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Ask the Expert
Big-Wall Warrior Mark Synnott Answers
Your Climbing Queries
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Why is it that you always recommend a new climber hire a guide
when you know perfectly well that all the top climbers learned to
climb on their own or with friends? Is this a bias because you happen
to be a guide, or are the liability issues so strong that you feel
obligated to always post that reply?
—Jan McCollum, Northridge, California
Jan,
You are right, many climbers get started without a guide, myself included.
The reason I always suggest it to others is two-fold. First, you'll
save yourself a lot of time by learning how to do things properly right
from the start. Second, it is much safer. Going out there and teaching
yourself how to climb is just about one of the most sketchy things you
could possibly do. Take a look some time through Accidents in North
American Mountaineering and tally up how many of those dead
people were novice climbers who got in over their heads. I could not with
good conscience recommend to people that I don't even know that
they undertake this kind of risk. It really is not worth it. If you can't
afford a guide, that's one thing. But if you try to avoid using one
out of pride, that is a mistake in my opinion.
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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