Ask a QuestionMount Everest is the highest mountain on earth with an altitude of 8, 848.13 metres. In order to ascend the summit of Everest, you must be in top physical, mental and psychological condition.
Here Top China Travel provide some tips for preparations for mount Everest climb.
If you decide to ascend Mount Everest, you’d better keep yourself in fantastic physical shape. The physical training will enable your body get more oxygen while it may not fend off the high-altitude sickness. Well planned fitness training will help you in advance with cardiovascular condition, strength condition and mental condition.
To climb the mount Everest, standards for physical conditioning include: firstly, any successful previous expeditions above 20,000 ft. during which you acquired experience dealing with gear and equipment; handling extremely cold temperatures and extreme altitude; obtained rich cramponing skills both on and off rock, snow, and ice; rappelling with a pack on; and using ascenders and jumars on a fixed line.
Secondly, you need significant strength endurance, high-altitude tolerance, and strong cardiovascular conditioning.
To meet these standards, you can plan your training in the following way, assuming that you are in good health and injury-free. You can start your physical training with running.
Mountaineering Training: Training is very important, and the best training must be climbing mountains. Expeditions to some lower altitudes mountain can be a good part of your training. You can start your practice with plenty of pack-loaded uphill hiking, walking, and stair climbing. You can choose a mount such as Mount Kilimanjaro to start on. Then may the Mount Blanc and Ebrus be a good next step up for your practice.
Keep in mind that regular exercise at a lower elevation does not mean you have enough conditioning that needed to stand on top of the world.
Running: A famous American climber, Ed Viesturs, who conquered all 14 world’s highest peaks including Mount Everest in 1996, suggests that one should run 7-8miles each day on hilly terrain. You can run four days and have a day for rest.
Please pay attention that cardiovascular fitness is simply not enough. You should focus on building physical conditioning at lower altitudes for successive days. This is necessary for you to ascend 4,000 ft. of elevation.
If you can't run on hilly terrain, you can run on a treadmill with a 50–60-lbs rucksack on your back. Although you may not carry such weight on Everest, by training your body to that degree of high tolerance, you will have built extra reserves that will serve you very well on the mountain. This extra reserve will also make it possible for you to focus on the various other problems involved in a climb of such extremes, rather than dealing with the added brutal reality that your physical preparation may have been somewhat less than adequate.
Weight-training: Ed Viesturs also recommends taking a weight training which can develop upper body’s strength. Because when you climb Mount Everest, you need to carry a pack about 12-15 kg and you need to clean snow and ice from your tent platforms.
Take supplements: On Mount Everest, there are no fresh fruit and vegetables to supply the vitamins your body needs. Glucosamine Sulphate and Omega 3 and 6 oils for joints can be helpful for make up the vitamins you will miss out on the mountain. Antioxidants will help you boost your immune system.
Gain weight: Because you will expect to lose about 20% weight during the expedition on Mount Everest, it is advisable to gain some weight before your journey.
Generally speaking, most people need at least a year of special training to climb mount Everest. After training lasting for six to nine months, people can build up a solid foundation to health condition.
Throughout the training process, it is recommended that you gradually increase your hiking time, distance and altitude (at about 10% per week) to safely and effectively build your climbing- specific conditioning.
Pursuing a rush for quick success will increase your risk of experiencing some kind of training injury instead of helping you better prepared for your adventure.
When your body is physically exhausted, you have only one thing left. This is your mental strength. Visualization is a powerful tool and needs to be trained.
Firstly, during your training period, do not rush your body training. To accommodate to the high altitude and oxygen-thin conditions, you should spend long periods on mountains. And you should be able to cope on yourself, as self-sufficient is a very important mental leap for climbers.
Secondly, you should understand that climbing Mount Everest will not be easy.
Thirdly, be impatience. Prepared for the “down time” during your expedition. It will spend you about 7 weeks for the whole journey. Learn to relax yourself. To climb the mount, you need store as much energy as you can.
Fourthly, accept that, you will not be so mentally alert when climbing the mountain. When on the altitude above 8000m, your mental acuity drops 30% of the normal level that even basic arithmetic becomes impossible. There may be hallucination on your mind when you are in hypoxia and fatigue condition.
The last but not least one, imagine you on a mountain and successfully ascending to the top. Do not focus on the next step you climb to the top, sometimes look back to appreciate the view. Give yourself motivation to keep on going.
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