion
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by greenonion »

14er boy (op), hopefully, may have vanished. Let’s ditch this dumbass thread
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JROSKA
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by JROSKA »

He did respond to a few early posts. And his mentality seems the same as a typical 14 year old. So I think he is real. Lol
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Scott P
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by Scott P »

As far as helmets go, today we were climbing a technical summit neat Grand Junction. While getting off rappel a rock the size of a watermelon came down on my head. I had my helmet on. The rock actually broke when it hit my helmet. The helmet is cracked, but no injury. If I didn't have a helmet on it would not have gone well.
I'm old, slow and fat. Unfortunately, those are my good qualities.
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Salient
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by Salient »

Ascents with less gear tend to trade off risk for speed. However speed (whether too slow or fast) can bring its own risk factor as well. Also, yeah... you really don't need much to do lower class climbs besides good ole food, water and first aid. Each person has a different comfortability level and speed that they hike. Altogether, the solution appears to be to just find whatever works best for you and go with it and respect everyone else who does the same.
Be the best you that you can be.
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nyker
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by nyker »

To 14erboy-

Enjoyable post...

Agree with some of your points, on others I think you'll grow into a different opinion as you put more miles on your boots...errr Asics.

Jeans and sneakers might be perfectly fine in summer conditions on more popular shorter hikes or dry easier alpine routes, closer to civilization where consequences of something going wrong are minimized (not eliminated).
As (if) you get into harder, longer, more demanding terrain/routes on more distant peaks you'll find jeans and sneakers inadequate and in many cases not the safest option.

With that said, even on mountains including more difficult but popular peaks like Mt Rainier, there are days when if the weather is stable, conditions good, your health/fitness is solid where minimal gear is actually "needed" to climb it.
The problems arise when any of those aforementioned items are not ideal or are bad where that extra, potentially more pricy gear could save your life, at the very least make the trip far more safe, comfortable and enjoyable so it would be foolish to be on a
taller mountain like that with only minimalist gear. Also many 14ers have snow on them 8-9 months of the year, not just winter.
The mountains are not the place to gamble and play the odds, leave that for Vegas.

To your point about using poles and age, the point of using poles has nothing to do with age but simple biomechanics, weight distribution especially with heavier loads, an extra precaution in some terrain and also save wear and tear
on your knees, regardless of age. A pole could also be used as a makeshift splint in an injury situation.

If your focus is on ways to save money in climbing that's a good goal, you should explore any of the ample sources of use gear where you could outfit all of your hiking needs in the used bin for a fraction of the cost new and get quality gear.
There are great bargains out there for decent stuff, but recognize some things you just want new...like climbing rope, harness, water bottles, base layers, etc...I think priority should be mentioned too. I hear people complaining they
can't spend money on a good pack, helmet, axe or crampons then these same people get into a $75,000 truck and have a $1,400 phone to browse Facebook with.

Pick up a copy of Freedom of the Hills and do some reading. Good luck and be safe out there.
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Trotter
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by Trotter »

I wish I had this many bites when I fish...
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. -Nelson Mandela
Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called Ego. -Nietzsche
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Kiefer
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by Kiefer »

Trotter wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 5:56 am I wish I had this many bites when I fish...
:lol: :lol: LMAO!!!
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Jay521
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by Jay521 »

Kiefer wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 7:54 am
Trotter wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 5:56 am I wish I had this many bites when I fish...
:lol: :lol: LMAO!!!
+1000
I take the mountain climber's approach to housekeeping - don't look down
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shredthegnar10
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by shredthegnar10 »

cottonmountaineering wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:03 pm my only gripe is that people in colorado use ice axes when on 2 inches of snow
But if you have an ice axe you look like a real mountaineer.
Rule #1 is always: Look good.
Most things worth doing are difficult, dangerous, expensive, or all three.
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SkaredShtles
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by SkaredShtles »

shredthegnar10 wrote: Sat Nov 26, 2022 3:06 pm
cottonmountaineering wrote: Wed Nov 23, 2022 8:03 pm my only gripe is that people in colorado use ice axes when on 2 inches of snow
But if you have an ice axe you look like a real mountaineer.
Rule #1 is always: Look good.
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timstich
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by timstich »

Nobody needs to hike 14ers.
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greenonion
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Re: 14er climbing should be simple!

Post by greenonion »

timstich wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:47 pm Nobody needs to hike 14ers.
bulls**t
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