I would join a club, or find someone to go with. Some of the knowledge you need to be safe is not, in my experience, something that is obvious. Experience can teach you a lot, but it only takes one bad one to put an end to your climbing career. Try to find a mentor, or consider taking courses.

Check out Summit for Someone! www.summitforsomeone.org

It's a great way to get into mountaineering and also help out a great cause! Each climber is responsible for raising money which all goes to benefit at-risk youth through Big City Mountaineers (www.bigcitymountaineers.org)

There are climbs of all levels and different climb types (glacier, alpine rock and expedition)

to get started you have to have the skill and the right equipment, meclimber's right joining a club would be a good idea. But i guess the most important thing is to prepare yourself physically for this activity, you know mountain climbing can really be tiring and it's such a demanding activity but once you've tried it you'll soon realize that it's fun and rewarding not too mention.

I agree with what everyone has said. If you're climbing mountains for the first time, never go alone (getting a tour guide falls under the category of being alone). The best thing to do is join a mountaineering club, which is not hard to find, then build a community among them.

ya join a club, also a guided trip with some friends might be fun, it will allow you to gain some basic skills, in a relatively safe and structured environment. after that start collecting gear, setting goals, and building your climbing network. depending where you are from there are usually local websites that can help you meet people, also places like rock gyms and outdoor stores sometimes have bulletin boards with people looking for partners and stuff.

always learn more about your new endeavor.. never attempt something you have never done before alone, obviously you'll get yourself in danger.. i started with formal classes and a group which helped me alot to really know about mountaineering.

I never joined a group, but knew friends who were experienced in different areas. Listen and learn from whoever is with you and NEVER GO ALONE! Read up on the mountain you want to climb and plan your route ahead of time. I agree with everything that everyone has said here.

and you can also train in like mountaineering gyms, similar to rock climbing gyms.. although the real thing is different, at least you can anticipate how actual mountaineering would be. check your local area if they have one.