How to Get Started as a Climber

More than two years and sixty straight episodes for the Duffel Shuffle! Adrian calls in from a Nicaragua surf trip, and before getting into it, he and Sam touch on a rough week of accidents on classic trade routes (Mont Blanc, Huascarán, Rainier) and the FAA's new approval of drones for avalanche mitigation.

The real focus of the episode is a full roadmap for getting into climbing and mountaineering — for total beginners and for rock climbers eyeing high-altitude objectives alike. Adrian traces his own path in from age 12 on local Massachusetts crags through a college outdoor program that eventually got him to Ecuador at 17, and makes the case that adults break into the sport just as often as kids do.

• Sam and Adrian lay out where to actually build the skills: climbing gyms, guide companies, and clubs for the technical basics (ropes, knots, belaying, crampon work);
• via ferrata's and plain time on trails for the underrated skill of moving efficiently on uneven, exposed terrain; and a progression from guided client to genuine climbing partner, built through repeat trips with the same guide or company.
• And risk — how hazard and consequence combine, why mismatched risk tolerance between partners causes the most friction in the mountains, and why so much of a guide's training is really about risk management rather than technical skill.

Parting advice: don't overthink the big goal, find your first one, and give it a few real tries before deciding it's not for you.

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The Duffel Shuffle Podcast is supported by Alpenglow Expeditions, an internationally renowned mountain guide service based in Lake Tahoe, California. Visit www.alpenglowexpeditions.com or follow @alpenglowexpeditions on Instagram to learn more.