Before you ask, yes I know of Alex Honnold and free climbing (Look him up if you don’t) but I’m not writing this with him in mind. He is simply on another planet. The purpose of this post is to find out if you truly need all that fancy and expensive equipment and if so what pieces of equipment you need to do mountaineering or mountain climbing.

Can you do mountain climbing with little or no equipment? In short, yes you can do many climbs with a bare minimum of equipment. One day hikes/climbs in not so steep terrain can be completed with a pair of good shoes (I guess also optional if you enjoy blisters or risk of injury). However, as soon as you are challenged by ice, deep snow or steep terrain, some pieces of equipment will certainly make your life easier or safer.

Cycling needs a helmet to prevent head injury in case the rider falls off. Similarly, mountain climbing also needs some special tools to make sure the climber remains safe and is prevented from possible damages. Let’s dive deeper (or climb higher) into the subject.

Can You Climb a Mountain Without Equipment?

Climbing a mountain with basically no equipment is called free climbing (with or even without rope). It is almost certainly possible to climb some mountains without mountain climbing gear; however, it is only done by professional mountaineers and is still incredibly risky.

Free climbers use only ropes that too for safety and do not depend on the mountain climbing gear for support. Therefore, free climbers require extra skills, experience, and knowledge as compared to those who climb with equipment.

Moreover, climbing a mountain is different from rock climbing as mountain climbing is a long expedition and more dangerous than rock climbing. Therefore, mountain climbers do require the mountain climbing gear for assistance and survival.

What it Takes to Climb Without Equipment

It takes years for mountain climbers to learn the techniques for mountain climbing because it requires experience, technical use of mountain climbing gear and athletic stamina.

Imagine climbing a mountain when you do not have an ice ax, and you take a wrong step which drags you down the cliff. Luckily, you can retain the support and only contracted minor injuries on hands and feet.

Since you do not have first aid, you cannot treat the injuries which might lead to infections. Consequently, you will fall sick with no medicine or pain killers to ease your misery.

You did not wear gloves, so your hands become more prone to damages, and there is nothing you can do to dress up your wounds with. Your boots were not supported by crampons which led to sprains and injuries.

So now you are stranded somewhere amidst the high peaks with your lacking mobility. However, even if you can continue your climb, you do not know the way out of the spot you fell into because you did not research the place you planned to climb a mountain at.

To make the situation worse, you did not carry a map or any navigation device which could guide you the route to escape the hell you are stuck in.

Moreover, you did not carry enough food and water, and you might find yourself craving for those. You might also fall into a pit of water, but you neither wore waterproof clothes nor took spare clothes in your backpack.

Till the time you will climb to a safe place or back to the foot of the mountain, there is a high chance of getting hypothermia in case you were climbing in a chilly climate.

However, let us assume that you are once again lucky, and find some edible dry fruits but you cannot crack them open because you never carried a knife. So, you find yourself freezing in excruciating pain, your wounds forming pus, your empty stomach growling for food, and mouth dried out.

It does truly seem like you would not be able to survive longer and die unless anybody comes to the rescue. Therefore, would like you to climb a mountain without your safety mountain climbing gear? Certainly not, so the answer is you do need equipment to climb a mountain even if you are a professional and experienced mountain climber.

What Equipment do you Need for Climbing a Mountain?

The first thing you should know about mountain climbing is that it requires much stamina as it is very exhausting and difficult. Mountains consist of highs and lows, sharp ridges, loose rocks, and complicated terrains.

So, you need to be acquainted with all the directions and alternative routes to avoid getting lost or stuck. Therefore, there is special equipment needed for a mountain climber to assist in the journey and ensure safety.

1. Boots: Mountain climbing gear includes hiking boots which help you climb up the hard and treacherous rocks without causing sprains and blisters. Mountain climbing requires to walk before reaching a resting point; therefore, boots prevent the feet from possible strains and injuries.

If you are a beginner mountaineer and you are not sure about the differences between the mountaineering boots out there, I encourage you to check out the post I have written about how to choose the ultimate mountaineering boot. You can find my article here.

2. Backpack: When you are climbing a mountain, you will not be able to find anyone providing you with water or snacks. Carrying a backup is extremely necessary for a climber as it contains all the essential things such as water, energy bars, first aid, and It is heavy and arduous to climb up with but, it is no more than a blessing when in need. It should be waterproof because you might find yourself landing on a puddle of water, or it could also rain.

3. First aid: It is very unlikely to avoid injuries when climbing a mountain because you are highly prone to getting sprains, blisters, insect dungs, etc. There is also chance to fall sick for example motion sickness which can be very troublesome for mountain climbers; therefore, having the basic first aid kit is the best solution.

4. Use of crampons: It is not the most important mountain climbing gear for everyone, but if you are climbing a mountain which is covered with heavy snow then you might need one. Crampons are sharp spikes that can be attached on the bottom of your boots to prevent you from slipping away or getting stuck deep in the snow. Therefore, you do not have to attach them to soles all the time but only when you are exposed to thick icy layers. Hence, you need a backup to keep them safe as they are sharp and might injure you while climbing.

5. Rope: It is the holy grail for mountain climbers because it helps you to ascend, it prevent you from falling, and it helps you not to lose your gear.

6. Harness: Harness is a mountain climbing gear which is attached to the rope and assist you in mountain climbing.

7. Ice axe: An important tool for mountain climbers as it prevents falling because they can plunge the axe into the ice and gain support. It is also used to break through the ice and clear an obstruction.

8. Pocket knife: Experts (and I agree) say it is essential to carry a pocket knife for mountain climbing because it serves many purposes. It can help mountain climbers to cut ropes, clean their mountain climbing gear from debris, to slice hard food items, to hunt, etc. Not too long ago I wrote a post about why you should always carry a knife when climbing, you can read it here.

9. Gloves and dry powder: Gloves are needed to keep your hands free from blisters, cuts, and injuries. Moreover, there is always a chance of getting your hands moist due to the sweat which increases the possibility. Therefore, climbers use powder to increase friction for a better grip and avoid slipping away.

10. Oxygen canisters (for 6000m+ peaks): When you are at a high altitude, the amount of oxygen you can inhale with each breath is much less than at sea level. Therefore, unless you are someone who is adapted to high altitudes which would have extra red blood cells than people living at sea level would be at an advantage. For those who do not, they might black out due to lack of oxygen, so they need oxygen canisters to prevent that. These canisters contain oxygen-rich air giving you the same dose of oxygen that you would get when at sea level.

Conclusion

It does not seem sensible and logical even to think to climb a mountain without the necessary equipment. I would definitely agree that many mountains can be climbed with little or no equipment with the right weather, but why would anyone risk doing so.

So, make your adventure the best and not the last by making sure you take all the life-saving tools and mountain climbing gear with prior training and knowledge of the world of mountains.