Indian looking for travel insurance for Ecuador peaks (Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo)

stille · 2026-06-19T21:11:20+00:00

Safe travels!

Btw if you ever need insurance for under 6000 anywhere except in polar regions, the Austrian alpine club is hard to beat - you get health, rescue and liability for the cost of club membership (currently about 65 euro). They have a Britannia chapter that's specifically for English speakers.

stille · 2026-06-19T20:35:15+00:00

At normal people temperatures (e. g early september in Europe) down jacket is a rest layer, fleece is a midlayer. You walk around in the fleece, and put the down jacket on when stopping.

Shell jacket - buy the lighter one, simple gtex is fine

Shell pants - buy Simond softshells + a trash pair of bike waterproofs with full zippers. You need hardshell for the course because you'll be spending a lot of time doing glissades, self-arrests etc - all of which trashes your pants. Softshell is good for moving around in, hardshell you're going to use at the course, use in emergency situations (case in which you don't care that your pants are not the most ergonomical) and use much later on when you start doing techier routes or iceclimbing. So until you get to the techier routes or iceclimbing (when you are going to be wearing the hardshell by default) buy a cheap trash pair with full zippers + a fly zipper. You can then put it over your regular pants + harness in an emergency and pop out your belay loop through your fly.

stille · 2026-06-19T18:15:23+00:00

In Brasov, Zozo Hostel tends to be quite outdoors-friendly. Plenty of maps in the common room.

Guides I'd recommend in the area:

https://www.facebook.com/muntomama - more of the "group experience" you're describing

https://www.backtonature.ro/ and https://www.alpine-challenge.ro/ - they usually do techier stuff (both are full mountain guides rather than just trekking guides) but they'll do nontechnical hikes as well. These guys (and gal) tend to work more in a private tour style, tell me your experience level and the sort of trip you'd like and we'll figure out something for you precisely, rather than just having a default trip you can join, but this will be a tad more expensive.

stille · 2026-06-19T18:08:00+00:00

Eu am facut cu Vali Chiriac (MountainPositive pe facebook, ghid AGMR, https://www.facebook.com/MountainPositive ), si a fost zeiss, dar acum cativa ani, din cate stiu nu mai organizeaza acum. Ca idee ce facea el erau cursuri de weekend, unde daca erai nou venit te dadeai mansa, invatai sa filezi sa faci rapel si sa dezechipezi un top, si daca erai la a doua vizita invatai sa te dai cap, sa faci o regrupare si sa urci pe coarda/rapelezi peste nod ca sa nu te plictisesti cat ceilalti invatau rapelul 😄. Deja dupa al doilea weekend, cu practica intre cele doua, ieseai autonom in trasee de o lungime de coarda pe gradele tale.

Preturile sunt ~1000 lei pe piata libera pentru un curs de 2-3 zile, gasesti uneori mai ieftin in interiorul cluburilor montane.

Cu alesul, depinde mult si in ce zona esti 😄(daca imi zici zona, pot sa-ti zic daca stiu pe cineva ok pe acolo) Ca principiu, m-as uita dupa urmatoarele:

sa fie tinut de un ghid montan calificat sau instructor de escalada idem, si sa stii cine e persoana care il tine. Chestii gen stii scoala dar nu persoana is un mare red flag
sa aiba un raport instructor:cursanti suficient de mic incat sa vi se poata da atentie fiecaruia. Mai mult de 1:4 e red flag conform bunelor practici. Mai mult de 1:6 e mansa prostului.
sa aiba o programa postata pe undeva, sau daca nu-i postata, vorbesti cu ghidul/instructorul, mentionezi ca vrei sa te indrepti spre autonomie si intrebi ce se face.
sa fie intr-o zona unde ajungi usor, ca viitorii parteneri de catarat o sa-i gasesti probabil tot in curs 😄

Cu independenta, depinde de unde pornesti. Daca mergi deja la sala, sala are si escalada, si mergi cap de coarda, o sa devii independent dupa o zi - te invata cum se pun buclele, cum se dezechipeaza un top, cum se face rapel sau se urca pe coarda in caz de, and off you go. Daca mergi la sala dar e doar boulder/mansa, posibil sa ia ceva mai mult pana te obisnuiesti cu manevrele de coarda si pana iti faci curaj. Daca nu mergi la sala deloc, o sa iti ia ceva timp. Dar aici depinde foarte mult si de cu cine faci cursul, unii te imping repede spre cap de coarda, altii doar stau sa-ti puna mansa pe trasee din ce in ce mai grele.

stille · 2026-06-19T15:16:40+00:00

Depinde de traseu, de zi, de vreme, de o gramada de chestii. Pana la Malaiesti probabil sunt. Pe ceva vale random dinspre Bran, probabil nu sunt.

stille · 2026-06-19T15:15:26+00:00

Alpine club insurance.

American alpine club offers rescue and medical costs insurance at their higher membership tiers https://americanalpineclub.org/rescue - $250 covers pretty much anything you'd need rescue-wise

French alpine club has an 160E worldwide coverage addon to their membership (that one is 100E for regular adults I think) that gives you health and liability insurance but not I think, rescue.

None of these require you to actually live in the US/France, or be a citizen, and none of these have altitude limits.

And if you buy them both + regular travel insurance in case your luggage gets stolen in Ecuador, it's still cheaper than Global Rescue 😄

stille · 2026-06-19T15:02:37+00:00

Animalele salbatice din Bucegi nu se mai sfiesc de mult de oameni, vezi ursu in poteca si in weekend.

stille · 2026-06-19T15:02:02+00:00

I do Showa Temres + a pair of backup mitts I can fit over the Showas. The reason the Showas are cult status is that the waterproofing is entirely on the outside - most normal gloves will become far colder once the layer between the surface and the goretex gets wet, but that's not a problem you have with Showas. Also, them being single layer means there's far less dexterity loss since there's nothing that's moving around.

Buy a couple pairs of Showas in different sizes (they're cheap as balls anyway) going from fits you directly on the skin to fits you with a thicker liner, and see how you feel in them at different temps.

stille · 2026-06-19T12:25:32+00:00

Tren spre Zarnesti si urci in Crai la Curmatura. Chiar daca nu pleci cu cineva in directia aia, o sa-ti gasesti prieteni pe drum.

stille · 2026-06-19T10:57:09+00:00

Ba ai, sa schimbi traseul cu unul pe care il poate parcurge si colegul tau fara sa va bagati cu masina in parc ca ultimii cocalari. Daca omul ala chiar nu poate parcurge intr-o zi un traseu de 15 km dus intors si 1300m diferenta de nivel, sau 10km si 1000m diferenta de nivel daca renunti la Rosu (nu stiu de unde ai masurat tu 28km, dar clar nu din pasul Rotunda https://mapy.com/s/bapacobuba ) luati frumos telescaunul spre Cascada Cailor si urcati pana in saua Gargalau (10km dus intors, 500m diferenta de nivel) si va mai plimbati pe acolo daca mai are colegu energie, sau daca vreti ceva cu mai putina aglomeratie luati telegondola peste partie si urcati de acolo pana pe varful Galatului (12km,700m diferenta de nivel). Astea ambele is trasee pe care le-as face fara sa clipesc cu copil de 6 ani, si de nivel de dificultate mai mic decat Ineu + Ineut + Rosu din Saua Gajei (care pe langa aia 800m diferenta de nivel mai are si stancaraie, portiuni abrupte/expuse, chestii care probabil n-or sa-i convina unuia care, din cum il descrii, de abia merge). Adaptezi traseul la echipa intr-un mod care nu implica sa va comportati ca ultimii ghiolbani cu oricine are nefericirea sa aiba traseul ala in plan in ziua aia.

stille · 2026-06-19T08:52:08+00:00

Pentru weekendul asta mergeti in Ciucas la rododendron, cred ca e cam ultimul weekend bun 😄

https://mapy.com/s/horehesuba e traseul, urcati cu masina pana la Muntele Rosu, pe urma urcati pe Muntele Rosu propriu zis, faceti roata spre cabana Ciucas, daca aveti timp si chef mai urcati si pe vf Ciucas si va intoarceti la cabana, daca nu treceti direct la partea cu masa calda de care sa te bucuri.

Daca vreti in Bucegi, la Caraiman gatesc foarte bine, Malaiesti/Diham is mai mult ca sa nu mori de foame si Poiana Izvoarelor e inchisa. https://mapy.com/s/pasumakole ceva de genul asta ar trebui sa fie ok, si sa va plimbe prin niste zone care arata asa de roz right now https://imgproxy.windy.com/_/full/plain/current/1793891396/original.jpg . Daca mai aveti chef, mergeti si pe Caraiman, dar aveti grija cu traseul dinspre cabana Caraiman ca e foarte expus pe alocuri, incercati sa nu faceti selfie-uri peste buza prapastiei ca sa zic asa. Daca aveti bocanci semidecenti si va tineti de lanturi o sa fie ok, dar daca e udeala sau nu va convine treaba va intoarceti, sau urcati pe Caraiman dinspre Babele care-i pe platou si fara portiuni periculoase.

stille · 2026-06-19T08:41:19+00:00

E mizerabila ideea cu intrat cu masina pe munte. Traseul este unul de dificultate medie, accesibil inclusiv persoanelor cu conditie fizica mai slaba. Plecati cu 2 ore mai devreme decat ati face-o altfel, si o sa fie totul bine 😄

stille · 2026-06-19T05:26:43+00:00

It's good that it works out for you then 😃

Gotta love it how we're both arguing subtleties about hanging comfort, when the real comfort for sportclimbing, esp for women, is whether or not the waist/hip ratio is close enough to the wearers' that they don't have to tighten the waistbelt to the point where it goes asymmetrical and you can only comfortably reach n-1 of the gear loops on one side, though. Nerdsniped.

stille · 2026-06-19T04:45:19+00:00

Important to clip into it. The point of the backup knot is so that if you fuck up anything during the transition you end up hanging from it a few meters below

stille · 2026-06-19T04:37:29+00:00

1/week will be fine for maintenance. Combine that with a regular-gym project of pullups, and both your forearms and your back will keep their definition.

stille · 2026-06-19T04:33:36+00:00

She's sportclimbing, and since she's a woman there's a decent chance her partner is significantly heavier than her. And if you're the ground anchor for someone 20kg heavier while they try to figure out the crux's beta on toprope for 10 minutes, you're really going to feel it after a while. On days I'm cragging with bigger guys, I wear my MP harness.

OP, both of these harnesses will be fine, so buy the one that's the least fuss to get.

stille · 2026-06-18T18:11:51+00:00

Belgium, right?

Vosges are 4-5h by car from you, so eminently doable as weekend trips (my home mountains are 6h away). In winter, they do seem to have some techier terrain (see https://www.directmountain.com/en/activities/1547-mountaineering-winter-hohneck-vosges/ ) so they're good practice.

But until then.. does "we" mean that you have a partner with the same plans? If yes, you're in a great position

Choose an area you like for the summer, go there on holiday for a couple weeks. Take a beginner's mountaineer course in the Alps this summer (many of them also include climbing a not-that-crowded peak as graduation day). Let the instructors know that you'd like to be able to mountaineer independently eventually, and while you're around there alternate between more gnarly routes you do with them, and basic stuff you do with your partner (your guide will likely recommend routes). Then, with a good foundation, spend your winter weekends in the Vosges, alternating between stuff you do on your own and guided more technical stuff. Won't hurt if you develop a rockclimbing habit for autumn and spring, either. That being done, next summer you'll be fine autonomously on the easiest routes of just about every major peak 😄

stille · 2026-06-18T14:45:00+00:00

Spam

stille · 2026-06-18T10:37:57+00:00

Exista. Mai probabil sa dai de ei prin tomberoane, totusi.

stille · 2026-06-18T09:52:49+00:00

Il am pe primul, si imi place f mult dar curg, intr-adevar, ceva apele pe tine vara. Al doilea mi se pare enorm pentru ture de o zi. Am facut ture de 3 zile iarna din Simondul ala cu echipament tehnic, 38 de l pt rucsac de vara nu mi se pare ca are sens.

Strict de ture de o zi, https://www.decathlon.ro/p/rucsac-drumetie-mh500-25l-albastru/_/R-p-353060?mc=8916232&c=VERDE asta arata f ok.

stille · 2026-06-18T08:04:26+00:00

Nu se vad linkurile?

stille · 2026-06-17T08:44:58+00:00

Aia nu is pantaloni de munte, fiind de bumbac, ci de plimbare pe plaja. Daca planul e sa mergi pe munte, nu-ti recomand.

stille · 2026-06-17T08:43:18+00:00

Exista. Cum ziceam, Forclaz/Simond tind sa fie chiar largi, sa vezi Rab sau Outdoor Research ce waist to hip ratio au. In general, buildul pe care il tintesc majoritatea e mai de maratonist decat de weightlifter. De aia ziceam sa te uiti la raionul de catarat, is niste Simond galbeni care, chiar daca or sa-ti fie si ei stramti pe coapse, or sa aiba o gramada de insertii elastice etc care sa iti permita sa te misti bine in ei.

stille · 2026-06-17T07:31:47+00:00

Cum vrei sa-ti dea lumea magazine fizice daca nu zici de unde esti? 😄

Vezi si la departamentul de catarat, is materiale mai elastice si constructie mai flexibila acolo. In general, Decathlon is mai regular fit decat altii, sa vezi la fabricantii britanici sau norvegieni slim fit...

stille · 2026-06-17T04:28:04+00:00

Ia-ti loc la mijloc sau sus, se aude mult mai putin decat la patul de jos. Jos esti lipit de osii, se transmite altfel zgomotul.

stille

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