Mountaineering - this activity looks very interesting and attractive, because hiking in the mountains and conquering difficult peaks seem to many to be something romantic and heroic. But mountaineering also presupposes constant serious work, education and training.
How to become a beginner in mountaineering
It is impossible to start mountaineering on your own. This is not an area of knowledge that you can master at home yourself. To make difficult ascents in a team, you need to come to a climbing club and start practicing there. There is a climbing section or club in almost every city, and somewhere there are even several such associations. Usually these clubs are free, but there are exceptions.
A person who has not yet gone on a hike is called a "beginner." You will listen to lectures and take part in training sessions in which you will be taught all the basics. After that, it will be possible to go to the easiest peak of category 1B. After a successful ascent, you will receive a "Russian Mountaineer" badge and go to the "badge" category, and these are not quite beginners anymore.
If there is no alps school or the opportunity to go to it, then you can go on a mountain hike in the summer to replace newcomers, it is called "NP-1", that is, initial training is the first level. This means that you will come to the mountains and live there at the so-called base. From there you will from time to time make hikes and ascents under the guidance of an instructor, in practice mastering all the basic knowledge. When you complete your initial training course, you will also receive a badge.
In the future, you will constantly overcome new stages of learning, conquering more and more difficult peaks, increasing the amount of knowledge and gradually increasing your skill. There is no need to rush, as the number of ascents is directly related to how safe mountain trekking will be for you. After the "badge" you can get the third sports category, but you can make independent ascents only after you have been assigned the second category.
Equipment for initial training
You will need some equipment to go mountaineering. The first time it is not necessary to buy it, you can rent it in the sports club where you are doing. First of all, this is the lower harness. Buy a quality, certified harness that has adjustable leg loops and a belt-to-leg ring. It is best to bring an experienced instructor with you to help you buy a good harness, or to find out which products are definitely worth trusting.
The belay is a piece of dynamic rope approximately 4 m long and 10 mm in diameter. Take one non-muffled carabiner and 5 muffled carabiners with you. It is important that the carabiners close very tightly. Get yourself a zhumar, they are adapted for left-handers and right-handers. The best are the Zhumars from Petzl. Also take a prusik with you - this is a cord, length 2 m, diameter about 6-7 mm. A device for insurance will come in handy - a glass or an eight. It is imperative to have a climbing helmet, sometimes an ice ax and climbing crampons are required. To prevent the sun from blinding your eyes, buy special dark glasses, a factor of at least 3-4. They should be wide and fit very tightly to prevent direct light from entering the eyes - this is very important in the mountains. You should also take all your usual hiking gear with you.
If you are going on an NP-1 expedition, then the instructor must provide you with a list of all the necessary things.