How does one learn technique? Equipment? The correct paths? How do you go from knowing nothing to begining to climb mountains?

well usually you start off at rock climbing gyms so you can bulid up your upper body

If u go to a indoor gym & pracises!! thats a tipacal silly answer thats everyones answer here!! Go find a course with professionals who will take u out!! YOu learn on the way!!

And the upper body stregnth is ruppish!! yes it helps but its a tipcal novice answer!! Most of ur climbing is in ur foot work!! Theres a guy l know called badit he has one arm & hes a fanastic climber prober narly!! he gets up cause of his feet work!! Where u place ur feet is the best way & how u use ur body!!

Ok indoors is good for learing techniques, but whats the chance ur going to be inside, climbing using indoor holds out door, where its not raining or snowing!! there isnt!!

YOu can get many good books! & many good moutaineering courses!! its the best way! because if ur on a course they help u step by step & u can ask questions!!!

Have fun!!

Scatty

l am assuming that u r asking about mountaineering.

The first thing is to start getting out. Start bagging peaks - easy at first, just hikes up to the summit.

You may want to do a few guided climbs to learn technique (ice ax, rope management, knots, etc.). l do not know where u live, but if it is in the States, consider trying one of the guide services on Mt. Hood (Oregon) or Rainier (Washington State). They usually have a 2 or 3 day program where one day is spent learning technique. When l first started mountaineering, l did some guided climbs.

You may also want to purchase the ''bible'' of mountaineering, Freedom of Hills.

Rock climbing skills r also useful in mountaineering. There r several guide services available all over the US that can teach u these skills.

Above all.just start getting out.

Good luck.

Whether u plan to get into technical rock climbing or into mountaineering, the best way to learn what to do is to find other people who do this & hang out with those people.

If u live near a place that has lots of climbing opportunities, there is a good chance there is a club of some sort where people get together for activities. Sometimes u will find a club strictly dedicated to climbing/mountaineering, other times u will find an outing club that offers these programs as well as nature walks, Leave-No-Trace classes, hikes, etc. etc. Many of these clubs r non-profit & charge a minimal amount for the activity if u r a club member. l can not think of any clubs out west, but in the northeast we have several (Adirondack Mountain Club, The Green Mountain Club, The Appalachian Mountain Club, & the Randolph Mountain Club.) All of these clubs will usually have some sort of intro to mountaineering or climbing seminars.

Likewise, u can always go to a climbing school or a climbing class offered by a local gear store. These often tend to be done well.at least at the introductory level.

Finally, u can always enroll in a program like Outward Bound or NOLS.

If you have money and time, l suggest a course from the National Outdoor Leadership School also called NOLS. The link is: http://nols.edu/courses/find/byskill/mtneeringskill.shtml

Also if you are a college student, you can get credit for attending their courses. l also believe you can use students loans but you would have to check with their admission counselors.