hey, im 15, 16 in september, and have always rock climbed for fun at least a couple times a year.l absoulutely love climving, my dad was gonna climb mount reneir but his back gave out, and after just a reading a book on climbing, it really inspired me to wanna climb a mountain like mount renier, 11000 feet.deff not everest lol. thats too high,but mountains like that just not as high as that, like renier.l dont rock climb regularly, but l do it as l said a couple times a year and love it.is it to late though to start climbing and try to climb a mountain?how long would training take?(i live in ct by the way)

nop its not!! your a teenager! l know some people in their 30 is still start to climb ;p but l dont think they would climb such high mountains. anyway good luck :D

Hi, Jake!
15 or 16 is not too late for anything besides teething. A person of ur age, especially if u have done recreational climbing & r in fairly good health, could set their sights on really any goal, be it climbing or anything else in life.

Find some good books on climbing, scour the Internet for articles & tips, join a class to learn the basics of climbing, belaying, survival, etc, make friends with other climbers, & get some good aerobic condition through running, XC skiing, swimming, & strength through weights.

Go for it! The sky (literally) is the limit!

And a respectful note to ''confused'': You can learn & do plenty when u r 30 or 40 or 50 if u r willing to build the condition & follow healthy habits, besides having the mindset for it.

NO! l am a lot older than you and l have just started and l feel I've been improving on my techniques and increasing my stamina.

Just Climb. Do not worry too much

Hey, That was the age l started 16!! which is cool!!
l know dudes in their 60s climbing! thats pretty cool!
If u really wanna get into climbing!! Buy yourself some stickies (Climbing shoes) & head to ur nearest indoor climbing center or go get lessons! just so u know how to keepp safe! untill u go out!

Or find a friend to go out with!! find the nearest place climbing & start on a grade D (difficult) then work ur way up! but just cause u have lessons dont make u narly!! lol!!

It cool that u wanna start!! do it!!

Training - urm, well climbing is a thing u learn new things everytime! You can train at home practising knots, putting on a harness, belaying things. You dont always have to be out climbing to train!! so have lessons 4 a month at least!

Have fun! maybe u will be sponsered in a few years time! lol! if u r u know who l am!! :P!!!

Scatty

Are you kidding?

No way! This is a GREAT age to get started.

no its never too late. but just judging from experience, Rainer might not be a good mountain to start out on. on the summit the altitude is above 14,000 feet. i've climbed 14'ers before & it can be a push if ur not in good physical condition. & l mean GOOD. this summer im climbing Mount Hood (about 11,000 feet) & im still basically learning how to climb. Hood is a really good mountain, because of the lower altitude, but the slopes r still challenging enough. also, when on Rainer, l carried about a 40 pound pack. on Hood ill be caring about half that.
as for training, when l trained to climb Rainer, l trained for about 6 months. but hard. l would do a stair master wearing a 35-40 pound pack atleast 5 times a week. its hard work & a commitment. u should go to the rock gym a couple more times before u go, but when ur ice climbing, like on Rainer, its more about how u can use ur equipment, & how hard u can push yourself. but l do encourage u to look up guided trips to Mount Hood. Its better to get stuck on a mountain ur first time at 11 thousand as opposed to 14 if u know what l mean.

also, truly do not underestimate the importance of training. u have to push yourself so u know how far u will be able to go when ur at sea level, because u definitely do not want to get on a mountain & have no idea of ur physical limits. & no one will come to pluck u off of a mountain if u get tired of it. like l said its a commitment, but if its something that u r willing to push for, then go for it.