Is there a difference between rock climbing and mountaineering?
The answer is both “Yes” and “No”. Rock Climbing is a sort of sub-category of Mountaineering. It specifically involves the use of techniques that enable the climber to scale sheer vertical routes up a mountain. In many cases, a climber must employ these techniques on large scale climbs or the entire climb may be up the vertical face of a mountain. Not every Mountaineering climb involves using rock skills, and not every rock climb will be a full-blown mountaineering expedition either. Mountaineering MAY involve the use of crampons, ice tools, and snowshoes. Rock Climbers don’t use these things. Likewise, Ice Climbers do use some of the same equipment, but there are differences between an Ice Climbers crampons and tools and what an expedition mountaineer would use (unless part of the climb involved a sheer ice scale as well.) However, mountaineering does not mean high-altitude only. Climbing Mt.Washington in the dead of February takes crampons and ice tools. It’s a hike in summer, but it
