Alpinism and alpinists, mountaineers and mountaineering, climbers and climbing. What are the lines between these adventurous pursuits, if the lines even exist at all? What exactly makes someone an alpinist? Perhaps you've watched the critically acclaimed 2021 film The Alpinist, which follows the remarkable exploits of Canadian adventurer Marc-André Leclerc as he scales mightily impressive, snowy peaks at speed and on his own. This gives a hint into the nature of alpinism, as opposed to the more traditional and broader pursuit of mountaineering.
But what is alpinism, exactly? In this article, our alpine experts take a look at this fast and light approach to climbing mountains, detailing what sets it apart from other forms of mountaineering.
What is alpinism?
Alpinism is a form of mountaineering where climbers ascend to summits in high altitude mountain environments with a more lightweight approach than traditional expeditions. Alpinists use a variety of techniques such as rock climbing, ice climbing and glacier hiking to ascend and descend. A great degree of skill, experience, fitness and technical know-how is needed.
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What’s the difference between alpinism and mountaineering?
- Alpinism is a branch of mountaineering
- Alpinism is a fast and light approach and is usually done in pairs or small teams
- As it's faster, alpinists require less provisions
At this point, you might be asking yourself a common question: what’s the difference between alpinism and mountaineering? If so, you’re not alone. After all, both of these terms describe climbing mountains using whatever means possible, and neither is linked to a particular mountain range or region, so are they simply synonyms?
You can think of alpinism as a branch of mountaineering. While the terms are often used interchangeably – they both involve the same equipment (mountaineering or winter hiking boots, crampons, ice axes etc) and both essentially describe the common of the summit – there are some differences between the approaches of alpinism and traditional mountaineering.
When you think of classic mountaineering, there’s a good chance that you think of Mount Everest. The vast majority of mountaineers who climb Everest do so over the course of a couple of months. A typical expedition involves spending time at base camp to acclimatize, going up and down the mountain to establish camps and fix gear, a whole team of people to provide support and logistics, and tons of gear and supplies like food and fuel.
The approach of an alpinist, however, tends to be much more minimalist. Where a mountaineer might spend weeks or even months on their approach, known as a 'siege', an alpinist takes a matter of days, tackling a mountain in a single push if they can. This, of course, means they require less gear and supplies, they often climb with little or no support, and the fast, light approach requires fine mountain skills and an impressive degree of physical fitness. Alpinists usually climb in pairs or small groups, while some even free solo routes, meaning that they're on their own and without the safety of ropes and protective gear.
The origins of alpinism
- The first ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786 is often considered the birth of alpinism
- The Golden Age of Alpinism, between 1854 and 1865, saw the major peaks of the Alps conquered
- Modern alpinism in the Greater Ranges began once the world's highest mountains had been climbed
The first recorded example of alpinism is widely held to be Michel-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat’s 1786 first ascent of Mont Blanc in the Alps – hence the name – which they completed in under two days. However, since the term was first coined in the 1850s, it has been expanded to include climbing big mountains the world over.
You may have heard of the Golden Age of Alpinism, a period between 1854 and 1865 in which many of the major peaks of the Alps were first ascended, mostly by British alpinists guided by Swiss and French locals. By 1865, the last great prize that hadn't be climbed was the iconic Matterhorn. On 14th July that year, Brits Edward Whymper, Lord Francis Douglas, Charles Hudson, Douglas Hadow, Frenchman Michel Croz and two Swiss guides, Peter Taugwalder and his son, made a successful ascent of the Hornli Ridge. However, during the descent Hadow slipped, pulling Douglas, Hudson and Croz off the mountain and to their deaths. Whymper and the Taugwalders survived and the last great peak of the Alps had been climbed, and so ended the Golden Age of Alpinism.
It's possible to be on the summit of a 4,000-meter peak in the Alps in the morning and be back in the valley sipping an espresso in the afternoon. This is obviously not the case with mountains in the Greater Ranges.
Alex Foxfield, Mountain Leader
Due to their relatively low altitude compared to the mountains of the Greater Ranges, it's possible to climb peaks in the Alps in a single day and using a much more lightweight approach than the mountaineering efforts of the Himalayan pioneers in the early parts of the 20th century.
The modern pursuit of alpinism, when the kind of lightweight tactics seen in the Alps were applied to the really big mountains, didn't begin until after the first ascents of the world's highest mountains. So, there was a gap of around a century between the end of the Golden Age of Alpinism and the dawn of the new, modern alpinism.
Pioneers of the modern pursuit
- Reinhold Messner is often cited as a pioneer of modern alpinism
- For many alpinists, the style of the ascent is the most important aspect
Perhaps the most notable pioneer and proponent of alpinism in the Greater Ranges is Italian climber Reinhold Messner, who has climbed some of the world’s most dangerous mountains in the style – he was the first climber known to summit an 8,000m peak unsupported, on Nanga Parbat in 1978, and the first to climb Everest solo the same year. Alongside Peter Habeler, he was also the first to climb Everest without supplemental oxygen.
In the late 70s and early 80s, the British produced a raft of characters who started to push the boundaries of fast and light alpinism in the Himalaya, such as Joe Tasker, Peter Boardman, Alex MacIntyre, Alan Rouse and Rab Carrington. The latter was the founder of well-known outdoor brand Rab and, tellingly, the only one of those listed above not to die while climbing in the Himalayas.
British climber Alison Hargreaves followed in Messner's footsteps some 20 years later, becoming the first woman to summit Everest unsupported and without bottled oxygen, and she was the first climber to solo all six of the great north faces of the Alps in a single season. Hargreaves died on K2 in August 1995. These examples show that alpinism and mountaineering can take place on the same mountain – the difference is in the how, not the who or where.
Notable modern American alpinists include Steve House, who is an advocate of alpine style climbs. In 2004, he famously criticized the award of the Piolet d'Or (mountaineering's most coveted prize) to a Russian team who used traditional siege tactics to climb Himalayan giant Jannu. The next year, he pulled off an audacious, alpine style ascent of the Central Pillar of the Rupal Face on Nanga Parbat with Vince Anderson. Ironically enough, the feat won them the Piolet d'Or that year. House's example shows how many alpinists value the style in which a mountain is climbed. How is more important than what.
Advantages and disadvantages of alpine style
- An alpinist's ascent of a major peak takes much less time
- As an alpinist spends less time on the mountain, they're less exposed to its dangers
Clearly, there are some advantages of alpinism over mountaineering, if you’ve got the stamina for it. Namely, there’s the time saved – not everyone can take six months off work to climb a mountain – and of course a huge reduction in cost of gear, supplies and support. Further, you’re less at risk of exposure to the common dangers of mountaineering, such as weather and avalanches, simply because you’ll spend less time on the mountain.
That said, what you gain in time, money and risk, you lose in high altitude training and acclimatization, but many alpinists get around this by acclimatizing elsewhere before beginning their ascent.
Meanwhile, though alpinists might set out with less gear than mountaineers, the lack of a team around them often means they need to carry almost everything they have with them. It's a very committing way to climb, as they run the risk of being underprepared if conditions change, which they often do at high altitude. Many alpinist's epics (a term for when the attempt becomes something more akin to a survival experience) occur because pairs start to run out of food and water and they have to make a hasty retreat. Alpinists also don’t benefit from the fixed protection such as anchors and ladders that expeditions place during their siege, or the knowledge of the terrain that mountaineers gain from their repeated scouting of the mountain, as they head up and down between the various camps.
All in all, these are two high-risk activities reserved for the most daring and driven among us – the deciding factor is whether you like to take a slow, methodical approach, or move fast and light?
