Climbing Mount

Mountaineering is the sport of hiking and / or climbing to the top of mountains. In America the terms used are usually mountaineering or mountain climbing, while in Europe the term alpinism is also commonly used. While vertical rock climbing and vertical ice climbing may be required to reach the top of a mountain, not all mountains require the same kind of climbing techniques to get to the summit. However, mountain climbing takes advantage of some of the safety techniques that are used for vertical rock climbing and ice climbing, most notably rope harness systems with multiple connection points for holding the weight of the climber in case there is a situation where the ground gives way (or if one of the harness points fails).

There are three basic divisions of the craft of mountain climbing, depending on whether the climber is traveling over rock, snow or ice. Different equipment is used for each of these environments and special techniques have to be used to ensure the safety of the climber and the group. When walking over rock, conditions are usually the safest, although one must be careful of the hazards of falling rocks (caused by the gradual process of erosion of the mountains and the recent weather conditions) and loose rocks or rotten rocks which may give way if the climber is not careful. To survive while climbing over rock, the climber must pay close attention to the condition of any of his / her handholds and footholds, and make sure to transfer weight from one outcropping of stone to another gradually while maintaining multiple connection points.

To walk or climb over parts of a mountain which are covered in ice and snow requires more special equipment than standard rock climbing, most notably crampons: ten or twelve point spikes which are attached to one’s boots for increased traction, or snowshoes for gentle snowy slopes. The kind of crampons which are used to walk over icy surfaces are different from those that are used for climbing a sheer vertical surface of ice, as vertical crampons will have spikes on the toes pointing forwards. The ice axe is also used in the process of ascending a snowy / icy area of the peak ‘ in the beginning stages of climbing a mountain the ice axe can be used as a staff or walking stick, as you move upwards the point of the pick can be used as a dagger or the ice axe can be swung over the head to dig into ice above the user, making it easier to ascend.

It is often safer to climb a mountain as a team. When you climb as a team your entire group can be attached to each other by a single rope line. If one member of the group falls or has an accident the others can come to that person’s aid and perform a rescue operation. This is particularly important when climbing on glacial deposits which often contain hidden crevasses. If proper safety precautions are studied, mountain climbing is one of the most exhilarating sports that one can enjoy.

The western margin of the continent of North America is built of a succession of mountain chains folded in broad corrugations, like waves of stone upon whose seaward base beat the mild, small breakers of the Pacific. By far the grandest of all these ranges is the Sierra Nevada, a long and massive uplift lying between the arid deserts of the Great Basin and the Californian exuberance of grain-field and orchard; its eastern slope, a defiant wall of rock plunging abruptly down to the plain; the western, a long, grand sweep, well watered and overgrown with cool, stately forests ; its crest a line of sharp, snowy peaks springing into the sky and catching the alpenglow long after the sun has set for all the rest of America.

The Sierras have a structure and a physical character which are individual and unique. The whole Sierra crest was one pile of snow, from whose base crawled out the ice-rivers, wearing their bodies into the rock, sculpturing as they went the forms of valleys, and brightening the surface of their tracks by the friction of stones and sand which were bedded, armor-like, in their under surface. Having made their way down the slope of the Sierra, they met a lowland temperature of sufficient warmth to arrest and waste them. At last, from causes which are too intricate to be discussed at present, they shrank slowly back into the higher summit fastnesses, and there gradually perished, leaving only a crest of snow.

The ice melted, and upon the whole plateau, little by little, a thin layer of soil accumulated, and, replacing the snow, there sprang up a forest of pines, whose shadows fall pleasantly today over rocks which were once torrents of lava and across the burnished pathways of ice. Rivers, pure and sparkling, thread the bottom of these gigantic glacier valleys. The volcanoes are, for the most part, extinct, and the whole theater of this impressive geological drama is now the most glorious and beautiful region of America.

Five distinct periods divide the history of the range. First, the slow gathering of marine sediment within the early ocean during which incalculable ages were consumed. Second, in the early Jurassic period this level sea-floor came suddenly to be lifted into the air and crumpled in folds, through whose yawning fissures and ruptured axes outpoured wide zones of granite. Third, the volcanic age of fire and steam. Fourth, the glacial period, when the Sierras were one broad field of snow, with huge dragons of ice crawling down its slopes, and wearing their armor into the rocks. Fifth, the present condition, a playground for campers, backpackers and climbers.

From latitude 35° to latitude 39° 30′ the Sierra lifts a continuous chain, the profile culminating in several groups of peaks separated by deeply depressed curves or sharp notches, the summits varying from eight to fifteen thousand feet, seven to twelve thousand being the common range of passes. Near its southern extremity, in San Bernardino County, the range is cleft to the base with magnificent gateways opening through into the desert. From Walker’s Pass for two hundred miles northward the sky line is more uniformly elevated; the passes averaging nine thousand feet high, the actual summit a chain of peaks from thirteen to fifteen thousand feet. This serrated snow and granite outline of the Sierra Nevada, projected against the cold, clear blue, is the blade of white teeth which suggested its Spanish name.

Northward still the range gradually sinks; high peaks covered with perpetual snow are rarer and rarer. Its summit rolls on in broken, forest-covered ridges, now and then overlooked by a solitary pile of metamorphic or irruptive rock. At length, in Northern California, where it breaks down in a compressed medley of , ridges, and open, level expanses of plain, the axis is maintained by a line of extinct volcanoes standing above the lowland in isolated positions. The most lofty of these. Mount Shasta, is a cone of lava fourteen thousand four hundred and forty feet high, its broad base girdled with noble forests, which give way at eight thousand feet to a cap of glaciers and snow. Beyond this to the northward the extension of the range is quite difficult to definitely assign, for, geologically speaking, the Sierra Nevada system occupies a broad area in Oregon, consisting of several prominent mountain groups, while in a physical sense the chain ceases with Shasta; the Cascades, which are the apparent topographical continuation, being a tertiary structure formed chiefly of lavas which have been outpoured long subsequent to the main upheaval of the Sierra.

Mountain climbing becomes much more complicated the higher that one has to go to get to the peak. Besides the normal dangers of climbing over rock, snow and ice, the loss of oxygen at the higher levels of a mountain and the neccessity of finding shelter in intense weather greatly adds to the challenges that a climber must face. Even experienced mountain climbers often have to turn back during a major climb as a result of difficult conditions, and indeed one of the hallmarks of an experienced climber is the ability to recognize when conditions have reached a point where it is too hazardous to venture further, and to make the choice to turn back even when significant effort has been expended to reach the current height.

The weather on the upper reaches of a mountain can be very dangerous, because snowfall can lead to whiteouts ‘ heavy blizzard conditions which make it next to impossible to see the surrounding area of the mountain. With greatly reduced visibility, climbers must be very careful to keep track of the distances that they travel and use a compass to gauge the direction that they are moving. Even someone familiar with a mountain may become lost during a whiteout ‘ it is essentially the same as traveling blind. Heavy snowfall conditions also make it more difficult for climbers to judge the other safety conditions of the surrounding area. Lightning storms can also be a danger as one ascends a mountain, as lightning is more likely to strike outcroppings or rock or people on the mountainside the farther upwards that one goes. When climbing a tall mountain, people will usually get started as early in the morning as they can to avoid the dangers of the weather, which usually intensifies at night or towards the end of the day.

Low temperatures are also an obvious danger the higher that one goes. Tents and sleeping bags with bivouacs provide some shelter from the cold and the wind, although tents may be noisy if they are constantly blown by the wind and the site must be carefully chosen so that the tent does not blow away. In some cases a climber will dig a snow cave ‘ this creates a quiet shelter in the side of the mountain which usually has a temperature of around freezing (this may seem low but it is sometimes better than what someone may get with a tent). Care must be taken in the building of the snow cave to make sure that it will not collapse as the climber sleeps.

Finally, mountain climbers must be careful of the hazards of oxygen loss. The higher that one climbs, the less oxygen there is in the air and the longer everything takes to do. Climbs which would be easy at lower altitudes require a much great effort as people become tired more quickly, and medical issues from lack of oxygen include headaches, problems sleeping, nausea, loss of appetite and general tiredness. If supplemental oxygen is carried, its levels must be constantly checked. Going without is more challenging, but may be safer if you can do it because you do not run the risk of dying from sudden loss if your oxygen runs out.