Do you need to buy quality gear for your first climb?

Original text here

MCS AlexClimb Mountain Climbing School

Do I need to buy a lot of expensive climbing equipment?

What is the exact list of personal climbing equipment which should a beginner have, and why? Since most likely a novice climber is not going to conquer Everest, Cerro Torre or Fitzroy immediately, then, for the alpine programs of the initial level of complexity, there will be no need for abundant climbing equipment. Basically, the “beginner kit” will consist of a set of clothes, shoes and sleeping gear - for the most of the basic mountaineering programs, no special equipment is needed. If necessary, for training and climbing, you always can rent crampons, iceaxes, helmets and other special equipment - at the initial stage, rent is the best solution for that, as you can without making unnecessary purchases, get to know the different models, understand for yourself all pros and cons, and subsequently make the right choice of your own equipment in the future. But clothes, shoes and sleeping bag can be rented only in case of utter necessity – first because these are very personal items, with all the issues related to hygiene. Secondly - even in the most basic mountaineering programs, both the success of climbing and your health and safety depend on the quality and comfort of your clothes and shoes. It’s better not to save on these things.

At the beginning of your hobby for the mountains, you should not go to extremes to have all the most expensive, beautiful and completely useless for a beginner climbing gear. It is much more important to attend to the choice of the mountains that you are going to climb, to think over a program of technical, tactical and physical training. In the process of this preparation, it will become clear what kind of equipment you will need in the near future. Do not forget that entry-level climbing programs, such as Mount Elbrus, Toubkal, Kilimanjaro, Kenya, Kluchevskaya Sopka, etc., require using of a minimum set of the special climbing equipment (only crampons and trekking poles) - in fact, these programs are very similar to alpine trekking, only with more intense physical activity.

Requirements for the equipment for climbing are reduced mainly to its weight and quality. The specific list of the gear may vary depending on the nature and season of the climbing program, but at its base it remains unchanged. As the difficulty of the climbing routes increases, additional items appear in the equipment list that correspond to the class and nature of the chosen route (technical programs of alpine rock or iceclimbing, high-altitude class of ascents). At the same time, the basis of the list of the equipment, nevertheless, remains unchanged regardless of the level of complexity and nature of the program - it is a set of clothes and shoes, sleeping equipment. You can read general recommendations on the selection of the elements of the gear list for the basic climbing programs in our article on this issue. Below is a standard list of equipment for climbing Semenovsky Peak, from our Basic Alpine Climbing Course in Bezengi.

Personal equipment

1. Sleeping bag, comfort temperature -8 -12;
2. Backpack waterproof cover;
3. Sunglasses;
4. Headlight with a set of spare batteries;
5. Individual serving set Bowl (not plastic);
6. Cup Spoon;
7. Personal first aid kit;
8. Pocket knife • Sit pad;
9. Sun protective lipstick;
10. Sunscreen factor 30-50;
11. Toiletries;
12. Raincoat.

Clothing

1. Windproof waterproof Jacket (preferably a membrane);
2. Windproof waterproof trousers (preferably a membrane);
3. Warm jacket of light down jacket (Primaloft, synthetic);
4. Warm light jacket (fleece);
5. Warm trousers (Primaloft, synthetic or dense fleece);
6. Warm underwear (top and bottom);
7. Warm knee-high socks;
8. Lightweight trousers for daily use;
9. Gaiters;
10. Warm light gloves;
11. Warm mitts (preferably double waterproof);
12. Warm hat;
13. Balaclava;
14. Cap or panama;
15. T-shirt;
16. Lightweight sneakers or sandals;
17. All-season climbing boots (plastic is not recommended).

Special equipment

1. Telescopic trekking poles;
2. Lightweight alpine climbing crampons;
3. Helmet.

The author of the text and photos - Alex Trubachev
Your professional technical mountain guide

MCS EDIT 2023