Climbing
How to get into mountaineering without breaking the bank
Mountaineering is a complex and expensive hobby, but you don’t always need the budget of a pro to reach for the heights. Here’s how to make it affordable but safe.
High-level mountaineering is the ultimate challenge for an adventurer, mixing expedition-grade climbing with high-altitude peaks, perilous ledges and jaw-dropping scenery. But it also comes at a price.
From kitting up for a big climb to shelling out for a flight to a distant mountain range, costs can quickly build up into tens of thousands. Keep it simple, though, and you can easily experience the thrill of big mountain climbing without spending all your hard-earned savings. Here are some tips to get you started.
Get to know how paralysed ex-rugby player Ed Jackson climbed the equivalent height of Mount Everest:
Guiding, experience and advice
Join the club
Make your national mountain club your first stop. Most countries have them, and they offer courses, advice, gear hire, discounts and forums where you can ask for advice, team up and split the costs of a new adventure.
Join a mountaineering club
© Alex Kendall
Cut corners on books
Knowledge is power, but you don’t need to splash out on brand-new books – old editions often come up at low cost on Amazon. Beginners should buy Freedom of the Hills, the ‘manual of mountaineering’, and if you’re brushing up on a route, check local online resources for specific advice.
Learn the skills yourself
Eliminate guides altogether and save thousands by investing in courses to become officially certified. Just make sure you choose a challenge you can cope with and know when to turn around. Pushing beyond your abilities is just as bad as mountaineering without any experience at all.
Map and compass skills are essential in the mountains
© Keri Wallace
Go where the guides cost less
Guides can be expensive, so if you need one then head to a place where they're cheaper. Asia and South America have good low-cost guides, but they are also places where scams can be rife – so check their credentials. It may be worth the cost of a certified IFMGA guide if available.
Hang with fellow climbers
Once you get to where you want to climb, find the local climbing hangout and get to know who’s around. You could pick up a partner with experience of the area – an ideal alternative to hiring a guide.
Joining local climbing groups is a wise decision in tougher seasons
© Westend 61 via Getty
Find free maps online
Don’t splash out on OS maps if you don’t need to. Websites like Wandermap provide decent downloadable route maps for major mountains – but if they’re not detailed enough, get a proper route map. Print pictures too – if the weather’s good, visual guidance can be invaluable.
Picking the right location
Stay close to home
If you live in or near to some great outdoors, get a map and speak to local guides to discover places you might never have known about. Look on Summit Post to find Class 3 or 4 routes – these are technical but not so gear-intensive, so you don’t have to spend so much on all the kit.
Pick a pad carefully
If you’re in it for the long haul and rent your home, just end your rental and move to the mountains – why wouldn’t you? If you own a home, house swap with someone in a mountain town. For shorter trips, try couch surfing, get a sturdy tent and find free camping places or buy a second-hand car and sleep on the back seat.
Van life
© Bartek Woliński/Red Bull Content Pool
Cover flight costs by saving in-country
A one-off flight price to a distant location might put you off, but consider the in-country costs once you get there. If you’re planning to mountaineer for a while, even a €10-20 per day saving could quickly cover the flight cost.
Avoid the big names and pick cheaper destinations
Climbing well recognised peaks like Mount Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua comes with higher costs, not only for guiding but also for accommodation, food and so on, so steer clear. Peru can be reasonably priced and the Cordillera Blanca around Huaraz is stunning. Northern India is relatively low-priced and easy to get to and offers a great introduction to the Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh or Ladakh, with low peak fees and mountains up to 6,500m. Kyrgyzstan, once you get there, is also an inexpensive but spectacular location.
The Cordillera Blanca mountain range is stunning
© Dani Millan
Beware hidden fees
Don’t forget visas and vaccinations if you’re heading overseas and don’t skimp on insurance either – but use price comparison sites to get the best deal on specialist cover.
Getting there
Use your miles
If you fly for work, collect up frequent flier miles on business and use them for pleasure. In the US, it’s sometimes more efficient to use them within a state. If you can’t get miles, avoid school breaks, fly on days in the middle of the week and sign up to a flight price tracker site to get the best fares.
Use human fuel, car pool or cheaper transport
Getting to the mountains can be a big cost and if you’ve got the time and energy you can save big bucks by biking or hiking in. If you have to drive, share a car to save on fuel. And if travelling by train, book early and get time-specific tickets.
Let your legs be your guide
© Alexander Kendall
Clothing, equipment and food
Borrow or share the gear – then pay it forward
Gear can be expensive and you shouldn’t cut costs. Borrow good stuff if you can’t afford to buy it – and when you can buy it, always remember the opportunity you had and pay it forward to another aspiring mountaineer. Look out for the UIAA logo and be sure it’s not too old.
Check out eBay, Craigslist and car boots
If you can’t borrow, check out bargain sites where people sell off old gear. Car boot sales in mountain areas can also be a good source of low-priced kit – especially if you can fix broken stuff like ripped seams. Check it’s still in good condition, though. This is your life you’re talking about.
Spend right on the right clothing
Not all layers are equal. Before you buy, think whether you need it at all and whether it's a particularly technical item. Spend more on outerwear like salopettes and jacket as this is the first layer of protection and there are lots of decent but lower-cost base layers. If you live in a cold place, check your clothing set-up before you go. And don’t buy too much – unless your gear gets soaked, the only thing you need to change is your underwear.
It's all about the equipment
© Grzegorz Gawlik
Don’t buy last minute
Get prepared long before you set off and give yourself the time to find the kit you need either free from a friend or at the lowest cost possible.
Be ‘so last year’
You don’t always need to buy second hand. Shop at the end of season to get bargains – or find out what was top gear last year or the year before and buy it at big discounts once the next wave of products are released.
Pack food for the duration
Buying food in bulk is way cheaper than picking up things as you go, so buy in bulk. Also, plan your food strategy well so you maximise nutrition, minimise weight and avoid wastage. Noodles are a climber’s friend – cheap, easy to store and relatively light but hot, filling and tasty.
Stefan Glowacz eats during his trip on Baffin
© Klaus Fengler
Multi-task with equipment
Things don’t always have to be used for what they’re meant for. A tent pole can be an avalanche probe; hiking poles can be raft paddles or structure for a weather shelter with a basic bivvy sack or a rubbish bag; iodine tablets can purify water but also sterilise wounds; and a bandage and tape can repair equipment as well as you and can even be used as makeshift gloves.
Buy gear in stages
You don’t need all the gear immediately, so spread the cost to soften the blow. If you’re starting out, a basic layered clothing system, decent boots and a tent and stove will do for backpacking. Add a helmet for scrambling, then a harness, rope and climbing gear for technical work. Finally, add stiff boots, crampons and cold-weather gear for the icy routes.
