7. Patience, Patience, Patience…

Patience is perhaps the most crucial skill or quality required in order to summit your first mountain. Days out or expeditions in the mountains can be frustrating at times, with the weather, climbing partners, snow conditions and the often fatiguing work of the activity itself all contributing to the steady – or sharp – decline of your reserves. Losing patience, however, can lead to mistakes or at the very least undermine your enjoyment of your climb. A level head and a degree of expectation management are in order to ensure you don’t get frustrated, disappointed, discouraged or even dangerously reckless if things don’t go exactly to plan or as quickly and smoothly as you’d like.

Conquering your first summit is always a memorable and meaningful experience for any would-be mountaineer. For many of us, our enthusiasm and desire to get there can cause us to overlook or bypass the fundamentals required to do so, an error that might mean our first attempts are unsuccessful or, even worse, cut short by serious injury, sometimes even death. Learning the above skills before you attempt to conquer your first summit will maximize your chances of realizing your dream and making it down again in one piece, laying the foundations for a trip to remember and a lifelong love for the sport of mountaineering.