Mountaineering abroad: what is it, why do it, and where is the best place to go?

What is mountaineering?

• Mountaineering can range from hiking in the Alps to mountaineering in the Andes, from free climbing in the Ardennes to a multi-day trek in the Himalayas. For centuries, people have been fascinated by the mountains, reaching mountain peaks and being active in mountainous areas. There are dozens of types of mountaineering, including mountaineering, mountain climbing, fat biking, free climbing, rock climbing, zip lining, ski touring, winter sports, ice diving and ice climbing. In the last century, you have also seen more and more sports in which descending the mountain in an original way has become central. You can go abseiling, base jumping, hang gliding, but also skiing or sledding.

What is abseiling (rappel)?

• Abseiling is independently descending a steep wall using a climbing rope. In climbing it is used as a technique to descend, but in canyoning it has also become part of the sport

What is alpinism? 

• Alpinism is mountain climbing in terrain consisting of rock, snow and ice. The emphasis is on 'vertical' ascent, using arms and hands to get up. Rock climbing and ice climbing are forms of alpinism. Alpinism originated more than three centuries ago during a scientific expedition that climbed the summit of Mont Blanc. Today's alpinism is more about climbing technique, the level of difficulty or the beauty of the route, than about reaching the top of the mountain.

What are trekking and mountain hikes?

• This means that you walk along paved and unpaved paths through the mountains. When you also need your arms and hands, people quickly speak of mountain climbing. Simple glacier walking is also considered mountain hiking. 'Rambling' is a simple way of trekking, and 'scrambling' is a simple way of climbing where one occasionally needs the help of hands or knees.

What is free climbing and wall climbing?

• Free climbing is a form of rock climbing where you climb up using your hands and feet. It does not mean that you do not have any form of protection (that is known as free solo climbing), but it does mean that you are not allowed to use any aids for the climbing itself. Wall climbing: is climbing in a covered area on a climbing wall without aids.

What are other mountain and climbing sports?

• Bouldering is a climbing sport where you climb unsecured to a height of about 4/5 meters. If you fall, you basically fall on a thick mat. Bouldering is very similar to life, and often revolves around finding the right route.
• Hangliding: see air sports.
• Deathriding or ziplining: see air sports.
• Skiing or sledding: see winter sports.

What do you get out of it?

• Better health: from respiratory tract to fitness.
• A sense of humility, and the world around you.
• An adrenaline rush or an ultimate feeling of peace.

What do you take with you?

• Bring a good basic condition.
• Bring sufficient water and food for the journey and for the duration of the trip.
• Use your common sense (so as not to become overconfident).
• Arrange for difficult trips a guide who knows the area well

What are the risks when practicing mountain sports abroad?

• With every form of mountain sports you also run more or less risk of having an accident or breakdown. You can get lost.
• You can have an accident (slip, trip).
• You can be faced with rapidly changing weather.
• Your equipment can break.

To what extend are you insured during mountain sports?

• The consequences if something goes wrong during mountain sports are, if you need help and have to be taken down a mountain, or repatriated from a remote area, the costs can be quite high. The costs of deploying a rescue helicopter alone are around 5,000 euros per hour! In addition, you can be faced with the costs of a rescue team
• If you also end up in hospital, you may have to pay the costs yourself, if you have not taken out insurance that covers your mountain sports activities.
• Mountain sports abroad are generally limited by regular insurance. Usually you also run a greater risk of having an accident or breakdown.
• Read more: Travel insurances and insurances for long term abroad - Theme
• Read more: Verzekeren en sportieve activiteiten (NL)

Where is the best place to go for mountain sports?

Where can you go for the most beautiful mountain walks and treks?

• The Inca Trail (the route to Machu Picchu)
• Mount Rinjani (beautiful volcano on Lombok, Indonesia)
• Mount Kailash (Tibet, famous pilgrimage route, high and difficult)
• Resurrection Pass Trail (Alaska, through Chugach National Forest)
• Dogon Valley (Mali, very traditional area)
• The South Downs Way (South-East England, Sussex)
• Trollheimen (Norway, several options)
• Olympus (the famous mountain in Greece)
• Western Way (ancient pilgrimage route in Ireland)
• Taquesi (Bolivia, from Andes to Yungas)
• Hiking route E5 (Austria, runs from Swiss to Italian border)
• Gr 11 (Grande Randonnée)(Long distance hiking route through the Pyrenees, runs from the Mediterranean to the Basque Gulf)
• Neltner/Toubkal (Morocco, in the high Atlas Mountains)
• Leh (North-East India/Himalaya, beautiful dry trekking area)
• Darjeeling/Sikkim (North-West India/Himalaya, beautiful green trekking area)
• Retezet (Transylvania, Romania)
• Wildcoast Coffeebay Trail (Transkei, South Africa, coastal area)
• Milford track (South of New Zealand)
• Annapurna (Nepal, well-known but still very beautiful)
• Chang Mai Hill Tribes trek (Thailand, multiple routes)
• The Bear Route (Oulanka, Finland)
• Fish River Canyon (Namibia, desert area and oases)
• Patagonia (Traveler's paradise with Torres de Paine)
• Great South West Walk (Australia, along the coast of Victoria)
• Overland track (Tasmania, lots of wild and varied landscape)