Training for a Mountaineering Trip

Aspiring climbers are in luck: There are mountaineering companies all over the world who will take you to the tops of glacier-capped mountains, as long as you’re willing to pony up the fees and get in the best shape of your life.

In general, it’s best to give yourself as much time to prepare as possible, especially if you’re starting from scratch and don’t already have an intense fitness program you follow regularly. If you start slow, you’ll give your body time to ramp up its fitness level while avoiding injuries.

Cardiovascular fitness will be important on your trip, especially if it’s at a high altitude and over a period of several days. Build endurance with increasingly longer jogs and hikes. Add in hills if you can; it’s always helpful if you live in a place where you can easily access steep trails, but that’s not always possible in flat places. Instead, you should spend as much time on a treadmill as you can, walking on it with a heavy pack at the steepest setting.

Get used to carrying a pack. Find out how much weight you’ll carry on your trip (the guide service you’re using will know) and invest in a great framepack. Then, load it up little by little over a period of several weeks until you get to the goal weight. Take your increasingly heavy pack on increasingly harder hikes. Walking or jogging on stairs with your pack is a great workout, too.

Hit the weights at the gym, building overall strength with a focus on your core and legs. Squats, lunges, leg presses and other similar exercises are helpful.

Be sure to build your overall stamina and fitness level, too. If you’re working a desk job, it’s important to prepare yourself for long days on your feet by being as active as possible. Walk to work, take the stairs, walk to the grocery, play various sports on a regular basis and simply do as much as you can to get used to the long days of climbing when sitting is not an option. RMI Guides has a useful tutorial with more details.