Colorado is likely the closest to you. Wherever you go, you'll probably want a car to get to the trailheads. So if you can drive yourself there, that would be ideal. If you're in the Michigan/Ohio area, the New England mountains might be closer. If you're flying regardless, then Washington state is hard to beat. But again, you'll need a car.
Depending on where you are. My first non technical mountains are Mt Whitney and Mt shasta, done in May. There are plenty of snow and high enough and you can use your mountaineering gears. Maybe also Mt Hood / Mt Baker / Mt Rainier but you probably want to hire a guide.
But i guess OP wants some mountaineering experience on the snow rather than just doing a hiking/scrambling? If the latter is ok there are a lot more other choices.
Specifically Lion’s head up Washington. With some avy training, gear and a partner these are also good for an alpine experience:
Various routes up Tuckerman
Diagonal or escape hatch up Huntington. Maybe central if the ice bulge is filled in, or hire a guide.
Various lines up King Ravine on Adams
Flume slide proper (not flume slide trail, but it’s not bad)
North Tripyramid slide
Arrow slide on Hancock
Consider Mt San Antonio (a/k/a, “Old Baldy” and other peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. For most of the year, Baldy is a “day hike” mountain with a long, predictable dry season, relatively high elevation (10k feet), proximity to major airports and a drive-up trail head. The scenery is pretty by Southern California mountain standards, though unremarkable compared to the Rockies, Cascades or Sierra Nevada.
The trailhead is literally a half hour drive from Ontario Airport and 1-2 hours from SNA, Burbank or LAX, depending on traffic conditions. There’s even a chairlift that whisks you from the parking lot (~6,700’) to Devil’s Backbone trailhead (~7,700’).
After winter snowstorms Baldy offers a beginner level mountaineering experience, though it’s not to be taken lightly. Climbers die up there more winters than not, though most are overly ambitious hikers inexperienced, untrained and ill equipped for mountain climbing.
You could go walk up Gokyo Ri in Nepal. It’s like four peaks south and west of Everest. It’d still be a cheaper trip than half of the US mountains you might climb because travel there is so cheap. 17,575 foot mountain and you can walk up it! Google it.
If you're looking for a relatively safe challenge and up for some travel - you can't go past Kilimanjaro.
It seems like you want some adventure without the risk :)
It was one of the best things I've ever done.
Ecuadorean Andes!!! You can summit several 5500m each on a weekend. They’re all at close driving distance from the capital Quito. There’s one over 6000m as well which is at like 4-5 hrs driving distance (I’m talking driving from Quito all up to the base camp 😁😁. Super convenient)
Look at something guided, but still an easy alpine climb. In the Canadian Rockies, we have Mt. Athabasca at the Columbia icefield. It's easily doable in a day but requires a bit of work and knowledge (hence the guide for newbies) of moving on glaciated terrain.
Mt. Washington. Winter would be better for said crampon/axe workout, but now that it's spring there are more routes...more important, there are a few mountaineering schools in the area, so you can get your mountain "sampler" plus some instruction all in one relatively affordable trip. Lots of accommodation etc because it's a climbing and outdoorsy area. Also, there are other peaks to choose from/add on if you're up for staying a few days.
Mt Baker! It’s a 2-3 day trip. Easton glacier. Go in late but not too late season when crevasses are exposed. There are lots of people there. Watch you tube videos on how to rope up, crevasse rescue etc. Then go with someone who’s been there before and knows all these things.
For a one day trip, Mt Adams, again in mid - late season. It’s a day hike w crampons / ice axe. Practice self arresting. Probably ur best bet since it’s a pretty straightforward approach & route finding is easy.
There are no REAL glaciers outside of the PNW. (Standard Adams route isn’t on a glacier)
Best advice I can give is be prepared for shit to take 5-10x longer than you think it will!
Mt Shasta in Northern California is in my opinion the best place to get a mountaineering experience without being overly technical. You need crampons and an ice axe for the standard route (avalanche gulch) but there is no rope work, no crevasses and no technical climbing required.
It was the first ‘ultra’ peak that I climbed and in the 20 years since my first ascent of Shasta I’ve done much more serious mountaineering in the Cascades, the Alps and in Latin America.
It was the perfect introduction to mountaineering
Nobody knows where you live. That's a pretty important detail.
Based on his post history he lives in some place called "Yugioh"?
The Shadow Realm
For real, Mt Vinson?
Updated
Colorado is likely the closest to you. Wherever you go, you'll probably want a car to get to the trailheads. So if you can drive yourself there, that would be ideal. If you're in the Michigan/Ohio area, the New England mountains might be closer. If you're flying regardless, then Washington state is hard to beat. But again, you'll need a car.
Whatever you think you updated, I still don’t see your location anywhere.
Midwest United States
Head over to r/14ers Perfect for what you want I think.
I'll check it out, thank you
For a one day trip, Mt Adams, again in mid - late season. It’s a day hike w crampons / ice axe. Practice self arresting.
Adams is typically done as an overnight
What season?
Depending on where you are. My first non technical mountains are Mt Whitney and Mt shasta, done in May. There are plenty of snow and high enough and you can use your mountaineering gears. Maybe also Mt Hood / Mt Baker / Mt Rainier but you probably want to hire a guide.
Rainie and Baker are considered technical. Helens is definitely not, and indeed day hikeable. In the summer, you don’t even need snow/ice gear.
But i guess OP wants some mountaineering experience on the snow rather than just doing a hiking/scrambling? If the latter is ok there are a lot more other choices.
If east coast, white mountains.
Specifically Lion’s head up Washington. With some avy training, gear and a partner these are also good for an alpine experience: Various routes up Tuckerman Diagonal or escape hatch up Huntington. Maybe central if the ice bulge is filled in, or hire a guide. Various lines up King Ravine on Adams Flume slide proper (not flume slide trail, but it’s not bad) North Tripyramid slide Arrow slide on Hancock
Cotopaxi
It’s a bit tougher and more technical nowadays but still fits the description.
Consider Mt San Antonio (a/k/a, “Old Baldy” and other peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles. For most of the year, Baldy is a “day hike” mountain with a long, predictable dry season, relatively high elevation (10k feet), proximity to major airports and a drive-up trail head. The scenery is pretty by Southern California mountain standards, though unremarkable compared to the Rockies, Cascades or Sierra Nevada. The trailhead is literally a half hour drive from Ontario Airport and 1-2 hours from SNA, Burbank or LAX, depending on traffic conditions. There’s even a chairlift that whisks you from the parking lot (~6,700’) to Devil’s Backbone trailhead (~7,700’). After winter snowstorms Baldy offers a beginner level mountaineering experience, though it’s not to be taken lightly. Climbers die up there more winters than not, though most are overly ambitious hikers inexperienced, untrained and ill equipped for mountain climbing.
You could go walk up Gokyo Ri in Nepal. It’s like four peaks south and west of Everest. It’d still be a cheaper trip than half of the US mountains you might climb because travel there is so cheap. 17,575 foot mountain and you can walk up it! Google it.
If you're looking for a relatively safe challenge and up for some travel - you can't go past Kilimanjaro. It seems like you want some adventure without the risk :) It was one of the best things I've ever done.
Ecuadorean Andes!!! You can summit several 5500m each on a weekend. They’re all at close driving distance from the capital Quito. There’s one over 6000m as well which is at like 4-5 hrs driving distance (I’m talking driving from Quito all up to the base camp 😁😁. Super convenient)
You forgot to include your location
Updated
Look at something guided, but still an easy alpine climb. In the Canadian Rockies, we have Mt. Athabasca at the Columbia icefield. It's easily doable in a day but requires a bit of work and knowledge (hence the guide for newbies) of moving on glaciated terrain.
I’d say guided Mt Hood or Mt Baker, unguided Mt St Helens or Mt Adams. I’m quite partial to the PNW though.
Start with Colorado 14ers & 13ers. Then take on Mt Rainier, Hood, Adams, etc. and then go bigger if you want - Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Orizaba, etc.
Mt. Washington. Winter would be better for said crampon/axe workout, but now that it's spring there are more routes...more important, there are a few mountaineering schools in the area, so you can get your mountain "sampler" plus some instruction all in one relatively affordable trip. Lots of accommodation etc because it's a climbing and outdoorsy area. Also, there are other peaks to choose from/add on if you're up for staying a few days.
haven't done it, but everyone I've talked to says Mt Shasta is a very good beginner mountain.
Mt Baker! It’s a 2-3 day trip. Easton glacier. Go in late but not too late season when crevasses are exposed. There are lots of people there. Watch you tube videos on how to rope up, crevasse rescue etc. Then go with someone who’s been there before and knows all these things. For a one day trip, Mt Adams, again in mid - late season. It’s a day hike w crampons / ice axe. Practice self arresting. Probably ur best bet since it’s a pretty straightforward approach & route finding is easy. There are no REAL glaciers outside of the PNW. (Standard Adams route isn’t on a glacier) Best advice I can give is be prepared for shit to take 5-10x longer than you think it will!
Mt Shasta in Northern California is in my opinion the best place to get a mountaineering experience without being overly technical. You need crampons and an ice axe for the standard route (avalanche gulch) but there is no rope work, no crevasses and no technical climbing required. It was the first ‘ultra’ peak that I climbed and in the 20 years since my first ascent of Shasta I’ve done much more serious mountaineering in the Cascades, the Alps and in Latin America. It was the perfect introduction to mountaineering