Mountaineering
Mountaineering means adventure: Away from well-marked trails and comfortable benches at every turn, you're going high up with full body effort. Whether you're looking for a via ferrata, a high-altitude tour or alpine climbing - with Outdooractive you're sure to find exciting tours and valuable tips from the community.
So get out of your comfort zone and up the mountain!
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Mountaineering adventure
What is the difference between hiking and mountaineering?
Hiking, mountain hiking or mountaineering – for many, the confusion already starts with the terms. To begin with, there is no clear distinction between the two; many mountain activities, especially in alpine terrain, are a mixture of hiking and mountaineering.
The most important difference between hiking and mountaineering that everyone can agree on is the following: Hikes follow marked and secured paths for which no further technical aids are needed. On a mountain tour, on the other hand, climbers also find themselves in pathless terrain. The terrain is also different from that of a hike: mountaineering often involves scree and rocks, firn, snow and ice, and even crossing crevasses. Easy scrambles or even difficult climbing passages in exposed places are just as much a part of mountaineering as the natural use of technical aids such as ropes, ice axes or crampons.
So a definition can be: Classic mountaineering takes place in pathless, alpine terrain and is often associated with at least short climbing passages. The range of difficulty is quite broad, from relatively easy mountain tours over rocky terrain with short scrambles to alpine climbing on steep rock faces.
Attention: This also means that different levels of difficulty apply to mountaineering than to hiking, as these tours are usually much more technically demanding. Even if you are used to demanding hikes, as a beginner in mountaineering you should rather start with easy tours and slowly approach higher difficulty levels. Don't overdo it!
The varieties of mountaineering
Mountaineering includes classic mountain tours, via ferrata, alpine climbing and high altitude tours. You will need special equipment and aids to support you on your adventures. Of course, the amount of equipment depends on the activity. You can find more information, tips and tour suggestions - for beginners and advanced hikers on the respective activity pages at Outdooractive:
A sport at the limit
The dangers of mountaineering
One thing should be clear to everyone in advance: climbing a peak first is no easy matter! Especially in high mountains, mountain sports involve all kinds of dangers. As a rule, a distinction is made between two types of risk:
Subjective dangers
The mountaineer is responsible for his own actions. Subjective dangers include: Lack of fitness, lack of climbing technique, incorrect map reading, overconfidence, inadequate food, fear of heights, lack of experience, incorrect assessment of difficulty and weather.
The subjective dangers include: lack of fitness, lack of climbing technique, incorrect map reading, overconfidence, inadequate food, fear of heights, lack of experience, incorrect assessment of difficulty and weather.
To counteract the subjective dangers, it is important that you prepare yourself accordingly. Don't start with a difficult mountain tour straight away, but slowly work your way up to more and more demanding challenges. Caution: Most beginners see the challenge of mountaineering mostly only in the ascent, but the descent also holds plenty of dangers. A head for heights, surefootedness and stamina are absolutely essential! You should also bear in mind that the higher you climb, the lower the oxygen content.
Objective dangers
These risks cannot be influenced by the athlete: snowfall, cold, rain, solar radiation, rockfall, rock slides, mudflows, avalanches, thunderstorms and crevasses.
You must also be prepared for these dangers: This includes, among other things, checking the conditions and weather in advance, planning the tour carefully and keeping an eye on emergency descents and, of course, you must think about comprehensive equipment. In addition, you should never be alone in rough terrain, but always climb the mountain with a companion.
In our community you will find many enthusiastic mountaineers. Here you can find some testimonials and interviews:
Safe on the road with Outdooractive
Mountaineering with the features of Outdooractive
With Outdooractive you can plan your tours perfectly and are always safe on the road - here we have put together some highlights for you:
- Professional map material with all relevant information, available offline for orientation and navigation
- Comprehensive map layerr with different safety-relevant information, e.g. trail types, slope gradient, avalanche situation or snow cover
- Weather information
- Display of current conditions such as notices of closures
- Sending the live location via Buddy Beacon
- Tour search with consideration of individual preferences and difficulty level
- Emergency call button, which enables immediate help through our cooperation with search and rescue services
Offers and discounts from our partners
Benefit from exclusive offers from our partners
As a Pro and Pro+ member not only do you have access to additional features and the best maps at your disposal, but you can also benefit from exclusive offers from our partners, ensuring you are always fully equipped for the outdoors!
Explore all benefits and discounts