Planning my first SOTA activation next weekend and struggling with antenna deployment. I've got an IC-705 and EFHW but not sure about the best way to get the wire up on a summit without trees. Been watching YouTube videos but would love to hear from operators who've actually done this.

Should I invest in a telescoping mast or are there simpler solutions? The summit I'm targeting is pretty exposed with no nearby trees.

Welcome to SOTA! For treeless summits, a lightweight telescoping fishing pole works great - search "7.2m FRP pole" on eBay. Much cheaper than dedicated ham masts and gets your EFHW end up around 20+ feet.

I use tent stakes and paracord to guy my fishing pole mast. LEAN the pole in the direction of the slant wire which should be down wind - learned that the hard way when mine snapped!

That's the moment you stop worrying about gear limitations and remember that propagation doesn't read spec sheets. Your first activation will work fine even with a compromised setup. Just get on the air!