I’ve been asked several times to comment on the recent events on Ice Mountain. My official response is that I’m not going to judge them. I don’t know enough about the situation, their preparation, or their training to make that judgment.
Reports indicate that the two climbers, ages 19 and 20, were experienced. But what does experienced really mean?
Were they Eagle Scouts? Did they have Wilderness First Responder training? Avalanche training? How many other peaks had they climbed? Did they have the Ten Essentials with them while they were hiking, or had they left them back at their campsite? Did they check multiple weather forecasts, which reportedly predicted the incoming storm, and feel confident in their abilities to handle the conditions?
I have no way of knowing the answers to these questions, so I’m not going to judge them or their actions.
What I do want to talk about, however, is what experience means to me.
I’m often asked to teach mountaineering safety courses and speak on the subject because of my experience. One analogy I like to use is that mountaineering is a lot like education. As we progress through the mountains, we continue to learn, develop new skills, and discover just how much we still don’t know.
When you finish elementary school, you feel pretty good about yourself. You’ve learned reading, writing, science, math, history, and probably music and physical education. You feel pretty smart and educated. You’ve accomplished something, and you’re ready to move on to the next level.
That’s how I felt after finishing all 58 of Colorado’s 14ers.
I had climbed the highest mountains in Colorado and accomplished a goal that had taken considerable time, effort, and preparation. I felt pretty good about my abilities. I had learned a lot, and I thought I had become an experienced mountaineer.
Then comes middle school.
I like to compare middle school to climbing the Centennials—the 100 highest peaks in Colorado, all above 13,816 feet.
Now you’re expected to take the skills you’ve learned and apply them at a much higher level. The familiar trails are often nonexistent or difficult to follow. There is considerably less information available to help you prepare. Route finding becomes more challenging, and you need to become proficient with ropes and other technical skills.
You’re no longer simply following a trail to the summit. You’re navigating terrain that requires more judgment, more preparation, and a greater understanding of your own abilities.
After finishing the Centennials, I again felt pretty experienced.
Then comes high school.
I like to refer to high school as the Bicentennials—the 200 highest peaks in Colorado, all above 13,580 feet.
You walk into high school thinking you’re pretty hot stuff, only to discover that there is so much more to learn. The mountains become more challenging, the routes less obvious, and the consequences of mistakes potentially more serious.
You begin to realize that the skills you thought you had mastered are only the foundation for what comes next.
And then there’s college, an advanced degree, and eventually a doctorate.
With each level, you gain more knowledge and experience, but you also become more aware of how much you still don’t know.
Mountaineering is much the same. There is always another level of learning.
At what point do you really get to say you’re an experienced mountaineer?
I thought I was experienced after finishing the 14ers. Looking back, I probably wasn’t truly experienced until I finished the Bicentennials. Even then, I would be hard-pressed to say that I had learned everything I needed to know.
And I would be equally hard-pressed to call an 19- or 20-year-old experienced when it comes to mountaineering.
Once again, I’m not judging the climbers on Ice Mountain. I don’t know their backgrounds, their preparation, or what happened that day. I’m simply reflecting on my own experience and how my understanding of mountaineering has changed over the years.
And I’m still learning.
Every climb teaches me something new. It might be about route finding, ropes, knots, weather, accessibility, scrambling, or simply understanding myself a little better.
Sometimes the lesson comes from successfully reaching a summit. Sometimes it comes from recognizing that conditions are changing and making the decision to turn around.
And sometimes, the most important lesson is realizing that the mountains will always have something left to teach you.
Experience isn’t simply measured by the number of peaks you’ve climbed. It’s measured by what you’ve learned along the way, how well you understand your abilities and limitations, and how you apply that knowledge when it matters most.
The more I climb, the more I realize that becoming an experienced mountaineer isn’t about reaching the end of the education.
It’s about understanding that there is no end.
For some of my Winter Mountaineering Tips click here.
