Mountaineering Methodology - Part 4 - The Mountains

Book excerpt: Mountaineering Methodology is a textbook intended for beginners and advanced climbers who wish to devote themselves to mountaineering in its various forms, whether rock climbing, artificial climbing walls, ascents in the mountains up rock, snow, and ice, or protected routes (klettersteig, via ferrata). The fourth section focuses on activities in the mountains and is simply titled The Mountains. It begins here completely from the beginning – first discussing advancing in the mountains along regular trails, and then walking in free terrain off the trail, as well as in varying types of terrain such as talus and grassy slopes, passages through scrub, walking in snow and firn slopes, and so forth. The important question of planning mountain tours is also addressed, how to carry out a mountain tour, what tactics to uphold during a mountain tour, and everything associated with mountain glaciers and advancing along them. Another part of this section are protected routes (klettersteig/via ferrata), the history of their creation, and methods of protection and advancement along them.