The Art of Mountaineering

Mountaineering, or alpine climbing as it is also called, is the ascent of peaks in a glacial environment. It involves travel over glaciers and climbing on snow, rock and ice. In a country where there is no glaciation and the highest mainland peak measures just 2228m (Mt. Kosciusko) it might seem strange to take up Mountaineering as a hobby. However, enthusiastic members of the MUMC have travelled all over the world mountaineering. Members typically have their first experience of Mountaineering in the New Zealand Alps.

Alison Thomson summiting the Minarets with Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman in the background. lincoln smith

Mountaineering Trips

Traditionally small groups of members have coordinated trips that started in a short guided mountaineering instruction course and continued with them climbing together independent of a guide. Because of the relatively high cost and complex coordination inherent in mountaineering trips, you cannot walk in to the club-rooms and simply sign up for one. Planning for such trips usually starts about mid way through the year, so if you're keen it's important to get involved and organised early.

Sunrise on the Marcel Col. matthew doyle

Equipment

MUMC has a full range of mountaineering equipment for hire from non-technical walking axes and crampons for alpine hiking type trips, to ice-screws and technical tools for ice-climbing extravaganzas. We have a wide variety of axes, hammers, snow-stakes, crampons and rock gear available for hire and just general admiration.

The club runs a good series of activities to kick-start your preparation and training for Mountaineering: Bushwalking and Rogaining to gain fitness and navigation skills, X-Country Skiing to build snow skills and Rockclimbing for general climbing movement and rope handling strategies.

Fox Glacier, New Zealand. lincoln smith

MUMC also runs Mountaineering-specific activities including the Alpine Instruction Weekend and an information night discussing costs, suitable equipment, and some of the technical background of mountaineering.

There are some interesting semi-alpine experiences possible within Australia. The best of these is probably extended adventure rockclimbing. The Grampians and the Blue Mountains offer plenty of opportunities to have an alpine style epic minus the snow.