So I've had this idea..

Well, Brax said it all. Petrus, there's people that also drive without a driving license and do not have accidents.

OP, you're 18, take it easy and start with something smaller. What's the rush anyways?

You #9 and #10 forget that I said "hire a guide". I did not recommend that he would go alone. And having your wits with you, being fit, properly equipped etc it is possible to climb MB relatively safely, with a GUIDE. £2000 is enough for that.

Naturally it is better to start rock & ice climbing with a club right away to get some kind of idea.

Hi,

OK Petrus got you. I was just replying to your latest post (No.8). True you did say in an earlier post to hire a guide. My apologies. At least we all have the guys safety at heart here. Take care

I agree with Petrus. My first mountain was with a guide on Alpamayo Pequenyo in Bolivia. I was exhausted, scared and totally out of my depth. Loved it.

My first mountain was Everest, West ridge route to camp 1 in -85 (I was just visiting). If you look at the wall leading to Cho La pass straight north form BC you understand why that is a great first climb... After that we crossed Amphu Labtsa and hiked Mera.

Sorry if this is considered resurrecting an old thread, but I feel some people might have taken the OP's question too literally. To one who is not an experienced mountaineer, 'climbing' a mountain just means reaching the summit, regardless of whether any actual technical climbing was involved.

If I am correct and the OP was really after a satisfying mountain to summit on a £2000 budget, then I think the suggestion of Toubkal in Morocco was a good one. A reasonably easy hike through beautiful terrain, and surrounded by a culture that feels very different to the mountains of Western Europe only a few hundred miles away. Morocco is also a very inexpensive place to visit, and £2000 could quite easily finance a much more ambitious trip. Trekking the Atlas/Anti-Atlas is very rewarding, being both sufficiently high to feel like a true mountain experience whilst at the same time feeling exotic and off-the-beaten-track in a way the Alps do not.

I would be happy to help if you have any questions. Assuming you are still reading a thread more than a month old that is!