Two of the most difficult choices beginners in mountaineering face are choosing the right rope for mountaineering and finding the right ice-climbing boots. Yet getting the right ones are actually simpler than they seem, especially if you are willing to make some compromises to get equipment that is good for a range of conditions instead of becoming too specialized too soon.
Professional mountain guides and competitive climbers will often own as many as a dozen ropes. This is because they have the luxury of being able to choose the exactly right rope for the conditions or sport that they will be participating in. Beginners can, however get away with just one or two ropes. One of the most versatile choices is to get a 60 meter long dry rope with a diameter of about 10mm. The fact that it is called a “dry rope” means that it has been treated with special fabric conditioners and silicone to prevent water from penetrating into its core. This makes a great general mountaineering rope that can be adapted to a wide variety of climbing and mountaineering conditions. It won’t be as light as some skinny ropes but it also won’t suffer from their limitations.
Choosing a good boot is a more difficult choice, particularly if you are planning to do ice climbing as opposed to general or even high-altitude mountaineering. If you are planning to do near vertical ice climbing (up frozen waterfalls, for instance) you will need a really rigid boot that can take a fully rigid crampon with an aggressive front-point so that you can kick into the ice properly and stand up. The problem is that these sorts of boots are not at all comfortable for walking in because they are so stiff.
For general high-altitude mountaineering or climbing through deep snow and slush it is hard to beat a double-plastic boot which will keep your feet warm and dry for days on end. For less demanding alpine climbing you could get away with a good quality leather boot. But before going near a shop, think hard about the sort of climbing you will be doing.
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