Buchaille Etive Mor in 2007, having completed curved ridge. A great day out.

TJ, the trekking peaks of Nepal would be your best bet for 20000ft+. No permits required, so can be done with no heavily organised trip with big costs. There is a guide book available and in theory you could do it with friends or a reasonably priced organised trip. 'Trekking peaks' is a bit of a red herring tho, they are mostly mountaineering routes, not walking. Kilimanjaro might be another option, I'm not sure what the height is tho.

dont do killi (5895m), bit easy (apart from the last day) and a bit sanitised. i did it with 'world challenge' back in 2007 and at the time really enjoyed it. but looking back the money would have been better spent going to the himalayas and doing some proper climbing. i want to do island and mera peak at some point 😆

So – you guys got me thinking. I really really really want to do a big ( 20 000+ft) mountain before i finally get too old and feeble. Must be unguided. I'm not a dangler but don't mind a scramble. No issue at all with long trips self supporting.

So where? Perhaps off the altiplano in Bolivia? One of the big ash cones? That means altitude training in the bars in La Paz ( one of my fave places)

Huayna Potosi is a nice, not particularly technical mountain – snow stomp followed by a slightly exposed summit ridge – go acclimatise on some of the peaks around Condoriri. You can base in La Paz, which is an astonishing city, but you know that already.

Or a big Ecuadorian volcano – Cotopaxi is quite beautiful and pretty straightforward. Or maybe Cordillera Blanca, Peru.

No peak fees, easy logistics, amazing countries.

Some cracking technical routes on some of the so-called 'trekking peaks' in Nepal. The permit allows you to climb any route on the mountain.

the trekking peaks of Nepal – Bill O'Connor
By the looks of it, I was mistaken about the permit, but they are cheap, apparently.

Yes they are cheap(er), but more importantly, straightforward to organise.

There's plenty in the ~6k meter/20k feet range. Fill yer boots…

Very interesting to read about beginners' inability to identify when they're in danger. Sounds familiar. On a mountain biking trip to the Alps we walked straight into an incredibly precarious situation without even realising it, and by the time we'd realised the true situation it was impossible to go back, so we just had to carry on plowing forward in an extremely risky area, with none of the necessary equipment. A long, fast slide on steep ice/snow into some rocks was the result. The mistake wasn't born out of arrogance or overconfidence – I've got a very careful attitude when on mountains – just sheer lack of awareness of the risks involved.