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Ask the Expert
Big-Wall Warrior Mark Synnott Answers
Your Climbing Queries
Q: |
I have always been interested in mountain climbing but as of yet
have not been able to get into it. I live in the Rockies so there are
plenty of places to climb. How do I go about getting started?
—Jana, Idaho Falls
Jana,
My standard answer to this question, which I get asked a lot, is to hire
yourself a guide. Look for Climbing Magazine at your local
outdoor store. In the back they have a section where guide services from
all over the world offer their services. I know for a fact that there are tons
of outfits operating in the Rockies. It will cost you a fair amount of money
to hire a guide, but considering that the first year of climbing is by far the
most dangerous, I would recommend it.
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About Our Expert
"A lot of people don't realize it, but the only thing you really need to climb
big walls, or any big route, is determination," says Mark Synnott. OK. But
what else does it take to best a big wall?
E-mail Mark and he'll give you the skinny on everything from grub to
gear to getting started. And he should know.
Mark has bagged more than 50 big walls, including Argentina's Cerro
Torre and first ascents on Canada's Baffin Island and southern Asia's
Karakoram Range. And when he's not climbing, he's helping design new
North Face equipment or contributing to magazines like National
Geographic, Outside, and Climbing.
E-mail Mark
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Climber Mark Synnott
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National Geographic Atlas of the World