I'm going mountain climbing and want to take great pictures, my question is, what digital camera should I buy?

I'm looking for a camera of about $1000 or less, thanks.

Well, there is this cheap one which has an excellent feel and compact size; very customizable menu architecture; nice guidance for dSLR newbies; excellent noise characteristics for high-ISO shots. I have it and I truly recommend it. Seriously! It is the Nikon D40. And it is only has a price range of $488-$750. I got it at Sears but you can also try Best Buy and I got it for $500!!!!

nikon d40
costs $1000
takes pictures when you push the button, not 2 seconds later

canon s3

This is the one we have, and we love it. We took it to Alaska and came up with some beautiful prints that we could've blown up to poster size straight from the camera if we wanted and they would've looked like professional posters & photography.

Well, this in not the time to start learning how to use a DSLR unless you already have experience using a 35mm SLR.

If you do have a 35mm camera, find a DSLR body to match the lenses you already have. For a lens, a 12-24mm range will give you some amazing landscapes (mountainscapes?)

If not, look for a good little compact digital camera that uses SD memory cards, has at least a 3x optical zoom, has a viewfinder (so you don't have to compose all your shots at arms length) and has a sensor with a pixel count of at least 6MP.

http://www.dpreview.com