Climbing Resources FAQ

What are the key recipes for success?

When distilled down, to be successful as a mountaineer you need to have 3 things:

  • Physical fitness – be match ready for your climb, that means you have been training hard and specifically for climbing.
  • Self-care – having the experience to know how to layer for the cold, know if you’ve drank enough water, eaten enough food to not go into calorie deficit, and the discipline to keep yourself healthy throughout the climb
  • Strong tolerance for change and a positive attitude – We’ve led hundreds of successful expeditions and none ever go 100% “according to plan”. The mountains are a fluid environment that we adapt to. Be ready to roll with changing weather, conditions, schedules etc, stay positive and trust your guides. They have your best interest and your safety and success as their priorities.

Why is CTSS more expensive than other operators?

We highly encourage climbers to look at all the options and weigh them up. Choosing an expedition and expedition operator are personal choices and must fit your goals and constraints but beware in mountaineering, you absolutely get what you pay for.

When you see a low price tag please ask what is being sacrificed to get the price low?

  • Are they cutting corners around redundancy and equipment and therefore safety?
  • Are they foregoing hiring expert staff who in turn command good wages?
  • Are they skimping on logistics like solid forecasts, good food and infrastructure?
  • Are they cutting out contingency days to shorten itineraries or speeding up acclimatization?
  • Are they running enormous teams with huge client: climber ratios?

Being such a competitive industry it is important to ask how low cost operators are able to offer those prices. Sadly the answer is they are under-resourced. Often their strategy is ‘quantity over quality’. They cut every cost they can, giving bare bones logistics marketed as full service guidance. Even worse is the lack of safety that this severe cost cutting creates. Many climbers have found themselves in serious danger when it is most crucial. There’s no denying the correlation between low cost operator and higher incident rate.

Further, climbers are drawn in by the low price tag believing they are getting a good deal, but it is a false economy, which leads to greater expenditure. Without the right infrastructure in place to facilitate a safe summit climbers need to return again for a second try. You may think you are saving $ but you might end up costing yourself more if you have to return to the mountain again.

CTSS is positioned to be the most affordable of the reputable, international operators but  deliver the highest quality and best service. We do this in 3 ways:

  • We offer the gold standard in logistics across all seven continents. Our logistics teams are extremely competent and experienced and we invest very heavily in the finest logistics for our climbers’ safety and success. It’s chalk and cheese compared to some of the other operators.
  • Marginal Gains. Each year we re-evaluate our trips and work to put in place details that make the climb better.We continually reinvest in our business and look at optimising every small 1% detail. Eg: Finding ideal locations for rest days, ensuring our mountain hut accommodations are the best available. Some of these optimizations add a bit to the overall cost, but in our experience they can absolutely make the difference between success and a disappointing turnaround below the summit.
  • We hire the best mountain guides in the world. These are not your average tourism or trekking guide. Mountain Guides have spent years, if not decades perfecting their craft of leading people in the mountains. Of course they must be strong, have medical and emergency training, diligently assess conditions and know how to troubleshoot when things go sideways, but above that, a good guide will be able to identify the X factors that are going to help their client be successful. This isn’t just physical, it’s also mental. The best Guides have the right mindset for guiding. They are patient, encouraging, humble and intrinsically motivated to help you achieve your dreams. They enjoy being the “Supporting Act” to your goal. Beware the climber chasing their own fame and ambitions who use clients as a means to their own ends under the guise of “Guiding”

What about training?

We made a great video about this which is available on our YouTube Channel: Training for Mountaineering.

Training for mountaineering is rigorous, but relatively simple. You want as much time as possible walking uphill with a heavy pack. If you have good steep trails nearby this may mean getting out for a hike with 400-600m of ascent 2-3 times a week, and a hike with 800-1000m of ascent once a week. If nearby hikes don’t have enough elevation gain, or weather prevents you from going outside, using a stairmaster in the gym, or even in the stairwell of a high rise building for an hour or two while wearing your pack is another good option.

You want to start with a lightish pack, say about 8-9kg, and work up to about 15-17kg over the course of a few months. I recommend not adding more than 2 kg at a time every 2 weeks or so in order to give your knees, ankles, and feet time to adjust. Once you’ve reached the 15-17kg pack weight you can increase your workout by increasing your pace rather than adding more weight. This helps prevent long term injuries.

If you’re the type of person who likes to run their own training but wants more information on how to make your workouts fit mountaineering there are some great books like  “Training for the New Alpinism” by Scott Johnston and Steve House. Certainly more information then most casual fitness buffs need but excellent info for a more dedicated trainer. If you want to dive even deeper “Training for the Uphill Athlete” by Steve House, Scott Johnston, and Kilian Jornet expands on “Training for the New Alpinism” and focuses more on mountain running and ski mountaineering.

Many of our climbers find it useful to either purchase a training plan to follow or work directly with a mountaineering specific coach to make sure they’re prepared for their mountaineering objective. We can help introduce you to some great coaches.
The key, as always, is consistency and follow-through. The only training that matters is the training you actually do!

Gear is expensive, how do I purchase the right gear to last a long time?

Oh boy, isn’t it though!? Buying proper mountaineering gear can cost enough to feel like it’s an expedition in its own right. The key to success is having a plan.

Make a list of mountains you’re interested in and then start looking through the required gear list. Does your dream climb call for a double mountaineering boot, but your training climb calls for singles? If so, buying single boots may mean you’ll just have to buy the doubles anyway after using the singles just for one trip. Invest in the doubles. Some items are make-or-break for a climb, research them thoroughly. One properly warm puffy jacket can get you through years of climbing, but buying too light means you’ll just have to buy another as soon as you step up in altitude.

Loads of gear is the same for almost every trip – base layers, midweight layers, socks, cup-bowl spoon, etc. We’ve designed all our Gear Guides with a career of climbing in mind to make sure the gear you buy for the “standard” equipment is rock solid.

Borrow or rent gear as you train to try it out. Got a gearhead buddy with more stuff than they could ever use? See if you can try items on during training hikes to get a feel for how they fit and work. Similarly, don’t be afraid to use return policies appropriately, even if it’s a hassle. It just isn’t worth missing an important summit because your boots don’t quite fit or your jacket restricts your movement.

There is also great gear up for grabs on the second hand market. Check out our Buy, Sell, Swap Facebook Group, or post a wanted to buy ad on the mountaineering forums. Also check out our Gear Guide videos on our YouTube Channel to learn about your equipment before you invest.

What about my loved ones? They are concerned with me climbing. 

It’s important to understand and empathize with how your near and dear ones feel about your climbing and acknowledge that. For those at home, your goal can feel overwhelming, dangerous and an all consuming obsession that draws your energy away from home. It can be frustrating for them. By maintaining open lines of communication and listening to how they feel, alot of this tension can be relieved. You might like to share with them this letter penned by our Co-Owner and Managing Director, Caroline helpful: Letter to your Loved Ones

If you can, involve your loved ones in your journey, invite them to train with you, to trek in with you, to enjoy a holiday with you after your climb. Share your research around safety and risk mitigation with them.

Most importantly, ask them what is concerning them, what they are fearful of, and really listen to their responses. These questions might prompt some heartfelt conversations. It’s amazing what a deep and meaningful can do! Just remember their support is really important and in the tougher moments on the hill, you’ll count on it more than you might realize. Appreciate them and show them you care.

What is “Shin-bang” and how to prevent it?

Shin-bang is a bone bruise that forms on the front of your tibia (shin) from repeatedly impacting the front of your climbing boot as you walk. Unlike blisters, which can be dealt with fairly easily, shin-bang is much harder to manage once it’s set in so, of course, prevention is key!

Shin bang usually comes from the boot being too restrictive of the natural forward and back movement of your ankle while walking. With that in mind, we have found working with your lacing system to be a very successful solution. If you can find a way to keep the boot slightly tight around your forefoot/midfoot, but very loose around your ankle, shin-bang should be less of an issue. It may feel odd at first to have such a loose system, but over time you become accustomed to it.

This was the solution climbers used to use all the time when plastic boots were the best on the market – times/gear have changed, but the technique still applies!

How early should I commit to my climb?

We feel that the sooner you commit the better as it gives you more time to prepare mentally and physically for the climb. Mountaineering is a huge undertaking and something that you will want to work up to consistently. We have found that people are generally more successful when they commit earlier as it gives them longer to shake out any problems that may arise, arrange their home and work life to be away for a number of months, and build their fitness endurance and strength up over time and thereby avoid injury etc.

Do I really need insurance? 

Yes, trip insurance is a definite to budget for. Make sure you shop for a policy that;

  • Doesn’t have an altitude limit below the altitude you reach
  • Doesn’t exclude mountaineering (unless you are trekking)

You want a policy that covers the entire cost of the trip and includes trip cancellation, trip interruption, medical expenses, repatriation, and evacuation for the entire length of the expedition. Unforeseen hiccups both before, and during the expedition can be very expensive. For instance you may accidentally have a fall the week before you are due to leave, a family emergency might crop up halfway through your trip or unsafe climbing conditions/weather beyond anyone’s control may put a hard, premature end to the season in the name of your safety. In such circumstances we want you and your investment to be protected. It’s important to know that we pay for your expedition expenses well in advance so these costs are already sunk and irrecoverable whether things get shut down day 1 or day 60. Of course every effort is taken to account for every eventuality in advance wherever possible. For more information on trip insurance please visit the “Trip Insurance” page

What day would I need to arrive?

The first day of the expedition is always a pure arrival day, meaning you can arrive anytime on the first without impacting the flow of the expedition. We do recommend coming in a day early if you are able – it simply gives a bit more time to recover from jet-lag and deal with any lost baggage etc should that occur. Cost for the extra night is on you, but we are able to assist in booking the extra night.

I have dietary requirements, can you cater for those?

Yes, our guides are amazing and are well versed in catering for a wide variety of dietary requirements and allergies. Please feel free to chat to us about your needs.

Why do I need to bring my own snacks?

Even people who aren’t usually picky about food can get really particular about what they what to eat and can digest at altitude and getting lots of calories is hugely important. Gu packs, shot blocks, nuts, Snickers bars, cheese, etc… whatever it is that you know you can eat when you don’t want to eat anything is best. Getting speciality and familiar food can be difficult when you’re climbing, so it’s best you bring what you love from home.

I’d like my own room, can that be arranged?

All hotels on expedition are double or triple occupancy but if you want your own space (great if you snore or are easily awakened by others) we can usually arrange single rooming at an additional cost. Please let us know as early as possible for the best chance of us securing a private room. Again this is adventure travel and we ask you to roll with the punches if they are not available.

Is tipping my guide required? 

Tipping is customary but optional. Please reach out to your Program Manager for the most up-to-date guidance.