VIDEO: Alpine Lessons With Josh Wharton

As you gear up to tackle peaks this winter season, consider the following bits of advice from Patagonia Climbing Ambassador Josh Wharton.

Wharton spent a week in Canada with Jon Walsh, where the two climbers completed the first one-day ascents of both the Emperor Face on Mount Robson and Wild Thing on Mount Chephren. The video above takes you through the climbs, while interspersing wise tidbits from the climbing veteran.

"I really like the cerebral side of climbing... thinking about what's going to help me succeed in the future," Wharton says. "Every climb is a lesson and...it helps you grow and move forward."

Here are a few pieces of Wharton's Advice

• It's Okay to Bivy: A key to the quick ascent of Wild Thing, Wharton said, was that he and Walsh tried the approach the night before. "It's a bit of extra effort to lug bivy gear to the base," he said. "But I think doing that gave us a better chance of doing the route in a day."
• Save Time and Energy: Walsh and Wharton chartered a helicopter to get to the base of the Emperor Face. "Sometimes it's worth a few hundred bucks to save yourself a lot of pain and suffering," Wharton said.
• Have Patience: On the Emperor Face, the climbers had a detailed topographical map, but they didn't pay attention to it. As a result, they climbed up when they should have traversed and ended up amongst giant snow mushrooms. Their traverse then became a lot more difficult than it would have been farther down.