Mountaineering expeditions in the high peaks

Real, multi-day style expeditions to three summits: Mount Aldra, 5,120 metres; Frostfang, 6,480 metres; and the Throne of Winds, 8,050 metres. Six routes in all.

Getting there

The Expedition Office stands at the foot of the frozen pass. Walk to the peak of the mountain map and climb into the frozen pass; the office is on the right of the gravel path, a few steps north of where you arrive. Press shift and enter in the office.

Gear and permits

Every climber needs a climbing rope (400 points), crampons (350) and an ice axe (300). They are never used up. Oxygen bottles (120 points) are used up on one summit push; the two routes on the Throne of Winds need one. Summit rations (40 points) are one hot meal at camp. The permit is paid when you set off: 150 to 700 points depending on the route. The office never buys gear back.

The expedition

You walk up to Base Camp. From there each leg takes you to the next camp: Camp One, Camp Two, High Camp and the summit. The camps are separate ledges on the mountain; you move between them only by winning a leg. Press shift and enter anywhere in your camp for the camp menu. After the summit you must still get down: the descent by abseil brings you back to Base Camp and completes the expedition.

The legs are played by ear:

Crevasse fields: probe left, ahead and right. Solid ice rings hard and short, a hollow snow bridge thuds soft and deep. Step where it rings.

Rope-team calls: your partner shouts a call and you pick the right answer in a few seconds. The practice menu lists every call.

Fixed ropes: at each anchor clip the upper karabiner, unclip the lower one, move the ascender over, then climb on.

The summit push: breathe two times, then step; three times above 6,000 metres; one breath fewer with oxygen.

The descent: stopper knots, thread the anchor, clip your device, lean back.

Each leg allows a few mistakes. Too many and you turn back to the camp you started from and need 3 minutes to catch your breath. Nobody dies on these climbs, and a fall never takes your health below 300. A climbing harness in your bag allows one more mistake on fixed ropes and abseils.

Acclimatisation and altitude sickness

At Camp Two and High Camp you must rest in real time before going higher: 8 to 15 minutes at Camp Two and 10 to 20 at High Camp, depending on the route. Logging out counts as rest. Set off too early and you may get altitude sickness: mild sickness makes the leg harder, severe sickness stops you going higher. Eating summit rations at the camp lowers the risk. To cure it: go down one camp, breathe from an oxygen bottle, or rest fully after eating. You can always radio for a rescue or give up and let the porters take you down.

Weather windows

The weather on each peak changes on the hour and is the same for everyone. Radio Base Camp or type slash peakforecast for the next three hours. Wind makes mistakes count more. In a storm every leg starts with a choice: turn back to the tent, or push on into the whiteout, which is longer and harder and can leave you frostbitten and sick if you fail. Rain in the valleys makes the mountain weather worse.

Rope teams

At Base Camp or in the office, invite up to three friends onto your rope. Each pays their own permit and needs their own gear. The leader starts every leg; everyone on the team standing in the same camp climbs with the leader and arrives together. A team gets one more allowed mistake per leg and a quarter more summit pay. Anyone left behind in another camp drops off the rope and climbs on alone.

Rescues

A climber with severe sickness, or one who radios for help, goes on the rescue board at Base Camp. Anyone at Base Camp or in the office with a rope, crampons and an ice axe can go up for them, even while they are logged out: answer the calls while the team lowers them down. The rescued climber wakes up safe at Base Camp. Rescues pay 60 points, twice a day.

The summit registry and rewards

The registry keeps the first ascent and the fastest ascent of every route and the ten climbers with most summits. Each summit has a book you can write one line in. Titles: Alpinist, High Altitude Mountaineer, Seven Summits Climber, Master of the High Peaks, Storm Climber, Rope Team Leader and Mountain Rescuer. Trophies for first ascents, speed records, 10 and 25 summits and 10 rescues. Each route's summit stone is a piece of the High Peaks summit collection. Summits and camps count for the weekly board of summit points, and the top three each Monday get a cup.

Commands

slash mountains: the mountaineering menu. slash climb: the camp menu. slash summits: the summit registry. slash peakforecast: the weather on the peaks. All of these are also in the living world menu, slash world.