UKC

So after getting my first taste of altitude on Toubkal last year I'm keen to get up some more 4000m+ peaks.

Looking for suggestions on cheap to get to and not too technical an ascent?

Thanks!

In reply to BAdhoc:

Gran Paradiso is probably the easiest 4k peak of the Alps and also comparatively cheapish (Italy rather than Switzerland).

CB

In reply to BAdhoc:

Ighil M'Goun in Morocco if you're keen to go back. I did it in 2011, was lots of fun. I heard this route is not as crowded as the Toubkal. Very scenic. It's basically just hiking, even the summit ridge only requires at best that you wear gaiters. I loved "skiing" down the scree on the descent, -500m in 5mn.

In reply to BAdhoc:

Breithorn (Zermatt) and Allalinhorn (Saas Fee) must be among the easiest, sadly not cheap though being in Switzerland and requiring expensive lifts. Weissmies and Lagginhorn are other options in the area and you can walk from valley level for both of these pretty easily/pleasantly.

In reply to BAdhoc:

There are really quite a lot of fairly easy 4000ers in the Alps,but what usually makes them easy is the uplift to near their summits. Eg some of the routes already cited, also perhaps Monch, Dent du Geant, and even various summits along the Rochefort ridge, Mt Blance de Tacul. Another easy couple but with a wearisome approach are the Bishorn, and the Dom (highest summit entirely within Switzerland). There is something to be said for ignoring that magic figure, unless you are already set on collecting the 4000ers, and seeking out more accessible and often more interesting mountains while building your experience.
Good luck.

In reply to AdamCB:

Worth noting that in recent years staying in Saas in summer season, even camping down in Saas Grund, they give you a free lift pass for the whole valley except the Metro Alpin funicular.

In reply to AdamCB:
Also, if you stay at any Saas Valley accomodation including the Campgrounds in Saas Grund, use of lifts is free, e.g. if you want to avoid the slog up to the Britannia or Weissmies huts (or at least it was in 2015).

CB

edit: reading the entire thread before commenting may help with looking less stupid!

In reply to jcw:

Exactly! We had Gross Wannenhorn (3990odd m) entirely for ourselves, despite more than 150 people staying at the Finsteraarhorn hut at the same time!

May be a bit of a step up from Toubkal, though, similar to some of the other summits that can be dangerous even if the routes are easy. You don´t want to be caught in a whiteout on Dom if this is your second or third high Alpine summit.

CB

In reply to BAdhoc:

Pyramid Vincent, Balmenhorn?

In reply to BAdhoc:



If you can get cheap flights to San Francisco, Mt Whitney in California is very straightforward - nothing technical involved at all. Acclimatization is probably the major difficulty.

In reply to tony:

Define cheap please?

In reply to tony:


The major difficulty for us was entering a daily ballot at 7am to see if we could get a ticket to go up there!! It rather kiboshed the idea of a spontaneous wilderness experience on a superb peak. We did get lucky ( at the end of the draw - 8am) but it was all a bit stressful. I don't know if they still do this.

In reply to BAdhoc:

Barre des Ecrins?

JW

In reply to jcw:

Since when did the peaks along the Grand Jorasses become "easy peaks". The Dom??. I guess everything is relative but these are quite the step up from Morocco.

In reply to goatee:

i was thinking exactly the same thing about the dent du geant! Its a bit of a step up from toubkal!

In reply to goatee:

I did not say the grands jorasses. I said the Rochefort arête which has, as far as I remember a couple of 4000ers, Aiguille and Dom de R. You certainly don't need to go on, it is easily doable in a day, along with the Geant if desired. And as for the Geant, the ordinary route with fixed ropes shouldn't really pose a problem. The OP is not exactly a beginner, looking at the profile, even if Toubkal was cited as the first actual 4000er

In reply to BAdhoc:
There are several other 4000ers in the Toubkal area, that can be accessed from the Lepiney Refuge: Afella, Bigousenne, Akioid. Same area but a different approach, different peaks and far fewer people.

In reply to AdamCB:


The Breithorn can also be climbed easily and more cheaply from the Italian side (Cervinia). Its only a little bit further than from the Swiss side (about a mile and 350m extra ascent) and still would be the shortest and easiest 4000er.
If doing the Gran Paradiso as well you'd already be on the Italian side of the Alps so combining both in one trip would be quite easy.

In reply to tony:

You need to register for permits and possibly enter some kind of lottery (!) to climb Mt Whitney, not necessarily a show stopper but a layer of bureaucracy not present in the Alps.

http://www.recreation.gov/permits/Mt_Whitney_Ca/r/wildernessAreaDetails.do?...

Find this bit in the link:

"A lottery is held February 1 to March 15, followed by open reservations for the remainder of the season. You apply for dates, group size and your preference of day hike or overnight permit. List up to 3 alternate leaders and up to 15 alternate (sic) trip choices on one application. "

In reply to pec:


Yeah but why would you bother with the hassle when there's all of Europe at your doorstep without having to deal with all that pointless shit?

In reply to Removed User:

Not to mention the s...t getting there through the. USA immigration

In reply to Removed User:


Well personally I wouldn't, I looked into it once when I was over there and thought bollocks to that and did something else instead.
I was just posting it for information in case anyone felt tempted.

In reply to BAdhoc:

Thanks for all the suggestions! I mainly said 4000m because I didnt seem to feel the altitude and wanted to test myself at the altitude again. The Alps ones seem a good way of getting in the peaks and a little experience with each one but you're right the lift passes will add up! I'm looking into some long weekend trips to bag myself some more altitude experience.

In reply to jcw:

Time for me to retire then - I've twice tried to reach the Rochfort arête from Torino and twice failed & had to turn back.

I'm up to 9 4000ers now - all easy - but "easily doable in a day" for that itinery would probably be relative to experienced and very fit mountaineers. (I am certainly fit).

Phil

In reply to Phil Murray:

Well, I don't know quite how to reply to that. I've looked up several entries about it including guiding adverts. AD 8hrs return from hut to A. De Rochefort seems to be a reasonable norm and some throw in the Geant too. The Rochefort ridge itself starts from the Salle a Manger at the base of the Geant which is only a couple or so hours from the hut.

In reply to John Ww:

All under 4000m aren't they?

In reply to pec:


I'd forgotten about the need for a permit. I may have got lucky because I was doing it in one go from Whitney Portal rather than camping at one of the intermediate campgrounds.

In reply to jcw:

Have you done the rochefort arête?

In reply to drunken monkey:

Twice

In reply to goatee:

Dom via the normal route is technically easy but loooong! Again, not recommended as a beginner´s 4k peak, or a place to test your acclimatization level.

CB

In reply to jcw:

Yep - we tried - with 60m rope in 2012, which was heavy, and we encountered very loose,dangerous scree just below the sale a Manger, as well as a pair of very shell shocked british women going down, having not climbed it either.

last summer, tried again, lots of snow this time, and an iced up crack even lower than our previous effort: I led it, found it utterly desperate, crampons scraping on iced up rock, partner nearly froze whilst I did this (on belay), immediately abseiled off and gave up.

We won't try again.

My best/hardest 4000-er was Lagginhorn , PD, in a day, just, with 10 mins to spare for last lift down, from the valley! I guess I'm not AD material, despite being an HVS leader and 6b sport climber etc . (which meant I once climbed a route graded alpine TD - cos it was bolted!!!! and all on rock )

I've been walking up mountains since 1972, have climbed 100s of trad & sport routes, run a half marathon in 72 mins, can still go under 40 mins for 10k age 51, am an accomplished off road runner & orienteer, walked 34 km in one go, and....
... the route from Torino to Salle a manger is too hard for me, and also my partner, who willingly threw in the towel both times too. !
so I guess it's accessible but not cheap (lift price has gone up) , but i'd say not easy. .. .

In reply to jcw:

PS. ah ye - guiding - we were almost shoved out of the way by guides who seemed to be tugging their clients along behind them . It's a bit of a trade route for guides I guess - certainly faster if they short rope you and "pull" occasionally...!

In reply to Phil Murray: sorry to hear of the conditions. But best not to tug along the Arête, which is distinctly airy. There are plenty of other easy 4000ers to try, so good luck with them.

In reply to ianstevens:
Barre des Ecrins, 4102m, highest mountain solely in mainland France (i.e
where some part of the mountain isn't in a different country).


Clearly not.

JW

In reply to John Ww:

Aiguille Verte??

In reply to John Ww:

I stand corrected!

In reply to goatee:

Not very sensible.

Most of us realise that is a joke, but you are responding to a novice who might not.

In reply to Simon4:

I have no idea??

In reply to goatee:

Well the title of the thread is "Easy/Cheaply accessible 4000m peaks", the AV is neither of these, as numerous bivouac victims descending from it can testify.

In reply to BAdhoc:


When did you climb Toubkal and how much mountaineering experience did you have before you did it? I ask because it's a completely different mountain summer to winter and even in full winter conditions it's a very, very easy alpine peak compared to any I've climbed in the alps at supposedly similar grades. I haven't been to the Atlas in summer, but I understand at that time of year Toubkal is just a hillwalk with maddening scree in parts. Depending on when you did it and your overall experience, your step up to the alps could be a big leap and there might be better ways to start than just identifying altitude as the most enticing feature and assuming it's all the same.

In reply to Simon4:

Sorry for the confusion. I was replying to the comment about the Barre des Ecrins being the highest peak entirely in France. The Verte is most certainly NOT an easy peak.

In reply to goatee:

Ah, right, I understand you now.

Perhaps best that any confusion has been removed.

In reply to Simon4:

Yes, I nearly fell for it too and re.acted like you. I'd already nearly dropped a clanger over mistaking John W and myself so reread the thread properly. The statement that the Verte is the highest peak entirely in France I found interesting, so I gave it a like!

In reply to jcw:

Isn't the Tacul completely in France?

In reply to jon:

Yes, but all that depends on what is considered Mont Blanc. It's all pretty artificial in any case. Have you received anything from Cordee yet? Happy New year

In reply to jcw:

And to you too. No, nothing yet.

In reply to Kevin Duffy:

Thanks for the response, I should have elaborated, I had zero experience before I went, the snow line was just above the hut so got more of a winter mountaineering experience, all be it a very easy one. I'm hoping to get up to Scotland a couple of times and slowly build up to 'proper' snowy alpine stuff but it's nice to have some routes to aim for, hence the thread

In reply to BAdhoc:

Starting in Scotland is not necessarily as easy as people think and I've heard it said that you could do a few trips to the alps to be ready for Scottish winter climbing.
No harm at all in having a few peaks or routes to aim at and well worth a thread to help you shape them, but I think it might be worth your while taking a learning approach rather than a tick-list. Join a club, find people to climb with, take a good alpine skills course, then your targets will become both more obvious and achievable. At the moment, the altitude you're aiming for might just lead you into a disappointing experience or worse, but build up some experience and skills and the alps are your oyster.