THE 5000m TO 8000m PROGRESSION

GOOD CLIMBING AT THE HIGEST ALTITUDES IS BUILT ON THE BACK OF GOOD CLIMBING AT LOWER ONES, AND AS STEVE HOUSE PUT IT “TO DO HARD ROUTES AT 8000m START WITH HARD ROUTES AT 6000m”.

CLIMBING BELOW 5000m OF COURSE IS A HUGE PART OF ANY PROGRESSION AS WE’VE DISCUSSED HERE, BUT AT SOME POINT IT HAS TO ‘GET REAL’ AND BEGIN BEING PLAYED WHERE THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE, TIME AND ENORMITY ARE PRIMARY FACTORS. YOU CAN GET OUT AND THROW DOWN A HARD 4000m ASCENT IN LESS THAN A WEEK WITH LITTLE REGARD FOR ALTITUDE BECAUSE YOU WON’T BE HIGH LONG ENOUGH TO REALLY SUFFER, BUT ONCE YOU BREACH 5000m IT RAPIDLY TAKES OVER EVERYTHING. THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTS.

WE HAVE USED ARBITARY METRICS HERE, THERE IS NO REAL WAY TO QUANTIFY THESE THINGS, BUT IT DOES GIVE THE IDEA OF WHERE PROGRESS IS MADE. JUST AS THERE’S NO MAGIC LINE CROSSED AT AN INCREMENT OF ALTITUDE, THESE ARE MORE WAYS TO QUANTIFY ARCHETYPES OF CLIMBING THAN ANYTHING EMPIRICAL. 6000m ON ISLAND PEAK OBVIOUSLY DOESN’T EQUAL THE SAME ON CHANGABANG, BUT ASPECTS OTHER THAN THE TECHNICAL CLIMBING WILL STILL BE SCALABLE

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5000m

5000m ALPINISM IS WHERE 50% OF WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 8000m IS GAINED, AND HAVING THIS AS A SOLID BASE IS IRREPLACEABLE AS YOU GO HIGHER.

5000m IS HARD ENOUGH TO TAKE ALL OF YOUR ATTENTION, HAVE REAL CONSEQUENCES, AND LEARN WHAT CLIMBING IS LIKE WITH THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE, BUT IS ALSO SUSTAINABLE ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN DO MULTIPE ASCENTS IN THIS ZONE A SEASON.

THIS IS REAL ALTITUDE, AND WHERE THE DIVIDE WITH ‘NON-ALTITUDE’ CLIMBING HAPPENS, AND IN MANY PLACES IS ALSO WHERE THE REAL NATURE OF EXPEDITION CLIMBING KICKS IN. ROUTES IN THE UPPER 5000ms CAN STILL HAVE BASECAMPS AT THE SAME ALTITUDES AS 8000m PEAKS, SO INVOLVING ALL OF THE LOGISTICS AND APPROACH ISSUES FOUND ON EVERYTHING HIGHER.

THIS IS HALF OF THE 50% THIS LEVEL OF CLIMBING IMPARTS – THE BASICS OF JUST LIVING AND PLANNING AROUND AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY. THE OTHER HALF IS THE ACTUAL CLIMBING, WHERE THAT ALTITUDE CHANGES THE CHOICES YOU MAKE, AND HALF THE BATTLE IS WITH THE SELF AND THE LIMITS THE ENVIRONMENT IMPOSES. THIS IS WHERE COLD CHANGES AS YOUR METABOLISM NO LONGER FUNCTIONS NORMALLY, AND EFFORTS THAT ARE PREDICTABLE BELOW THIS TAKE ON NEW INFLUENCES. GAS CANISTERS WORK DIFFERENTLY WHICH AFFECTS EVERYTHING YOU CONSUME AS WELL AS HOW YOU SCHEDULE CHORES LIKE MELTING SNOW, AND THE DAILY RANGE OF TEMPERATURES CAN BECOME EXTREME REQUIRING GEAR CHOICES YOU WON’T FIND LOWER.

FOR 8000m CLIMBING, YOU WANT TO BE AS COMFORTABLE IN THE 5000m RANGE AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE NOT ONLY WILL YOU SPEND WEEKS LIVING IN IT BUT IT WILL SET THE STAGE FOR WHAT GOES HIGHER. THE MID-5000ms IS WHERE YOU START STEPPING OFF GLACIER AND ONTO STEEP TERRAIN, INTO THE TRANSITION FROM FLATLANDS TO THE VERTICAL, SO THERE IS A SKILL SET THERE THAT NEEDS TO BE REFINED AND THE RISKS WORKED OUT.

THE 5000m ZONE ALLOWS FOR SOLID HARD CLIMBING, AND OVER THE COURSE OF ACCLIMATION YOU CAN EVENTUALLY CLIMB AT ALTITUDE NEARLY FULLY ADAPTED. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE ANYWHERE ELSE AND IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TOO MANY CLIMBERS MISS, HAVING NOT SPENT ENOUGH TIME IN THE HIGHER 5000ms TO KNOW SERIOUS ALTITUDE WITHOUT BEING HOBBLED BY IT. TO KNOW THIS IS TO FIND A SIDE OF ALPINISM UNKNOWABLE TO OTHERS, TO BE UP IN HIMALAYAN CONDITIONS BUT WITH THE ACCLIMATIZATION DEMON SUBJUGATED. ROUTES CAN BE +2000m UNDER THE FULL BRUNT OF THE MOUNTAINS FORCES DEMANDING HIGH ALTITUDE RESOURCES, BUT CLIMBING AT A LEVEL POSSIBLE USUALLY ONLY IN THE MORE ACCESSIBLE RANGES.

5000m TRIPS CAN TAKE BETWEEN 2 WEEKS AND A MONTH, WITH WHOLE SEASONS FEASIBLE BY KEEPING AS MUCH ACCLIMATION AS POSSIBLE. ONCE MASTERED, 5000m TRIPS SERVE AS ACCLIMATION FOR BIGGER THINGS AND ALSO AS QUICK FORAYS TO KEEP THE EDGE SHARP AND TEST NEW GEAR AND IDEAS, AND IS THE SKUNKHOUSE FOR DEVELOPING NEW FORMS OF CLIMBING BEFORE TAKING IT TO HIGHER PLACES.

RATHER THAN SOMETHING TO BE SKIPPED, GOING DIRECTLY TO 6000m, 5000m IS THE LAST CHANCE TO REALLY DEVELOP AS A TECHNICAL CLIMBER BECAUSE ABOVE THIS THE CONDITIONS TO DO SO RAPIDLY EVAPORATE. THIS IS THE BASE OF YOUR 8000m PYRAMID SO DETERMINES HOW FORTIFIED YOUR CAPACITY WILL BE, AND IT IS INSTANTLY OBVIOUS THE CLIMBERS WHO HAVE FILLED OUT THIS ZONE AND THOSE WHO HAVEN’T.

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6000m

THIS IS ‘REAL’ HIGH ALTITUDE, WHERE THE BODYS ADAPTION STARTS TO TAPER OFF AND THE UNIQUENESS OF THE ENVIRONMENT STARTS TO SHINE. THE AMOUNT OF THE PLANETS ENVIRONMENT IN THIS ZONE IS MEASURED IN FRACTIONS OF SINGLE DIGITS, YET IT IS WHERE 30% OF WHAT YOU NEED TO GO HIGHER STILL IS GLEANED.

THIS IS THE CRITICAL SHIFT WHERE YOU GO INTO THE LIMITS OF WHAT THE BODY CAN ORGANICALLY COPE WITH, AND CONFRONT FACE TO FACE THE REALITIES OF ACCLIMATION. 6000m IS WHERE THE HARDEST OVERLAP OF TECHNICAL CLIMBING AND WHAT THE BODY CAN COPE WITH IS FOUND, SO IS A SORT OF INDICATOR OF A CLIMBERS TRUE CAPACITY WITH HUGE ROOM FOR DEVELOPMENT. THOSE PULLING M6 IN THE HIGH 6000ms AREN’T DOING IT BECAUSE THEY ARE TOUGH, STRONG OR FOCUSED – THEY ARE DOING BECAUSE THEY ARE DEEPLY PREPARED SO CAN ROLL IT OUT ALMOST AS REFLEX. GOOD 6000m CLIMBERS ARE MAYBE THE BEST ECHNICAL CLIMBERS AT ALTITUDE, BECAUSE ABOVE THIS ENVIRONMENT FLATTENS EVERYONES CURVE. BUT GOOD 6000m CLIMBING IS BUILT ON GOOD 5000m CLIMBING, AND IF YOU DON’T ALREADY HAVE IT 6000m IS TOO HIGH TO LEARN.

6000m ASCENTS LET YOU TOY RIGHT AT THE MARGINS OF WHAT HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING IS ALL ABOUT, WITHOUT HAVING SO GREAT A COMMITMENT AND TIMELINE YOU CAN’T RECOVER FROM. IT’S ENTIRELY FEASIBLE TO DO MULTIPLE SERIOUS 6000m ASCENTS A SEASON, BULDING A HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME UNDER FULL HIMALAYAN CONDITIONS.

ENERGY, EFFORT AND RESOURCES SPENT HERE IS ALMOST DEFINITIVE OF THE BEST 8000m CLIMBING, BECAUSE NOW THE STRATEGIES HIT FULL SCALE AND BY ITS NATURE THINGS CAN START GETTING REMOTE. THE BASECAMPS OF 6000m PEAKS CAN BE RELATIVELY LOWER, MEANING THE ROUTES THEMSELVES WILL BE APPROACHING WHAT’S FOUND ON 8000m PEAKS, NOW WITH THE WHOLE LOT AT ALTITUDES DEMANDING SERIOUS ACCLIMATION.

THIS IS WHERE YOU REALLY LEARN TO CLIMB BIG PEAKS AND THE CLIMBING IS STILL FUN ENOUGH TO HANG AROUND AT. PIOLET D’ORS USUALLY GO TO ASCENTS IN THIS RANGE BECAUSE IT SHOWCASES HARD AND INNOVATIVE ALPINISM AT IT’S MOST PROFOUND, BUT IT ALSO SHEAVES OFF THOSE NOT UP TO THE DEFINITIVE FACTOR OF ALPINISM – ALTITUDE.

THIS IS THE ZONE WHERE YOU GET TO LOOK UP AND MOUNTAINS AND FIND THE FINE LINE WHERE YOUR ABILITY MIGHT GET TEMPERED BY ENVIRONMENT. THIS PRESSURE AND EQUATION IS WHAT FORGES THE BEST ALPINISTS AMONG US, BECAUSE IT’S WHERE YOU CAN STEP OFF THE GLACIER WITH THE BIGGEST TECHNICAL GOALS IN YOR HEAD AND KNOW THAT THE MARGIN WILL BE ABSURDLY NARROW.

CLIMBING AT 6000m IS WHERE YOUR CHARACTER SHOWS BECAUSE IT’S WHERE YOU AND THE ENVIRONMENT COLLIDE, SOMEWHERE WITHIN THOSE THOUSAND METERS BETWEEN WHAT CAN BE ADAPTED TO AND WHAT CAN’T. GOING HIGHER, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO GAUGE, ESPECIALLY ACROSS A TEAM, SO YOU CAN PLAN AND EXECUTE YOUR ABILITIES TO PASS THROUGH INTO A REALM YOU CANNOT WIN AGAINST. BEING ABLE TO SET THAT THRESHOLD, HOWEVER HAZY, IS SOMETHING THE INDUSTRIAL CLIMBER CANOT KNOW, HAVING HANDED IT OVER TO THE O2 SET.

HERE IS WHERE THE CONSEQUENCES STACK UP, AND THINGS LIKE YOUR SYSTEMS FOR SHELTER, ROPE WORK, EATING AND CLOTHING WILL BE SHOWN TO WORK OR NOT UNDER FULL CLIMBING CONDITIONS. YOU CAN STUMBLE FORWARD WITH AN ASCENDER AND SINGLE AXE IN MOST ENSEMBLES OF DOWN AND NYLON BUT TO ACTUALLY CLIMB IS A WHOLE OTHER PARADIGM, AND 6000m IS THE LAST PLACE TO FIND OUT BEFORE THE UNFORGIVING ENVIRONMENT THAT COMES NEXT.

6000m TRIPS COVER THE TIME SCALE BETWEEN 2 WEEKS AND MAJOR EXPEDITIONS INTO REMOTE AREAS, WITH THE ONES MOST RELATIVE TO 8000m ALPINE ASCENTS BEING SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE. THE BEST TIMELINE IS LONG ENOUGH TO GET MAXIMALLY ACCLIMATIZED AND SINK INTO HIGH ALTITUDE LIVING, BUT NOT SO LONG AS THE EFFORT DRAWS SO DEEP ON YOUR RESERVES IT DISRUPTS THE OVERALL PROGRESSION.

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7000m

THE RELATIVE AMOUNT TO BE LEARNED HERE IS 20% OF THE TOTAL, AND IS THE VITAL 20% ABOUT BEING UP VERY HIGH FOR A LONG TIME. IN THE CONTEXT OF 8000m CLIMBING THIS DIFFERS FROM SAY AN ASCENT OF THE TRADE ROUTE ON SPANTIK, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO BE LIVING ABOVE 7000m AS MUCH AS IS FEASIBLE.

ON AN 8000m ASCENT THIS IS THE BRACKET WHERE YOUR HIGHEST CAMPS WILL BE, SO YOU NEED TO BE ACCUSTOMED TO MULTIPLE 24hr CYCLES IN THE SPACE.

THERE’S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUST BREACHING 7000m AND GETTING INTO THE HIGHER REALMS OF IT, WITH BOTH REPRESENTING EITHER END OF WHAT A HUMAN CAN TOLERATE. LOW 7000ms IS FEASIBLE TO MOST CLIMBERS, EVEN SOME INDUSRIAL ONES, BUT HIGH 7000ms IS WHERE THE BODY STARTS BEING UNABLE TO SUSTAIN ITSELF.

7000m ASCENTS ARE THE DARK HORSE OF HIGH ALTITUDE CLIMBING, FOR MANY COMING WELL AFTER THEIR FIRST 8000m ASCENTS AS A CERTAIN SORT OF ‘X’ FACTOR. BY THE UNKNOWING, ASCENTS AT THESE ALTITUDES CAN BE PANNED OFF AS ‘TOO MUCH EFFORT FOR NOT ENOUGH OF AN OBJECTIVE’, BUT A QUICK LOOK AT THE PERIODS OF OF GREAT ALPINISM SHOWS THIS NOT TO BE THE CASE, WITH 7000m BEING A SORT OF INITIATION INTO ELITE-LEVEL CLIMBING.

IT’S NO COINCIDENCE THAT SO MUCH GREAT CLIMBING – AND DEATHS – HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS ZONE, AND IT IS STILL THE SPACE WHERE THE LEADING EDGE OF THE SPORT HAS MUCH TO DEVELOP. OFTEN TOP CLIMBERS RETURN TO THIS ZONE AFTER FINDING LIMITS AT 8000m, IMPLYING THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED HERE TO GET ONTO THE FUTURE GREAT NEW ROUTES TO 8000m. PERHAPS THAT IS WHERE 8000m CLIMBING HAS STALLED, WITH THE DIFFICULTY AND CONFRONTATION OF 7000m ALPINISM CURRENTLY OUT OF FASHION, AND THE UPWARD FLOW OF THE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE LAGGING AS ENERGY GOES ELSEWHERE ON THINGS LIKE SPEED AND LIGHTER GEAR.

THE ALPINIST WELL VERSED IN 7000m CLIMBING HAS A HUGE DEGREE OF ABILITY TO CALL ON WHEN IT COMES TO GOING HIGHER, NABLING THEM TO SEE THIS ‘NO MANS LAND’ AS ACTUALLY INHABITABLE. THIS BREAKS THE SOLE RELIANCE ON SPEED, AND FORTIFIES IT WITH THE RARE ABILITY TO ACTUALLY LIVE SOMEWHERE OTHERS BANK ON BEING ABLE TO BYPASS. THIS CHANGES THE STRATEGY FROM THE ACUTE IDEA OF ‘GET IN AND GET UP AND BACK BEFORE IT CATCHES YOU’, TO GET UP THERE AND STAY UP THERE LONG ENOUGH TO GET THINGS DONE.

7000m TRIPS TAKE PLACE AROUND A ‘MONTH PLUS’ SCALE AND USUALLY SCHEDULED AS ONE SUCH TRIP A SEASON, WITH A 6000m ASCENT BUILT IN. 7000m DEMANDS AN ACCLIMATION STRATEGY THAT CAN’T BE SUPPLEMENTED OR COMPLIMENTED, SO NEEDS A LEVEL OF PLANNING THAT ALL ADDS UP TO NO SHORTCUTS.

7000m CLIMBING CAN BE VERY EFFICIENT THOUGH, WITH A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF DAYS UP HIGH, AND FOR TRULY UNDERSTANDING ALTITUDE THIS IS THE ONLY WAY AND A BIG PART OF THE 20%. EVERY DAY SPENT ABOVE 7000m CONTRIBUTES GREATLY TO THE HARDER PARTS OF 8000m, WITHIN REASON OF COURSE.

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8000m

COMING THROUGH A PROGRESSION AS DESCRIBED, 8000m IS WHERE YOU WILL LEARN 10% OF THE WHOLE – BUT WHAT A 10% IT IS. DISREGARDING INDUSTRIAL 8000m CLIMBING (WHERE MANY CLIMBERS SEEM TO LEARN 100% OF WHAT THEY DO), THE LESSONS OF THIS LEVEL REVOLVE AROUND ABSOLUTE REFINEMENT AND A HUGE EXECUTION OF JUDGEMENT.

IF YOU ARE AT 8000m IN ALPINE STYLE IT IS BECAUSE YOU HAVE GOT A VAST AMONT OF THINGS RIGHT, AND NOW NEED TO TOP IT OFF WITH STAYING ALIVE AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL. THEY CALL IT THE ‘DEATH ZONE’ FOR A REASON.

HERE IS NOT WHERE YOU LEARN ANY TECHNICAL SKILLS, OR EVEN SPECIFICS OF STRATEGY BECAUSE THAT SHOULD ALREADY HAVE BEEN WHAT HAS DELIVERED YOU, WHAT YOU WORK OUT NOW ARE THE INTERNAL STATES OF FUNCTIONING IN A VERY RAREIFIED ENVIRONMENT. THIS MEANS UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF ALTITUDE ON ABILITY, TIMELINES AND COGNITION, AND MITIGATING ALL THE EFFECTS THAT HAVE LEAD TO THIS POINT THAT WILL NOW BE PLAYED OUT. WHAT YOU GOT RIGHT OR WRONG WILL NOW BE ALL YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH, SO EXPERIENCE HERE ALLOWS YOU TO REFER BACK ON THE EFFICACY OF THE WHOLE.

THE 8000m ZONE TO THE ALPINE CLIMBER CAN APPEAR ESOTERIC, EVEN PSYCHEDELIC, AS THE MANIFESTATIONS OF THE MIND FORM AS MUCH OF THE ENVIRONMENT AS THE TOPOGRAPHY DOES. THE EFFORT INVOLVED, THE CONSEQUENCES AT HAND, THE DISTANCE FROM NORMAL EXPERIENCE AND ANY IDEAS ABOUT SUMMITS AND COMPLETION, ALL VIE FOR THE ATTENTION OF A BRAIN STARVED OF OXYGEN AND CALORIES. HOW PEOPLE FUNCTION IN THIS STATE IS UNPREDICTABLE OTHER THAN IT IS AT THE BEHEST OF ALL THE CLIMBING LEADING UP TO IT, AS A FINAL EXECUTION OF A ASCENT THAT HAS GONE THROUGH SEVERAL LOWER PHASES. THE BETTER YOU KNOW THIS SUCCESSION OF PHASES AND HOW THEY DETERMINE THE RESULT, THE MORE YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH WHEN STANDING TO LOOK UP AT THE MOUNTAIN FROM THE BASE.

LEARNING HOW TO EXECUTE THE CAPACITY YOU SET YOURSELF UP WITH IS AN ABILITY YOU CANNOT REVERSE ENGINEER, FORMED FROM A BLEND OF ACCEPTANCE AND CLARITY. WITH THIS THE DECISIONS YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE ARE FOUNDED, THAT ARE BENEFITTED BY A DETACHMENT TO THINGS THAT SKEW THEM LIKE FANATICISM TO SUMMIT. SANS THE INDUSTRIAL RIGGING OF A ROUTE LIKE THE CHINA SIDES OF THE KARAKORAM 8000ers, DESCENT WILL NOT BE A STRAIGHTFORWARD MATTER SO THE BRAIN MUST COMPREHEND THIS. THE LESSONS OF 8000m ARE SOCRATIC – KNOWING YOURSELF.

ALPINE TRIPS TO 8000m HAPPEN OVER MONTHS, THE FASTEST AT JUST OVER 2, BECAUSE THAT IS THE RATE YOU ACCLIMATIZE AT. SMART SCHEDULES AND MAYBE MEDICAL RESOURCES LIKE NORMABARIC TENTS MAY KNOCK A WEEK OFF THE TOTAL, BUT BASICALLY YOU ARE STACKING A 5000, 6000, AND 7000m TRIP ALL TOGETHER. SANS SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN, YOU WILL NEED TO HAVE A SERIES OF ASCENTS IN ORDER TO ADAPT, THOUGH THEY NEED TO BE AS EASY AS POSSIBLE AND CAN EVEN BE SPREAD OVER CONTINENTS IN SOME RADICAL STRATEGIES.

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THE TIMELINE

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION IS, OF COURSE, HOW LONG IS NEEDED TO DO ALL THIS?

ALPINE ASCENTS AT ANY ALTITUDE ARE SOLID EFFORTS, SO THE QUESTION MOSTLY APPLIES TO THE RECOVERY IN BETWEEN, AND OVERLAPPING THE WHOLE THING WITH THE LOSS AND GAIN OF ALTITUDE ADAPTION. INDUSTRIAL SERIAL ASCENTS AS ARE BECOMING COMMON OFFER LITTLE INPUT AS THEY ACHEIVE WHAT THEY DO BY SUBSTITUTING ADAPTION, NOT ENHANCING IT, MEANING WE NEED TO FALL BACK ON THE LONG ESTABLISHED HISTORY OF HOW SUCH THINGS ACTUALLY WORK.

THE ANSWER IS THAT DONE WELL, THIS PROGRESSION CAN BE DONE OVER A SINGLE YEAR, BUT IN ORDER TO BE DONE AT A RESPCTABLE LEVEL WOULD NEED TO BE A YEAR OF NEAR-CONSTANT EFFORT. IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO CLOCK JUST A SINGLE ASCENT TO ANY ZONE OF ALTITUDE, NOT IF YOU WANT SERIOUS PERFORMANCE AT LEAST. ESPECIALLY IN THE 5000 AND 6000m ZONES WHERE THE VAST MAJORITY OF DEVELOPMENT IS TO BE MADE SIMPLY BECAUSE IT HAS THE MOST EXPOSURE AND VOLUME, IT PAYS TO LOG AS MUCH TIME THERE AS POSSIBLE.

AVOID THE CORNER-CUTTING MENTALITY OF THINKING OF 5000m ASCENTS AS JUST DISCOUNT 6000m ONES, OR 6000m AS SOME SORT OF ‘EASY’ VERSION OF 7000m THAT GOING STRAIGHT TO 7000m WILL COVERFOR. THIS IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL. EACH ZONE IS TO BE TREATED FOR IT’S VIRTUES SUCH AS DIFFICULTY OF CLIMBING ALLOWED AND UNIUE STRATEGIES, WITH THE OVERLL IDEA BEING TIME SPENT CLIMBING WITH QUALITY. LIKE ANY ENDURANCE SPORT, RELATVELY EASIER EFFORTS THAT ALLOW MORE VOLUME ALWAYS PAY OFF BETTER THAN LESS VOLUME AT HARDER OUTPUT, MEAN 30 DAYS A YEAR ABOVE 5750m HAS MORE VALUE THAN 5 DAYS ABOVE 7000m.

LIKE ANY ENDURANCE DEVELOPMENT, THIS PROGRESSION WOULD WORK BEST TO A PYRAMID OF BULK TIME AT 5000m, SEVERAL ASCENTS TO 6000m, ONE OR TWO TRIPS TO 7000m THEN THE GREAT OBJECTIVE TO 8000m. IN ACTUAL NUMBERS IT IS HARD TO SAY, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE IT COULD BE 3 X 5000m TRIPS, 3 X 6000m TRIPS, 2 X 7000m TRIPS THEN THE 8000mer.

THE 5000m AND 6000m ASCENTS WOULD COVER VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ZONES, AND COULD FEASIBLY EVEN BE ON THE SAME PEAK, TO SUB-PEAKS OR FROM A COMMON BASECAMP. PLACES LIKE TIBET ARE FULL OF SUCH OPTIONS, REQUIRING EXTREMELY EFFICIENT LOGISTICS AND SUDDENLY DEMONSTRATING HOW THIS CAN BE DONE IN SINGLE SEASONS (SOMETHING WHICH GUYS LIKE CHARLIE FOWLER AND BRUCE NORMAND KNEW ABOUT DECADES AGO).

7000m ASCENTS ARE TRICKIER, USUALLY BY CIRCUMSTANCE OF LOCATION, AND TEND TO FIT IN BEST AS FULL DRESS REHEARSALS RATHER THAN ‘TRAINING’ ASCENTS. ACCESSIBLE 7000m PEAKS IN THE OPEN TIBETAN AREAS ARE USUALLY DIFFICULT AND RISKY (SUCH AS MINYA KONKA), THOUGH THE CHINA KARAKORAM OFFERS SEVERAL OPTIONS BUT THEY ARE FULL EXPEDITIONS THAT ARE HARD TO FIT INTO A SERIAL TIMELINE WITH OTHER PEAKS. THE DISTINCT ADVANTAGE HERE THOUGH IS SUCH PEAKS AS HUANGGAN SHAN FAMILIARIZE YOU WITH THE CHINA KARAKORAM, WHICH IS A MAJOR ADVANTAGE FOR ANY 8000m ASCENT THERE.

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WITH CAREFUL AND INFORMED PLANNING IT IS DOABLE TO ORGANIZE A FUNCTIONAL 5000m TO 8000m PROGRESSION OVER A YEAR OR 18 MONTHS, CULMINATING WITH AN ASCENT SOMEWHERE LIKE THE CHINA SIDE OF K2, WITH A SOLID SERIES OF ASCENTS BEHIND YOU. SEASONAL CLIMATE BEING A PRIMARY FACTOR, THIS PERIOD WOULD BE OVER TWO CALENDER YEARS, STARTING IN AUTUMN IN TIBET AND FINISHING THE FOLLOWING AUTUMN IN XINJIANG. THESE TWO PHASES HAVE ALL SORTS OF OPTIONS, BUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE WOULD BE SOMETHING LIKE A TIBET SEASON, A 7000m ASCENT IN XINJIANG THEN THE FINAL ASCENT ON K2, G1 OR BROADPEAK FOLLOWING A RECOVERY AND RE-ACCLIMATIZATION PROCESS.

BY THE TIME SUCH A CLIMBER WAS TO ARRIVE AT THE BASE OF THEIR 8000m OBJECTIVE THEY WOULD HAVE ABOUT 40 CLIMBING DAYS – AND ALMOST THE SAME NIGHTS – AT ‘ALPINE ALTITUDE’, ON TOP OF TWICE AS MANY MORE DAYS UNDER EXPEDITION CONDITIONS PLUS WHATEVER SUB-5000m CLIMBING THEY DO. ALL WOULD BE SPECIFIC AND CONVERGENT ON TRUE 8000m APLINE STYLE, AND THE ONLY REAL ALTERNATIVE TO CAREER 8000m CLIMBING THAT IS BUILT OVER A DECADE OR SO.

OF COURSE CLIMBERS HAVE BEEN TO 8000m WITHOUT A PROGRESSION LIKE THIS, BUT NOT MANY, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORIES OF FINE ALPINISTS YOU FIND MOST APPROXIMATE THIS EVEN IF NOT BY METHOD. OFTEN SIMPLY BY DEFAULT, OF THE WAY THINGS WORKED, THERE WAS AN ORGANIC PROGRESSION VIA THE ALPS, CAUCUSES, CENTRAL ASIAN RANGES AND LOWER PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYA AND KARAKORAM, THAT TICK ALL THESE BOXES ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

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WHY?

WE PRESENT THIS BECAUSE WE THINK GREAT 8000m ALPINISM STILL LAYS AHEAD OF US , AND THAT FACTORS OF TODAY PRESENT UNIQUE POSSIBILITIES UNDOABLE BEFORE. GIVEN A PROGRESSION THE STEPS CAN’T BE SKIPPED – AND WHY WOULD A CLIMBER WANT TO ? – BUT THINGS CAN BE OPTIMIZED SO CLIMBERS STARTING OUT CAN HAVE MAXIMUM EFFECT WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE HIGHEST PEAKS.

WE ARE TIRED OF THE HAND-WRINING OVER THE RAPID DECLINE IN 8000m AND HIMALAYAN CLIMBING SO SEEK TO PLACE AUTHENTIC, VIABLE ALTERNATIVES ON THE TABLE. RATHER THAN JOIN THE DISCUSSIONS CRITICIZING WE ARE A REVOLUTION OF ONE THAT PUTS A SOLUTION ON THE TABLE. NOTHING IS REALLY NEW HERE, OTHER THAN THE ADVANTAGES OF CHINAS ADVANCING INFRASTRUCTURE RADICALLY MAKING HIGH ALTITUDE MORE EFFICIENT NORTH OF THE DIVIDE, ALL THE PIECES ARE THERE IT SIMPLY NEEDS CLIMBERS TO WANT TO DO IT.

WHY? IS A GOOD QUESTION, ONE WITH AN OBVIOUS ANSWER; TO NOT LET THE HIGH STANDARDS OF ALPINISM DIE JUST WHEN THE BEST OBJECTIVES HAVE BECOME ACCESSIBLE. THE HISTORY OF THIS SPORT IS CLIMBERS RISING TO WHAT CHANGES IN GEOPOLITICS, TECHNOLOGY AND RESOURCES HAVE ALOWED, AND WE ARE CURRENTLY ON THE VERGE OF THE GREATEST COMBINATION OF ALL THAT YET. WHY RIGHT NOW THINGS SHOULD TAKE A NOSE DIVE TO THE LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR RATHER THAN THE HIGHEST STANDARD POSSIBLE IS A TANGENT THAT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HOW THIS NARRATIVE GOES. BUT IF WE COLLECTIVELY DROP THE BALL PICKING IT UP AGAIN WON’T BE EASY, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE.