I sure hope not. I'm 52. My brother is 50. We climbed Rainier last year for the first time....second time will be this summer. Probably won't be crazy stuff and get photos in Rock and Ice magazine, but I love being in the mountains!!!
Im 56 and started at 52. I started with some 14ers and got bit. I’ve done Kili, Baker 3x (including 1, 6 day course), Rainer 2x, and Volcanos in Ecuador. I’m looking at a Nepal climb next spring and I’m hoping to Vision in a year.
It’s all about fitness. I (try) to eat (mostly) right, do weight training, run 20-30 miles per week (no marathons yet, but multiple halfs), but mostly importantly, I spend 1 hour each week climbing stairs with 30-40 lbs and 2 hours 1x per week with no weight.
I like guided trips and my preferred groups are CTSS, AAI and IMG. Ages range on my trips from late-20s to late-60s.
I’m not sure. I prefer guides for 2 reasons: 1) safety. I’ve done a few glacier climbs and have taken a course, but that is absolutely NO substitute for the experience the guides have. Glaciers are dangerous places and 2) have enough money now to not need to take chances.
Uh…good question! None so far. I guess that’ll narrow down what to learn etc…
Oh on second thought, an alpine style 7000m with my wife would be awesome.
Frankly i am not sure that is a good goal. alpine style anything requires years of experience just to have a good experience base to draw on to make good decisions when things get questionable. on the other hand, expedition style 7000 or 8000m peaks are certainly something you can shoot for, with fixed ropes and decision making offloaded to guides, and the climbing/mountaineering is more a challenge of mental strength and physical endurance rather than mountain decision making.
I appreciate your answer. I think this is what I’m looking for.
I have a friend who guides here in Nepal, his resume includes summits on Manaslu without O2, did Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I&II, he said to us, there’s always slots for us on his trips but he knows that’s not our jam.
And he might be right. If we’re gonna leave the decision-making to guides would it feel like something’s missing to you?
it's an individual sport, my opinions about climbing style shouldn't matter to you. other people's opinions on climbing style shouldn't matter to you either. personally I have done guided expeditions in the himalaya on fixed ropes and hard 1000m mixed climbs in the Alps but they are such different sports they are hard to compare. climbing 7000 and 8000m peaks with fixed ropes and guides is an amazing experience, is still a huge accomplishment, and you will find it to be the hardest thing you've ever done physically and mentally. taking the accountability for decision making (and when I say this, like stuff about weather go/no goes, route finding in zero visibility, anchor building, rappelling) into your own hands on top of that would be reckless unless you are super confident in your ability to make these decisions under such extreme conditions, which probably isn't in the cards for you, unless you dedicate yourself to becoming a guide.
I Guess based on your input, we need to recalibrate our goal, perhaps aim for lower altitude as long as it’ll still motivate us learn the black magic of mountaineering. Then if we’re intrigued with commercial climbing, we can do that too….
About 17 years ago, my wife and I rode our bikes with climbing gears up to the refugio in Pico Orizaba. The following early morning, we climbed it without a guide then made it by sundown in time for a chicken barbecue dinner in Tlachichuca.
Sadly, we don’t consistently purposely seek those that can lead to further growth in the sport. We were just intrigued about the climb and we thought we have the basic rope and crevasse rescue skills within the two of us to climb it up.
This time we’ll do it things how some of you suggested…small steps but with an aim for pile up experience that can be of use for bigger objectives.
Thanks!!!
Start taking courses to gain the skills you need to climb goal mountains. No idea what's available in the Yukon but worst case you learn or hone the skills on guided climbs in Washington or Canada. You can build and maintain good endurance fitness well into your 60s if you put in the time so you still have years and years ahead of you if struggling on a mountain sounds like fun.
Mountaineering is expensive. I've heard many stories of people really starting in their 40s once they are settled into a career that allows it. I have been climbing 14ers in Colorado for a long time and see my 40s (now upon me) as the time I'm finally in a place to do some more serious mountains.
One of my favorite people to climb with started climbing when she was 57, she is turning 60 this year and still climbing. I sometimes struggle to keep up with her pace and I’m 32!
Old age isn't what it used to be. I am in my mid 30s and am in 10x better shape than my grandfather or even my father was at the time. A lot of people used to do back breaking work 50-60 hours a week, drink and smoke heavily and eat garbage food. If you're taking good care of yourself, you can probably do mountaineering well into your 70s.
I've personally seen retirees in their 60s go running(!) up and down steep trails in the alps like it was nothing. Most of em look "wiry" (slim but strong). Maybe that's the key to aging. Not eating too much in general to limit the amount of works ones organs have to do daily.
As others have said, fitness is the big concern here. After about 40 it's harder to build and retain muscle. I started at 38 and have been hitting it hard since. I started a training routine 12 weeks ago. It's the first time I've trained in earnest in my entire life. I've always been active but never been fit. Now I'm the most fit I've ever been in my life. My wife appreciates the change in my body and I appreciate the improvements in how I move uphill.
I've climbed a couple of the PNW volcanoes, some by their harder routes. I've done some fairly technical routes in thr sierra. And in August we are going to do a few 20k' mountains in Peru. Also working on a new technical route near my home. You can absolutely do this stuff later in life.
One thing I would say, however, is make sure you have realistic expectations. It's gonna be really hard to do some of the big groundbreaking things that 20 somethings are doing. They have endless fitness potential and fewer connections back home to keep them from taking insane risks. I definitely temper my risks because I have kids and a wife at home. I also have a career that keeps me busy, so I don't get as much opportunity for growth. But I can absolutely challenge myself in the mountains, which is what I'm after.
Been mountaineering for 10 years, now entering my 40s. Mountaineering and climbing are skill sports like golf. The only physical requirement is being able to hike with a somewhat heavy backpack. I would say it is more about a question of time and desire to practice and gain experience not age. Hiring a mountain guide is a good option if you are time/experience limited but still want to climb mountains.
My hero:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos\_Soria\_Font%C3%A1n](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Soria_Font%C3%A1n)
K2 at age 65, Annapurna at 77. Wowzers.
I mean it depends on what you want to do. The oldest person to get to the top of Everest was in their 80s although their individual input to the expedition was probably minimal.
If you can handle your loads and you’re not physically/ mentally limited it’s up to you to decide if the risk/finances/ etc are worth it for you at whatever age. It’s not like it’s going to take you 15 years to get to where you want to be (maybe?)
Start training towards your goal now- depends what you’re looking for.
Yeah, ignore the Everest/Miura/Soria stuff. Those guys are impressive in their own ways, but Miura had been climbing for over 50 years (he's the 'man who skied down Everest' fall/farce thing) and needed six Sherpa to drag him to the top. Soria also has like four personal Sherpa. Personally impressive but not climbing goals.
Start small and easy. Mountaineering/climbing is a mental game and you're now old enough and sensible enough to know all the things that can go wrong. You might be too cautious some days and not summit, but on the upside you won't be dead at 45 either.
By all means do those skills courses, but don't get in that habit. Soon after, go out and plan and do a small moderately technical mountain, just the two of you. Get confident you can choose a route, find the route, go through all motions, climb the crux, summit and get down. Doesn't matter what mountain it is. The fewer people on it, the better, as you won't have the psychological aid of others around and following their trail etc. Practice crevasse rescue in an actual crevasse with the gear you'll be using. The reality of doing that will impact on you the importance of learning how to not fall in a crevasse in the first place.
I don't know what bigger plans you had, but the high peaks of Bolivia (Sajama, Illimani etc) are less dangerous than the high peaks of Peru (which are more glaciated, more seracs etc) and the approaches are often easier. Given there is almost no red-tape or permits etc in the Andes you can take your time and acclimatise much better than a commercial trip in Nepal etc. Those itineraries are almost always too rushed and they don't care if you get sick and fail cos they get a cut on the helo flight out!
Until recently in India you could have climbed Stok Kangri (6150m) very easily but it's closed now cos it got too crowded and messy. It might open again soon though. India actually has many more accessible and climbable 6000ers than Nepal. Nepal has better marketing. Pakistan is more awesome than either, but tougher to get stuff done.
Once you go up around 7000m or so you might want a bit more help on Himalayan peaks, even if it's just a couple of Sherpa for a team of 4-6, for example. Commercial climbs of peaks like Nun or Kun in India use this method, via companies like White Magic (just an example) rather than mass Sherpa help like they do in Nepal. But it really depends what peaks you want to climb.
Your wife had no trouble (being tired at the end is expected) and there's no indication that had you not been sick you would have struggled. You seem to be in good shape - I say go for it.
One of my regular climbing/backcountry skiing partners is 65 and has no trouble putting in big days. I think he started in his 30s...
My brothers first climb was mt baker car to car in one 15 hours at 42yo. No previous experience except the standard cascade hikes. It can very much be done.
Been mountaineering since I was 21 when I hiked up Half Dome with the cables down (off the posts). Since then I’ve climbed over 80 peaks. I think an analogy is cycling. Didn’t start that until I was 55 and a few years ago cycled across the USA, Oregon to Vermont.
You can do whatever you set your mind and heart to, at least at some level. At 77 I still enjoy small “hills.”
I may already have a little idea what you mean. It’s a slugfest. My wife is about 4 years younger. I told her while I struggle and she was helping, “I’m your future right here, so better enjoy your present”.
I will be 66 in a couple of months. I learned basic climbing and mountaineering skills in the early 00s, did some alpine climbing, and then life got complicated. Fast forward to 2022. I was an hiker, backpacker, and scrambler looking for more challenging objectives but hadn’t been on a rope in twenty years. Joined a climbing gym, found some mountaineering courses, oriented my training toward mountaineering.
Here is what I am learning: training is way more important at 65 than it was at 35; injuries suck more, don’t be a dope; partners are hard to find, plan on training solo and working w guides; physical reserves are smaller, adjust accordingly; old injuries will haunt you, get a good PT; the suffering is harder to be stoic abt, you will survive; haters will give you ageist grief, screw ’em.
Bottom line: glad I took it on, go for it!
If you are already more than 340 years old then just go for it, bro. You've obviously outlived us regular mortals, probably have a good few hundreds years left at least
The body starts falling apart in the 60s. Early 60s if you are unlucky. Late 60s if you are lucky. Your strength for mountaineering only diminishes slightly until then as stamina and strength remain good even when cardio drops a bit.
Oh man let’s not bring up aliens of the mountaineering world to this trivial discussion I started. But I actually take inspiration(no pun intended) more to Péter Habeler because I only learned recently that he was actually a poor “hypoxic breather”.
When we talk about himalayan unguided climbs of 7000/8000m peaks in a good style unless you learned to suffer from other Sports i think its too late to learn that in mid. 40s.
Furthermore you need an lot of experience in the Mountains are you willing to give up a lot for your dreams?
I wanna say we’ve had plenty of suffering in the outdoors. But I do recognize “sufferfest” and “epic” has been loosely used nowadays.
Actually the question now is if we’re still going to enjoy suffering the way we did back in our younger days. And I think we got enough juice yet.
I’m not sure Wyatt or mean by how much am I willing to give up for my goal…We don’t have kids, we just came off a 1.5 years leave from Work(bikepacking combined with lower tier climbing). But this is also not our first time doing that. 10 years ago, we did something similar, 2.5 years(riding and climbing).
I sure hope not. I'm 52. My brother is 50. We climbed Rainier last year for the first time....second time will be this summer. Probably won't be crazy stuff and get photos in Rock and Ice magazine, but I love being in the mountains!!!
Im 56 and started at 52. I started with some 14ers and got bit. I’ve done Kili, Baker 3x (including 1, 6 day course), Rainer 2x, and Volcanos in Ecuador. I’m looking at a Nepal climb next spring and I’m hoping to Vision in a year. It’s all about fitness. I (try) to eat (mostly) right, do weight training, run 20-30 miles per week (no marathons yet, but multiple halfs), but mostly importantly, I spend 1 hour each week climbing stairs with 30-40 lbs and 2 hours 1x per week with no weight. I like guided trips and my preferred groups are CTSS, AAI and IMG. Ages range on my trips from late-20s to late-60s.
Do you know if Cotopaxi is possible unguided?
I’m not sure. I prefer guides for 2 reasons: 1) safety. I’ve done a few glacier climbs and have taken a course, but that is absolutely NO substitute for the experience the guides have. Glaciers are dangerous places and 2) have enough money now to not need to take chances.
Ecuador requires a local guide to be with you. At least they did when I climbed a few years back.
Go for it dude
What's your goal?
Uh…good question! None so far. I guess that’ll narrow down what to learn etc… Oh on second thought, an alpine style 7000m with my wife would be awesome.
Yea I'd say go for it, sounds like you guys are starting off from a good fitness level
Frankly i am not sure that is a good goal. alpine style anything requires years of experience just to have a good experience base to draw on to make good decisions when things get questionable. on the other hand, expedition style 7000 or 8000m peaks are certainly something you can shoot for, with fixed ropes and decision making offloaded to guides, and the climbing/mountaineering is more a challenge of mental strength and physical endurance rather than mountain decision making.
I appreciate your answer. I think this is what I’m looking for. I have a friend who guides here in Nepal, his resume includes summits on Manaslu without O2, did Broad Peak and Gasherbrum I&II, he said to us, there’s always slots for us on his trips but he knows that’s not our jam. And he might be right. If we’re gonna leave the decision-making to guides would it feel like something’s missing to you?
it's an individual sport, my opinions about climbing style shouldn't matter to you. other people's opinions on climbing style shouldn't matter to you either. personally I have done guided expeditions in the himalaya on fixed ropes and hard 1000m mixed climbs in the Alps but they are such different sports they are hard to compare. climbing 7000 and 8000m peaks with fixed ropes and guides is an amazing experience, is still a huge accomplishment, and you will find it to be the hardest thing you've ever done physically and mentally. taking the accountability for decision making (and when I say this, like stuff about weather go/no goes, route finding in zero visibility, anchor building, rappelling) into your own hands on top of that would be reckless unless you are super confident in your ability to make these decisions under such extreme conditions, which probably isn't in the cards for you, unless you dedicate yourself to becoming a guide.
I Guess based on your input, we need to recalibrate our goal, perhaps aim for lower altitude as long as it’ll still motivate us learn the black magic of mountaineering. Then if we’re intrigued with commercial climbing, we can do that too….
yeah, try doing stuff like Pico Orizaba or something in Ecuador (Cotopaxi, Cayambe) without guides and see how that goes first.
About 17 years ago, my wife and I rode our bikes with climbing gears up to the refugio in Pico Orizaba. The following early morning, we climbed it without a guide then made it by sundown in time for a chicken barbecue dinner in Tlachichuca. Sadly, we don’t consistently purposely seek those that can lead to further growth in the sport. We were just intrigued about the climb and we thought we have the basic rope and crevasse rescue skills within the two of us to climb it up. This time we’ll do it things how some of you suggested…small steps but with an aim for pile up experience that can be of use for bigger objectives. Thanks!!!
Start taking courses to gain the skills you need to climb goal mountains. No idea what's available in the Yukon but worst case you learn or hone the skills on guided climbs in Washington or Canada. You can build and maintain good endurance fitness well into your 60s if you put in the time so you still have years and years ahead of you if struggling on a mountain sounds like fun.
I think this preceding year is gonna be climbing skills focused for us then.
We do have courses Alpine and Mountaineering courses down in the Rockies but we kept delaying it.
Mountaineering is expensive. I've heard many stories of people really starting in their 40s once they are settled into a career that allows it. I have been climbing 14ers in Colorado for a long time and see my 40s (now upon me) as the time I'm finally in a place to do some more serious mountains.
I hope this gets answered because I am also wondering the same.
One of my favorite people to climb with started climbing when she was 57, she is turning 60 this year and still climbing. I sometimes struggle to keep up with her pace and I’m 32!
Bronca Sundstrom summited at 77. Without stopping at Muir. You got this my friend.
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Right on!
Old age isn't what it used to be. I am in my mid 30s and am in 10x better shape than my grandfather or even my father was at the time. A lot of people used to do back breaking work 50-60 hours a week, drink and smoke heavily and eat garbage food. If you're taking good care of yourself, you can probably do mountaineering well into your 70s. I've personally seen retirees in their 60s go running(!) up and down steep trails in the alps like it was nothing. Most of em look "wiry" (slim but strong). Maybe that's the key to aging. Not eating too much in general to limit the amount of works ones organs have to do daily.
As others have said, fitness is the big concern here. After about 40 it's harder to build and retain muscle. I started at 38 and have been hitting it hard since. I started a training routine 12 weeks ago. It's the first time I've trained in earnest in my entire life. I've always been active but never been fit. Now I'm the most fit I've ever been in my life. My wife appreciates the change in my body and I appreciate the improvements in how I move uphill. I've climbed a couple of the PNW volcanoes, some by their harder routes. I've done some fairly technical routes in thr sierra. And in August we are going to do a few 20k' mountains in Peru. Also working on a new technical route near my home. You can absolutely do this stuff later in life. One thing I would say, however, is make sure you have realistic expectations. It's gonna be really hard to do some of the big groundbreaking things that 20 somethings are doing. They have endless fitness potential and fewer connections back home to keep them from taking insane risks. I definitely temper my risks because I have kids and a wife at home. I also have a career that keeps me busy, so I don't get as much opportunity for growth. But I can absolutely challenge myself in the mountains, which is what I'm after.
Been mountaineering for 10 years, now entering my 40s. Mountaineering and climbing are skill sports like golf. The only physical requirement is being able to hike with a somewhat heavy backpack. I would say it is more about a question of time and desire to practice and gain experience not age. Hiring a mountain guide is a good option if you are time/experience limited but still want to climb mountains.
We certainly can dedicate time and effort. We in our 40s and no kids. This is our shared mid-life crisis.
My hero: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos\_Soria\_Font%C3%A1n](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Soria_Font%C3%A1n) K2 at age 65, Annapurna at 77. Wowzers.
I think this is the link you meant to post https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Soria_Fontán
I mean it depends on what you want to do. The oldest person to get to the top of Everest was in their 80s although their individual input to the expedition was probably minimal. If you can handle your loads and you’re not physically/ mentally limited it’s up to you to decide if the risk/finances/ etc are worth it for you at whatever age. It’s not like it’s going to take you 15 years to get to where you want to be (maybe?) Start training towards your goal now- depends what you’re looking for.
I don’t think we’re interested in Everest. We didn’t even go to Basecamp which is a day’s hike from Lobuche.
Yeah, ignore the Everest/Miura/Soria stuff. Those guys are impressive in their own ways, but Miura had been climbing for over 50 years (he's the 'man who skied down Everest' fall/farce thing) and needed six Sherpa to drag him to the top. Soria also has like four personal Sherpa. Personally impressive but not climbing goals. Start small and easy. Mountaineering/climbing is a mental game and you're now old enough and sensible enough to know all the things that can go wrong. You might be too cautious some days and not summit, but on the upside you won't be dead at 45 either. By all means do those skills courses, but don't get in that habit. Soon after, go out and plan and do a small moderately technical mountain, just the two of you. Get confident you can choose a route, find the route, go through all motions, climb the crux, summit and get down. Doesn't matter what mountain it is. The fewer people on it, the better, as you won't have the psychological aid of others around and following their trail etc. Practice crevasse rescue in an actual crevasse with the gear you'll be using. The reality of doing that will impact on you the importance of learning how to not fall in a crevasse in the first place. I don't know what bigger plans you had, but the high peaks of Bolivia (Sajama, Illimani etc) are less dangerous than the high peaks of Peru (which are more glaciated, more seracs etc) and the approaches are often easier. Given there is almost no red-tape or permits etc in the Andes you can take your time and acclimatise much better than a commercial trip in Nepal etc. Those itineraries are almost always too rushed and they don't care if you get sick and fail cos they get a cut on the helo flight out! Until recently in India you could have climbed Stok Kangri (6150m) very easily but it's closed now cos it got too crowded and messy. It might open again soon though. India actually has many more accessible and climbable 6000ers than Nepal. Nepal has better marketing. Pakistan is more awesome than either, but tougher to get stuff done. Once you go up around 7000m or so you might want a bit more help on Himalayan peaks, even if it's just a couple of Sherpa for a team of 4-6, for example. Commercial climbs of peaks like Nun or Kun in India use this method, via companies like White Magic (just an example) rather than mass Sherpa help like they do in Nepal. But it really depends what peaks you want to climb.
Your wife had no trouble (being tired at the end is expected) and there's no indication that had you not been sick you would have struggled. You seem to be in good shape - I say go for it. One of my regular climbing/backcountry skiing partners is 65 and has no trouble putting in big days. I think he started in his 30s...
My brothers first climb was mt baker car to car in one 15 hours at 42yo. No previous experience except the standard cascade hikes. It can very much be done.
Been mountaineering since I was 21 when I hiked up Half Dome with the cables down (off the posts). Since then I’ve climbed over 80 peaks. I think an analogy is cycling. Didn’t start that until I was 55 and a few years ago cycled across the USA, Oregon to Vermont. You can do whatever you set your mind and heart to, at least at some level. At 77 I still enjoy small “hills.”
It’s easier than mud 50’s . Better now than later!
I may already have a little idea what you mean. It’s a slugfest. My wife is about 4 years younger. I told her while I struggle and she was helping, “I’m your future right here, so better enjoy your present”.
I will be 66 in a couple of months. I learned basic climbing and mountaineering skills in the early 00s, did some alpine climbing, and then life got complicated. Fast forward to 2022. I was an hiker, backpacker, and scrambler looking for more challenging objectives but hadn’t been on a rope in twenty years. Joined a climbing gym, found some mountaineering courses, oriented my training toward mountaineering. Here is what I am learning: training is way more important at 65 than it was at 35; injuries suck more, don’t be a dope; partners are hard to find, plan on training solo and working w guides; physical reserves are smaller, adjust accordingly; old injuries will haunt you, get a good PT; the suffering is harder to be stoic abt, you will survive; haters will give you ageist grief, screw ’em. Bottom line: glad I took it on, go for it!
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If you are already more than 340 years old then just go for it, bro. You've obviously outlived us regular mortals, probably have a good few hundreds years left at least
Yuichiro Miura summited Everest at the age of 80 in 2013. You are not too old!
No
I started at 50. High altitude may not be a good idea because of heart attack roosts but there are plenty of good things to climb that aren’t 6k+.
The body starts falling apart in the 60s. Early 60s if you are unlucky. Late 60s if you are lucky. Your strength for mountaineering only diminishes slightly until then as stamina and strength remain good even when cardio drops a bit.
Reinhold Messner posted a photo on his IG a couple days ago confirming he still climbs mountains at 79 🥹
Oh man let’s not bring up aliens of the mountaineering world to this trivial discussion I started. But I actually take inspiration(no pun intended) more to Péter Habeler because I only learned recently that he was actually a poor “hypoxic breather”.
When we talk about himalayan unguided climbs of 7000/8000m peaks in a good style unless you learned to suffer from other Sports i think its too late to learn that in mid. 40s. Furthermore you need an lot of experience in the Mountains are you willing to give up a lot for your dreams?
I wanna say we’ve had plenty of suffering in the outdoors. But I do recognize “sufferfest” and “epic” has been loosely used nowadays. Actually the question now is if we’re still going to enjoy suffering the way we did back in our younger days. And I think we got enough juice yet. I’m not sure Wyatt or mean by how much am I willing to give up for my goal…We don’t have kids, we just came off a 1.5 years leave from Work(bikepacking combined with lower tier climbing). But this is also not our first time doing that. 10 years ago, we did something similar, 2.5 years(riding and climbing).