TIME ON YOUR FEET, TIME ON YOUR ARMS. EXPEDITION ENDURANCE
YOU DO NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR GOALS, YOU FALL TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR SYSTEMS – JAMES CLEAR
WARNING: LONG SPEIL OF OBSERVATIONS SPECIFIC TO ONLY THE SMALL WORLD OF OUR EXPEDITIONS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
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WE ARE SAYING THIS NOW BECAUSE IT IS EXACTLY 6 MONTHS TILL OUR NEXT HIGH ALTITUDE EXPEDITIONS STEP OFF, AND EVERY DAY DIVERTED FROM PREPARATION WILL BE FELT INTENSLEY WHEN OUT THERE. DAYS NOW DETERMINE ENTIRE WEEKS AND MONTHS LATER IN THE PROCESS, DICTATING THRESHOLDS IN CAPACITY, CONFIDENCE AND FIDELITY OF PLANNING.
WE ARE NOT TRAINERS. READ THAT AGAIN. THE FOLLOWING CONTENT IS WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE SEE WORK FOR THE EXPEDITIONS WE RUN, WHICH HAVE UNCOMMON FACTORS OUTSIDE COMMERCIAL CLIMBING NORMS. WE PROFESS NO AUTHORITY AS GURUS, OUR ONLY CREDIBILITY IS THE 25 YEARLY CYCLES OF EXPEDITION PREPARATION AND EXECUTION THAT PROVIDES BARELY ENOUGH DATA POINTS TO SEE ANY PATTERNS, PLUS THE WEATHERING OF VARIOUS OTHER PROGRAMS, CONCEPTS AND EXPERIMENTS. WE HAVE SEEN LOTS OF FAILURES, LOTS OF DELUSIONS, LOTS OF RESOURCES WASTED AND LOTS QUESTIONS UNANSWERED, BUT ALSO ENOUGH HARD LESSONS, UNEXPECTED SUCCESSES AND THE OCCASIONAL GENEROSITY OF WISDOM TO KNOW WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT. AFTER A MILLION QUESTIONS WERE ASKED AND VERY FEW QUALITY RESPONSES RETURNED, WE’VE COME TO CONSIDER OURSELVES EXPLORERS IN A FIELD OF BULLSHIT, TRUSTING ONLY OUR OWN EXPERIENCE AND OWNING OUR RESULTS.
WITHOUT EXCEPTION THE ONLY PROGRAMS WE SEE WORK ARE THOSE FOR ULTRA SPORTS, NAMELY RUNNING, SWIMMING, PADDLING, CYCLING, AND THEIR COMBINATION AS HYBRID SORTS. OVER 25 YEARS WE HAVE SEEN ALL THE TRENDS, PROGRAMS AND METHODS GET THROWN AGAINST THE WALL OF THE REALITY AT ALTITUDE, AND SEEN ALMOST ALL OF THEM FAIL, INCLUDING ALL THE BIG NAMES, LOTS OF OBSCURE ONES, SPECIAL FORCES STUFF, ELITE ATHLETES etc, WE HAVE YET TO SEE ANYONE DOING ANY OF IT HAVE ANY ADVANTAGE OVER SIMPLE, BASIC, INFORMED ULTRA-VOLUME.
LOTS OF TRIAL AND LOTS OF ERROR BOILED DOWN FOR US TWO SOURCES THAT WORK, THOUGH BOTH ARE THEMSELVES THE INTERFACES OF VAST ARRAYS OF SOURCES THAT QUICKLY ENTER THE THOUSANDS. WE DON’T COLLECT SOURCES, WE REFINE THEM, WITH THE BRUCE LEE MEME OF FEARING THE GUY WHO PRACTICED THE ONE KICK TEN THOUSAND TIMES.
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OUR IDEAS HAVE BEEN INFORMED FIRSTLY BY SCIENCE OF ULTRA, A GENEROUS REPOSITORY OF RESEARCH AND INFORMATION COLLATED WITH RIGOR AND PRESENTED FOR NORMAL PEOPLE, BY A GUY SO SCIENTIFIC AS TO BE HARROWINGLY IMPERICAL. THIS SOURCE IS AN EXCELLENT ANTIDOTE TO ALL THE BULLSHIT, LURID CLAIMS, ‘HACKS’ AND ANECDOTAL PROPAGANDA THAT ASAILS THE POPULAR TRAINING SPACE, AND WITH NOTHING TO SELL PRESENTS NONE OF THE ATTITUDE AND GLAM THAT CREATES CULT-LIKE MINDSETS. NO LONGER UPDATED, THIS IS STILL MANY YEARS WORTH OF INFORMATION TO DELVE INTO, INCLUDING LONG INTERVIEWS WITH MANY RESEARCHERS ACROSS A RESPECTABLE SPECTRUM OF FIELDS.
SECONDLY, WE REFERENCE THE MAVERICK, ‘POST-CROSSFIT’ ANTI-PROGRAM OF THE NOW-DEFUNCT NONPROPHET ENDURANCE MANUAL, ONE OF MARK TWIGHT’S MULTIPLE PROJECTS AND A TREATISE ON REALLY GOING LONGER. ENDURANCE IS A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM FOR THOSE USED TO THE BRAINWASHING OF CLASSIC PROGRAMMING, AND IS A WAY TO KICK OUT THE JAMS BY RETOOLING THE FORMAT. NOW OUT OF PRINT AND SEEMINGLY UNLIKELY TO RETURN, THE CONTENT MAY NOW BE LOST TO THE MASSES OUTSIDE OF THE NONPROPHET CLIQUE. LET THIS BE A WARNING, THAT QUALITY HAS NO GUARANTEES, AND POPULARITY HAS MORE TO DO LEGACY THAN CONTENT AND CONCEPTS.
THESE SOURCES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES AND ARE LIVING WORKS IN PROGRESS SO THINGS WILL CHANGE, BE UPDATED AND SOME THINGS FOUND TO BE WRONG, BUT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS ALL OUR OWN. ANY CORRUPTIONS OR ERRORS WITH OUR INTERPRETATIONS OF SOURCE MATERIAL LAY ENTIRELY WITH US.
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BEYOND LISTENING, READING, RESEARCHING AND OSMOSIS WE ASKED AT EVERY LEVEL, AGAIN ALL THE BIG NAMES AND APPARENT EXPERTS, AND ASIDE FROM THE TWO SOURCES LISTED GOT NOTHING EXCEPT EGO TRIPS, SNAKE OIL, SMOKE AND MIRRORS AND DISMISSAL. THEY WOULDN’T EVEN TAKE OUR MONEY. PUT ANOTHER WAY; THERE IS NOTHING NEW OR SPECIAL GOING ON, OTHER THAN PACKAGING AND LOWEST-COMMON-DENOMINATOR COMMERCIALISM. IN THE COLD LIGHT OF REMOTE MOUNTAINS WITH NO ESTABLISHED WAY UP THEM, YOU AND YOUR OWN APTITUDE ARE THE ONLY WAY FORWARD. IT IS UP TO YOUR OWN INTUITION, EXPERIMENTATION AND RESEARCH, OF TRYING AND INVENTING EXERCISES AND PATTERNS THAT FIT YOUR INDIVIDUAL DEMANDS.
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EXPEDITION CLIMBING CONDITIONING
TAKE AS A FIRST POINT THE FACT THAT ALL AND ANY TRAINING IS BETTER THAN NONE, THAT SO LONG AS IT’S NOT INJURING YOU, SIMPLY MOVING FOR EFFORT AND TIME WORKS. FOR SOME THIS IS THE UPWARD CURVE THAT LETS THEM THINK THEY HAVE FOUND THE SECRET, BUT IT TAKES REAL TIME AND REAL CYCLES MEASURING IN THE HUNDREDS TO GET REAL VOLUME. ACTUAL MOVEMENT TO MEET THE ENERGY DEMANDS CLIMBING IMPOSES IS THE BULK OF ANY PREPARATION, BE IT IN A GYM, ON A CONSTRUCTION SITE, ON MOUNTAINS OR IN VENUES TO 110 Db AND BPM.
MULTIPLE EXPEDITIONS A YEAR OVER DECADES PROVIDE MONTHS AT ALTITUDE. MORE MONTHS GETTING TO ALTITUDE, CYCLES OF TECHNICAL CLIMBING, PHASES OF CARRYING LOADS, TIMES OF RECOVERY AND EXHAUSTION, WEEKS ON LOW AND MEDIUM GRADE TERRAIN AND A SPRINKLING OF PUKE-INDUCING MAXIMAL EFFORTS; ALL OF WHICH POINTS AT THE THINGS YOU WISH YOU COULD DO BETTER. YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING, SO HAVE TO CHERRY-PICK THE MOST POTENT, AND THAT IN ITSELF IS THE ART OF PREPARATION.
IF THE AMOUNT OF TIME CLIMBING IS WHAT PRODUCED GREAT CLIMBERS THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE GREAT EXPEDITION CLIMBING GOING ON, AND THE REALITY IS THAT ONLY PART OF AN EXPEDITION IS CLIMBING. THE PARTS UNDER THE WATERLINE – APPROACHES, RETURNS, CARRIES, DESCENTS AND DOWN TIME – IS WHERE THE BULK OF JUICE GOES WHEN VIEWED OVER AN EXPEDITIONS ENTIRETY. BUY THE TIME THE M5 AND A3 MOVES AT -20c COME, THERE HAS BEEN WEEKS MOVING 20kg LOADS UP MILES OF ALTITUDE AND GLACIER BURNING 5000kcals A DAY.
IT ONLY MATTERS ON EXPEDITION. THE SHARP END, IN THE CRITICAL MOMENTS WHICH CAN BE STRETCHED INTO HOURS AND DAYS, IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE YOUR PREPARATION CAN BE JUDGED FROM. ENOUGH TIME IN THIS RED ZONE LETS YOU SEE WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE OF, AND ALL THE TIME WASTED ON SHIT THAT NOW DETERMINES YOUR LIMITS. WE THINK THE TOOL DETERMINES THE RESULT AND CAN BE A VERY POOR SOURCE OF DIRECTION, SIMPLY BECAUSE WE SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEAD LIFTED, PULL UPPED AND TYRE FLIPPED THEIR WAY TO NO SPECIAL EXPEDITION ADVANTAGE.
STRENGTH MATTERS RELATIVELY BUT ENDURANCE MATTERS AS AN ABSOLUTE, AND SHOULD BE THE FIRST THING YOU DO AND THE LAST THING YOU GIVE UP. YOU WILL BE SORRY IF NOT. SLOW TWITCH TISSUE HAS A LOWER OXYGEN DEMAND THAN FAST TWITCH, MAKING THE RECOMPOSITION OF BODY MASS TOWARDS LEAN ENDURANCE A FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVE.
ENDURANCE IS REPEATABILITY SO RANGE OF MOTION IS FUNDAMENTAL, BEING WHAT ALLOWS THE MULTITUDE OF VARIATIONS THAT REDUCE OVERUSE. ALPINISM, BEING A MULTIPLANE EXERCISE, IS CURTAILED BY HAVING ITS ROM LIMITED OR RESTRICTED BY TRAINING, FORCING THE ENTIRE MECHANICAL STRESS OF EXPEDITION CLIMBING ONTO A NARROW BANDWIDTH OF THE BODIES CAPACITY. THIS INCLUDES THE VASCULAR SYSTEM, THE WAY MUSCLES ARE OXYGENATED WITH BLOOD FLOW, WITH PARTS OF THE SYSTEM THAT GET LITTLE USE DUE TO LIMITED ROM NOT DEVELOPING THE GASEOUS EXCHANGE AND CAPPILARIZATION EQUALLY AND FORMING A WEAKNESS.
UNTIL ENOUGH VOLUME IS REACHED IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER HOW YOU SPEND IT, BUT IT REALLY MATTERS HOW YOU WASTE IT IF IT DOESN’T PROVIDE A PLATFORM TO GET THE REAL VOLUME NEEDED. TO EVENTUALLY BE GETTING +/-25hrs A WEEK (AND SUSTAINING IT – ONCE ISN’T THE GOAL) MEANS BUILDING VOLUME AS THE FOCUS FROM THE BEGINNING, AND ANY SPECIFICITY THAT GETS IN THE WAY OF OPTIMAL VOLUME WORKS AGAINST YOU.
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VOLUME
10 HOURS A WEEK WON’T GO FAR CLIMBING BIG, COLD MOUNTAINS, NEITHER WILL 15, BECAUSE IT’S NOT A SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH PERCENTAGE OF YOUR TIME TO AFFECT THE SLOW-BURNING METABOLIC SYSTEMS INVOLVED. THIS IS CLEARLY IN OPPOSITION TO AN INDUSTRY THAT TELLS YOU AND SELLS YOU THAT COMPLEX PERIODIZATION IS VITAL – BUT THAT INDUSTRY DOESN’T CLIMB REMOTE MOUNTAINS. STRENGTH AND RECOVERY STILL VERY MUCH OCCUR AND ARE ACTUALLY THE MAIN THING YOU ARE REALLY TRAINING, BUT DON’T EXPECT NORMAL FORMATS WHEN YOU DON’T DO NORMAL THINGS
WE THINK REAL CHANGES ONLY BEGIN AT ABOUT 25 HOURS A WEEK – ONE HOUR IN SEVEN OR ABOUT 15% – AND THIS NEEDS TO BE SUSTAINED FOR MULTIPLE WEEKS TO BECOME MORE THAN A STUNT. ANY ULTRA RUNNER WILL RECOGNIZE THIS AS AROUND THE 100 MILES PER WEEK MARK AND THE ENTRY TO ‘BIG MILEAGE’, AND AS SOMETHING NO ONE FRONTS UP FOR IN ONLY A CYCLE OR TWO OF TRAINING. SOMETHING HAPPENS OUT AT THE 25hr PER WEEK EDGE, THAT IS THE ACCUMULATION OF ALL THAT LEAD TO IT AND INVOLVES DOUBLING YOUR USUAL KCAL NEEDS, MAYBE OXYGEN NEEDS AND THE ASCETIC CYCLE OF TRAIN-EAT-SLEEP. THIS IS SOME KIND OF HUMAN FRONTIER, ONLY KNOW BY THOSE WHO SPEND TIME THERE, AND THE DOMAIN OF ONLY THOSE WHO GO TOO FAR, BEING THE ONES WHO KNOW HOW FAR THEY CAN GO.
BEFORE ANYONE GETS EXCITED, 25hrs/w IS ABOUT STATE-LEVEL FOR MANY SPORTS SO IN MOST CASES FAR FROM ELITE. HOW WELL ALPINISM SUBSCRIBES TO THE STATISTICS OF NORMAL SPORTS IS ITS OWN DEBATE, BUT A MASH UP OF RELATED THINGS LIKE RUNNING, GYMNASTICS, FIELD SPORTS AND ROWING GIVES A BALLPARK THAT SEEMS TO ALIGN WITH PHYSICAL LABOR JOBS, GUIDING AND FANATICAL AMATEURS.
TO TRAIN LIKE THIS MEANS DIRECTING ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF DAILY LIFE TOWARDS IT, WHICH INCLUDES SCHEDULING THINGS TO FIT IT ALL IN. LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES CAN MEAN THIS VOLUME NEEDS SOME CREATIVITY TO MAKE FIT, BUT THE REWARDS ARE A METABOLISM RECOMPOSED AS AN ALTITUDE MACHINE. THESE ARE CAPACITIES DRAWN OUT OF THE BODY AND PSYCHE, NOT FORCED UPON THEM, AND THE NUMBERS REPRESENT SUSTAINED INTENT AND RESPECT FOR YOUR OBJECTIVE.
25hrs IS NOT A CONSTANT BUT IT IS A PRIME OBJECTIVE, AND THE LONGER IT IS SUSTAINED THE MORE ADAPTIONS RELEVANT TO EXPEDITIONS OCCUR. EXPECT TO TAKE 6 CONTINUOUS MONTHS TO GET THERE, WITH EACH YEARLY CYCLE BRINGING IT EARLIER, AND WHAT MATTERS MOST IS THE RISING CURVE FROM WHERE YOU START TO WHERE YOU GET TO. GOALS THAT SEEM MYTHICAL EARLY ON GRADUALLY ARE GAINED, EACH OPENING NEW ASPECTS OF YOUR CAPACITY, SOME UNEXPECTED.
THIS KIND OF VOLUME CAN LOOK LIKE 5 X 5hr SESSIONS OVER A WEEK, WHICH IS UNFEASIBLE FOR MOST, AND WHICH IS STILL A BIG STRETCH WHEN RETOOLED TO BE 6 X 4. HEREIN LAYS THE SECRET WHICH WE FIND MAKES IT ALL FUNDAMENTALLY DIVERGENT, WHICH IS NO PROGRAMMED REST DAYS, ALLOWING 7 SESSIONS OF 3.5hrs EACH WHICH IS STARTING TO LOOK DOABLE.
OF COURSE THESE HOURLY SESSIONS ARE AVERAGED AND LIKE ANY ULTRA PREPARATION INCLUDE LONG AND SHORT SESSIONS THAT ADDRESS DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF ENDURANCE. STRENGTH SESSIONS WILL BE SHORT AND LONG SESSIONS NEED TO BE LONG, BUT WHEN SEEN ACROSS TIMELINES WITHOUT PROGRAMMED IN RESTS, THEY CAN BE FITTED IN USING DIFFERENT LOGIC THAN SIMPLY A WEEKLY FORMAT.
YOU WILL NOT GET THIS AMOUNT OF VOLUME WITH CONVENTIONAL TRAINING – NOR DO YOU WANT IT FOR UNCONVENTIONAL GOALS. TO PREPARE FOR EXPEDITION CONDITIONS THAT HAVE EVERY DAY ON. PROGRAMMING REST DAYS IN THE EXPEDITION CONTEXT IS ONLY PROGRAMMING THE BODY INTO CYCLES THAT ARE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. REGULAR REST DAYS AVOID THE PRIMARY THING ALL THIS CONDITIONING IS FOR – TO GO FURTHER WITHOUT REST – WHICH BOTH HAPPEN AT MICRO AND MACRO LEVELS WITH A REINTERPRETATION OF ‘RECOVERY’.
TO BE CLEAR – THERE ARE REST DAYS – THEY ARE SIMPLY NOT SCHEDULED, AND HAPPEN ONLY WHEN NEEDED, INDICATED BY THE USUAL THINGS LIKE OVER-FATIGUE, NIGGLING INJURY AND COINCIDENCE WITH OTHER LIFE FACTORS. YOU MAY BE STARTLED BY THE VOLUME OF TRAINING POSSIBLE WITHOUT SCHEDULED REST DAYS, IT NOT BEING ABNORMAL TO GO MONTHS WHEN THINGS ARE GOING RIGHT.
WEEKS CAN GO BY IN ‘HOLDING PATTERNS’ OF STEADILY METERED SESSIONS BECAUSE THE MAIN OBJECTIVE – VOLUME – IS BEING MET, THEN THE PATTERN CAN SHIFT TO FIT RISING DEMANDS THAT NEW FOUND CAPACITY ADAPTS AROUND. OVER MULTIPLE YEARS AND A HIGH DEGREE OF SELF-OBSERVATION, MUCH MORE THAN 25hrs A WEEK CAN BE SUSTAINED, THIS BEING A FRONTIER IN CONDITIONING AS VERY LITTLE IS STUDIED IN THE CONTEXT OF ALPINISM, THOUGH ANECDOTAL OBSERVATIONS ARE POSITIVE.
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VOLUME FOR ALTITUDE
ON OUR EXPEDITIONS, OXYGEN EFFICIENCY EQUALS TIME, WHICH EQUALS MONEY LIKE IT DOES ANYWHERE ELSE. IN XINJIANG AND TIBET WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO RISE TO HIGH ALTITUDE VERY FAST, SO TRAINING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS CAN BE SEEN IN REAL DOLLARS RELATING TO LOGISTICS AND SUPPLIES. MOST OF OUR MAIN OBJECTIVES REQUIRE PREACCLIMATION EVEN FOR THE APPROACH, SO THE MORE EFFICIENT THAT IS THE MORE WE CAN PUT INTO WHAT WE CAME FOR. WHEN THE WEEK OR TWO OF APPROACH IS APPROXIMATED IN THE KCALS AND DAILY CYCLE OF PREPARATION, WE CAN PUT MORE ENERGY INTO THE MILLION OTHER THINGS THAT NEED ATTENTION IN PLACES WITH NO ALLOWANCES FOR CLIMBING.
AT ALTITUDE, THE PROBLEM FOR THE HUMAN ORGANISM IS LACK OF AIR PRESSURE TO EXCHANGE OXYGEN. SIMILAR TO ANAEROBIC EXERCISE, SYSTEM EFFICIENCY IS THE ONLY WAY UPTAKE MORE OF THE AVAILABLE OXYGEN, AND THIS PROFOUNDLY AFFECTED BY ENDURANCE TRAINING. OXYGEN UPTAKE IS NOT DETERMINED BY MAXIMAL TRAINING STRESS, IT IS DETERMINED BY THE MINUTEA OF CAPILLIARIZATION, WHICH IS A LONG AND SLOW CAPACITY TO BUILD WITH NO SHORT CUTS.
WE KNOW THE ONLY ADAPTION FOR CLIMBING AT ALTITUDE IS BEING AT ALTITUDE, AND THAT ALL ELSE IS CONDITIONING THE BODY TO ADAPT, NOT ADAPTION ITSELF. TRAINING FOR LESS OXYGEN UPTAKE IS A DIVERSION BECAUSE THE REAL DEMAND OF HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINISM IS TRAINING TO UPTAKE MORE. THIS IS A LOOOONG AND DEDICATED PROCESS, JUST LIKE THE OBJECTIVE, OF TUNING THE METABOLISM TO SPREAD OXYGEN UPTAKE OVER THE WEEKS ON EXPEDITION, LONG ENOUGH FOR TRUE METABOLIC CHANGE. AS ALTITUDE ADAPTION ONLY HAPPENS AT REST AND DURING SLEEP, IT IS A PROCESS OF RECOVERY NOT ONE OF ACTIVE GAIN. YOU GET BETTER AT ACCLIMATION BY GETTING BETTER AT RECOVERING, WHICH MEANS SERIOUS VOLUME THAT DEMANDS YOU GET YOUR SLEEP, REST, KCALS AND HYDRATION NAILED.
SERIOUS VOLUME TAKES YEARS TO DEVELOP, RETOOLING THE WHOLE METABOLISM. DIFFERENT TO MANY SPORTS THAT HAVE A BIOLOGICAL CLOCK THAT PEAKS RELATIVELY EARLY, ULTRA SPORTS SEEM TO PEAK LATER DUE TO A SWEET SPOT IN FAT METABOLISM. THIS IS AN ILL-DEFINED THING AS YET AS THE NUMBERS OF LOGGED ULTRA ATHLETES DATA IS STILL GROWING, BUT SOMEWHERE IS AN OVERLAP OF PRECEEDING VOLUME AND THE SLOWING FAT METABOLISM THAT HAS ATHLETES WELL INTO THEIR 40s WINNING ULTRA EVENTS. THIS BODES WELL FOR WOMEN TOO, SHOWING THAT EVENTS BEYOND THE 100 mile/15hr MARK HAVE NO DISCERNABLE GENDER ADVANTAGE.
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MEASURING VOLUME
WHEN YOU ALTER THE PARAMETERS OF SPACE YOU FIND OUT THAT REALLY YOU ARE MOVING THROUGH TIME, AND ENDURANCE IS THIS THRESHOLD. THE METRICS OF MILEAGE WORK AND THE METRICS OF TIME WORK, BUT NEITHER WORK IF USED THE WRONG WAY. SHORT CUTS, RELIANCE ON DATA, THE ILLUSION OF INTENSITY, USING ONE TO AVOID THE OTHER – THESE THINGS UNDERMINE REAL ENDURANCE WHICH BOILS DOWN TO THE SINGLE CONCEPT OF MORE.
ANY METRIC THAT DELIVERS MORE TIME AND DISTANCE IS ALL THAT MATTERS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE METRICS OF EXPEDITIONS, AND IT IS ALARMING HOW LITTLE DEVICES AND ‘DATA’ HAVE TO DO WITH THIS. IF THEY FLOAT THE ILLUSION OF INSIGHT AND CONTROL AND THUS GET YOU DOING MORE VOLUME THEN GOOD, BUT IF THEY REPLACE YOUR OWN CAPACITY WITH QUASI-SCIENTIFIC FORMULAS, OVER-SIMPLIFIED AND UNRELATED DATA POINTS AND LOSS OF ANALOG AWARENESS THEN UNGOOD.
WE REGULARLY HAVE SCIENTISTS AND MEDICAL PEOPLE ON OUR TRIPS AND NONE OF THEM ENDOW MUCH CREEDENCE IN DEVICES OTHER THAN AS INSTRUMENTS TO RECORD – NEVER TO PROJECT – AND EVEN THEN ONLY AS ANECDOTAL. THE VARIABILITY IN DEVICES AND USE, THE COMMERCIAL ALGORITHMS, COLLATION AND PRESENTATION METHODS AND THE FIDELITY OF CALIBRATION ALL MAKE RECREATIONAL-GRADE DEVICES INDICATORS AT BEST (NOTICE THEY DON’T USE THEM IN HOSPITALS…), AND EVEN THEN REQUIRE A BODY OF SEVERAL HUNDRED VECTOR POINTS TO BUILD A FUNCTIONAL TREND BASE UPON. THE USER THEN NEEDS TO KNOW HOW TO EXTRAPOLATE THAT DATA WHICH MEANS A KNOWLEDGE OF MULTIPLE INTEGRATING PHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS, EACH COMPLEX AND CONTRAINDICATED, ALL SET UPON A BASELINE OF INITIALLY RECORDED INDIVIDUAL DATA THAT UNSURPRISINGLY FEW PEOPLE EVER BOTHERED TO RECORD.
A MORE USEFUL DEVICE IS A SET OF SCALES THAT LET YOU TRACK HYDRATION AND BODY COMPOSITION – THE REAL DETERMINING METRICS OF ENDURANCE. TRACKING THINGS LIKE FLUID UPTAKE OVER TIME AND CONDITIONS, KCAL REPLACEMENT AND WEIGHT FLUCTUATION IN RELATION TO TIME AND MILEAGE ARE INSIGHTS THAT RELATE MORE TO CLIMBING PERFORMANCE OVER THE WEEKS AND MONTHS OF EXPEDITIONS AND LET YOU PLAN THE MACRO STUFF THAT NO WATCH EVEN CONSIDERS.
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TIME ON YOUR LEGS
LEGS DESERVE ALL THE ATTENTION THEY CAN GET, AS THE PRIMARY DRINKER OF OXYGEN AND THE FIRST IN LINE FOR A BEATING. CONDITIONING THE LEGS FOR HOUR AFTER HOUR, OFTEN OF PRECISE AND DELICATE WORK, IS WHERE YOU WILL SEE THE BIGGEST EFFECT WHEN OUT THERE. OFTEN ‘FATIGUE’ IS IDENTIFIED WITH FATIGUE IN THE LEGS.
LEGS FORM 1/5 OF BODY MASS AND CONSUME MORE BLOOD AND OXYGEN PER UNIT THAN OTHER MUSCLES DURING ACTIVITY, SO TIME SPENT CONDITIONING THEM FOR ENDURANCE WITH ENDURANCE IS A PRIMARY FOCUS. YOU CAN PUSH DEMAND FOR OXYGEN AS HIGH AS YOU WANT WITH INTENSITY, BUT WITHOUT THE DELIVERY AND UPTAKE EFFICIENCY THAT COMES WITH VOLUME THE EQUATION IS AROUND THE WRONG WAY WAY.
FOR THE LEGS, WE THINK THE OPTIMAL METHOD IS THE ENVIRONMENT, AND OF ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS, UNSEALED TERRAIN WORKS THE BEST. WHEN A PRIME OBJECTIVE IS BEING ABLE TO WAKE UP AND DO IT ALL AGAIN TOMORROW, VARIED AND UNDULATING TERRAIN PRESENTS THE LOW IMPACT THAT MATCHES THE RESISTANCE THAT OPTIMIZES ENDURANCE, BUT IMPORTANTLY IT IS AVAILABLE YEAR ROUND AND REQUIRES NO SPECIAL EQUIPMENT. HILLS FURTHER ENHANCE ALL THIS, BEING PERHAPS THE BEST ALPINE CONDITIONING ENVIRONMENT THAT EXISTS, AND THOSE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE REGULAR ACCESS TO SUCH THINGS ARE WASTING TIME AND MONEY ON GYMS.
ARGUABLY THE FINEST LEG WORK, THAN COMBINES A LOT OF POSTERIOR TOO, IS SLED DRAGGING ON SOFT SAND, COMBINING CONTACT RESISTANCE, LOADING THE MUSCULATURE AND MINIMAL IMPACT THUS ALLOWING MULTI-HOUR SESSIONS. IN MANY WAYS SAND MIMICS SNOW AND WAYS OF DRAGGING CAN BE ALTERED AND COMBINED WITH CARRYING, AND DESCENTS HAVE VERY LITTLE OF THE IMPACT OF TRAILS AND ALLOW THE IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEGS FOR BIG DESCENTS.
WE SEE ZERO NEED TO PUT MONEY INTO FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS, MONEY BETTER SPENT ON ALL THE SHOES AND BATTERIES YOU WILL BURN THROUGH GETTING IN THE HOURS. GOOD SHOES ROTATED AND STRICTLY REPLACED WILL BRING MORE ENDURANCE FOR YOUR DOLLAR AND GO FURTHER TO PREVENTING INJURY, THAN ALL THE MEMBERSHIPS AND SUPPLEMENTS ADVERTISED IN BUS SHELTERS AND ON PACKETS.
BUILDING MUSCLE MASS BEYOND WHAT IS NEEDED FOR LOCOMOTION IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, AND NOWHERE MORE SO THAN THE ‘LEGZILLA’ MENTALITY THAT PUTS IT EXACTLY IN THE WORST PLACE. THE LEGS ALREADY CONSUME THE BULK OF OXYGEN DUE TO THEIR MASS, ARTERIAL VOLUME AND CONSTANT MOVEMENT, WHICH OF COURSE HAS ITS RECIPROCAL BYPRODUCT AND CO2 RETURN, MAKING THEM SOMETHING TO STREAMLINE AND REDUCE. FALLING FOR POP INDUSTRY TROPES THAT ADVOCATE PSEUDO-STRENGTH IS COMMON, AND WE HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS PREVAIL ACTUALLY OUT ON A MOUNTAIN. AS THIS RANTICLE RAMS HOME, THE TYPE THAT COVERS HIGH ALTITUDE TERRAIN MOST EFFICIENTLY IS STREAMLINED AND LEAN ALMOST TO THE POINT OF SCRAWNY, BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY SPIDERWEB-GRAPH A BETTER WEIGHT-TO-POWER RATIO WHICH IS ALL THAT MATTERS AFTER DAY THREE.
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TIME ON YOUR ARMS
ARMS ARE COMPLICATED TO CONDITION AS ENDURANCE MECHANISMS BECAUSE THEY ARE COMPLEX STRUCTURES THAT ROTATE IN ALL DIRECTIONS, HAVE DOZENS OF OXYGEN DRINKING TISSUE AND CAN BE EASILY INJURED. NORMAL TRAINING METHODS INCREASE TISSUE BULK, LIMIT MOBILITY AND WORK MOVEMENTS IRRELVANT TO ALPINISM, REDUCING THEIR OVERALL CONTRIBUTION TO ENDURANCE. CONDITIONED PROPERLY, THE ARMS TAKE ON MORE OF THE ENDURANCE DEMAND WHERE IT’S NEEDED MOST – MODERATE TO STEEP GROUND.
CLIMBING ITSELF IS NOT GREAT HERE BECAUSE IT IS TOO EASY FOR THE LEGS TO TAKE OVER, PLUS CLIMBING SESSIONS ARRANGED PURELY FOR UPPER CONDITIONING ARE HARDER TO ARRANGE THAN JUST GETTING ON WITH IT. CLIMBING TOO, WHILST GREAT FOR CLIMBING, IS NOT THAT RELEVANT FOR THE REST OF EXPEDITIONS, WHICH DEMAND ENDLESS LIFTING, PUSHING AND CARRYING RATHER THAN JUST HANGING AND PULLING. LUCKILY THERE IS A HUGE BODY OF INFORMATION ON THIS TO MINE. THINGS CLIMBERS CONSIDER FEATS OF STRENGTH, GYMNASTS CONSIDER ENTRY LEVEL OR EVEN NON-REGISTERING, WHILST THEIR REIGMES GIVE AN INSIGHT INTO JUST HOW MUCH VOLUME THE UPPER BODY CAN RISE TO.
ARM SESSIONS ARE EASY TO STRING TOGETHER INTO LONG SEQUENCES THAT SUSTAIN AN OXYGEN DEMAND ACROSS THE MANY MUSCLES INVOLVED. WITH REPS INTO THE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS ACROSS A SESSION, PRIMITIVE MOVEMENTS ARE INHERENTLY SCALEABLE, AND CAN BE METRICIZED USING THE SAME METHODS USED FOR STUFF ON YOUR LEGS.
+3hr SESSIONS JUST ON THE ARMS ARE UNLIKELY (THOUGH NOT IMPOSSIBLE), AND FEW CLIMBERS WOULD BE IN THE WINDOW TO REGULARLY DO THIS. WHEN OVERALL ENDURANCE IS THE OBJECTIVE, TIME TAKEN AWAY FROM CONTRIBUTING ELSEWHERE IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, INCLUDING THE GREATER RECOVERY NEEDED FOR THE ARMS TO AVOID INJURY. NEVERTHELESS, CONDITIONING THE ARMS AND UPPER BODY TO THEIR FULL SHARE OF THE RATIO OF MUSCLE MASS/OXYGEN DEMAND IS SMART, WITH ARMS HAVING ABOUT 25% THE MASS LEGS DO. CORRELATED WITH THE VASCULAR SYSTEM OF THE ARMS DELIVERING 50% LESS SATURATED BLOOD, ROUGHLY MEANS CONDITIONING THE ARMS FOR 2.75hrs OUT OF A WEEKLY 25 IS A BENCHMARK, BUT ONE THAT CLEARLY TAKES TIME TO ARRIVE AT.
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POSTERIOR CHAIN
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, POSTERIOR CONDITIONING WILL HAVE BIG EFFECTS ON YOUR ENDURANCE CAPACITY, AND EVERY ULTRA RUNNER AND CYCLIST WILL TELL YOU IT IS THIS COMPLEX THAT ULTIMATELY DETERMINES YOUR PHYSICAL CAPACITY TO GO FURTHER. THE PACKS AND TERRAIN OF EXPEDITION ALPINISM INSTANTLY TELL YOU THAT POSTURE AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY ARE CENTRAL TO CLIMBING REMOTE MOUNTAINS, DETERMINING HOW EFFICIENTLY YOU CAN GET YOURSELF AND ALL OF YOUR SHIT INTO PLACES NO HUMAN GOES. INDUSTRIAL CLIMBING HAS REPLACED ALL OF THIS WITH HELICOPTERS, THIRD WORLD LABOR AND REGULAR SUPPLY CHAINS, ACCOUNTING FOR THE SUBJECTS ABSENCE IN MOST METHODOLOGIES WHERE IT WON’T REALLY BE FELT.
‘CHAIN’ IS THE OPERATIVE WORD IN POSTERIOR CHAIN, AND THE POP FITNESS IDEA OF JUST THE LOWER BACK, GLUTES AND HAMSTRINGS HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE POSITIONING OF FLOOR-TO-CEILING MIRRORS THAN PERFORMANCE. REAL POSTERIOR CHAIN CONDITIONING STRENGTHENS, INTEGRATES, ENGAGES AND ENHANCES THE RANGE OF MOTION OF THE ENTIRE CONTINUUM OF TISSUE AND FASCIA FROM THE HEELS TO THE BASE OF THE SKULL
MUCH OF THIS IS MULTIPLE LAYERS OF FLAT TISSUE WOVEN IN AND OUT OF OTHER LAYERS, MUCH OF IT SUB-SURFACE, AND CONNECTING AT ALL SORTS OF ANGLES ACROSS 3 DIMENSIONS OF PLANE AND IN OUR CASE, THE DIMENSION OF TIME. 10 REPS ON A MAT PALE INTO IRRELEVANCE COMPARED TO THE THOUSANDS OF STEPS ACROSS THE GLACIERS, BOULDER FIELDS AND STEEP ICE OF AN EXPEDITION, WHERE GETTING BLOOD AND OXYGEN TO THIS MATRIX ACCOUNTS FOR
A RELATIVELY LARGE PERCENTAGE OF POSTERIOR CHAIN TISSUE IS SKELETAL MUSCLE, THAT HAS A HIGHLY VARIABLE BLOOD FLOW DEMAND THAT UNLESS CONDITIONED FOR ENDURANCE WON’T INHERENTLY CATER TO IT. LIKE CONDITIONING ANYTHING ELSE, YOU NEED TO DO THE THING THAT IS BEING TRAINED, SO CANNOT EXPECT YOUR ABILITY TO CARRY TO EVOLVE UNLESS YOU MAKE THE SPECIFIC EFFORT.
POSTERIOR INTEGRITY RELATES DIRECTLY TO RESPIRATION AS IT DETERMINES THE EXPANSION OF THE RIB CAGE, WHICH IS A CLEVER UPWARDS-AND-OUTWARDS MECHANISM THAT BELIES THE ELEGANCE OF EVOLUTION. POSTERIOR MOBILITY OF THE UNDERLYING MUSCLES IS WHAT ALLOWS THE RIBS TO ARTICULATE AT BOTH ENDS ON THE STERNUM AND SPINE, AND TRAPPING THE POSTERIOR JOINTS IN HARDENED TISSUE RESTRICTS THE MECHANICS OF BREATHING EVEN TO THE POINT OF COSTALCONDRITUS (INFLAMATION OF THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE OF THE RIBS AND STERNUM).
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THE PSYCHE
MOST ULTRA ATHLETES REALIZE THAT BEYOND ABOUT 3hrs MOST PHYSICAL BOXES ARE TICKED, WHICH IN THE WORLD OF EXPEDITIONS IS WHERE THINGS REALLY GET GOING AND NEW BOXES ARISE. THIS IS THE REALM OF THE PSYCHE – THE SCOPE, SCALE AND APPETITE OF THE MIND – AND THE PSYCHE WITH MORE HOURS FACING THE HORIZON OF ENDURANCE AND THE MANIFESTATIONS OF TIME, IS THE ONE THAT PREVAILS ON EXPEDITION.
THE PSYCHE WILL FAIL BEFORE THE BODY DOES, WITH MOST ENDURANCE-RELATED INJURIES BEING THE RESULT OF A FAILURE OF PATIENCE, OBSERVATION AND CHARACTER. WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE HARROWING DEPTHS OF SOLITUDE, FEAR, UNCERTAINTY, BOREDOM, DESPAIR AND THE STRUGGLE AGAINST NORMALITY BECAUSE WE ASSOCIATE THESE THINGS WITH ATTAINMENT, BUT LEAVE FUN TO THE KIDS, SAGES ON MOUNTAIN TOPS AND AMATEURS. AS WITH EVERYTHING, YOU ONLY IMPRINT AND ENHANCE WHAT YOU ACTUALLY DO, WITH ANNIHILATING ANY FUN SEEMINGLY THE SOLE OBJECTIVE OF MANY. SHORT AND SHARP EFFORTS PRODUCE SHORT AND SHARP PSYCHES, UNABLE TO CARRY A MINDSET THROUGH THE WEEKS OF REAL EXPEDITIONS. WHEN THE BODY IS VIEWED IN SMALL INCREMENTS THE LARGE INCREMENTS OF BIG MOUNTAINS IN DISTANT PLACES LOSE CONTEXT, AND THE PERSPECTIVE NEEDED FOR BIG OBJECTIVES IS REPLACED WITH EXCUSES, DIVERSIONS AND FANTASY.
WE THINK THAT’S BULLSHIT, AND WORSE, WE SEE IT CARRY OVER TO EXPEDITIONS, WHERE MONTHS OF DILIGENT TRAINING DELIVER UNTO US SOME CLIMBERS WHO FORGET THAT ALL THIS SHOULD BE FUN. REGULARLY WE SEE CLIMBERS OBSESSED WITH STATS, RATES, GRAMS, INGEDIENTS AND THE INSIDES OF THEIR OWN FUCKING HEADS, WHILST THE GREATEST CULTURES AND LANDSCAPES GO BY UNENGAGED. WE BLAME THIS ON CONDITIONING, CONSTRUCTING AN ATTITUDE OF POP-STOICISM AND SHALLOW SERIOUSNESS, THAT SOON FAILS WHEN CONFRONTED WITH ENORMITY OF EXPEDITION DEMANDS.
THE PSYCHE IS VERY MUCH TRAINABLE BUT INVOLVES THE PAIN OF NEW IDEAS, AND THE DISTRESS OF SEEING OLD WAYS NEEDING TO BE JETTISONED OR MOST PAINFUL, TO HAVE BEEN BULLSHIT AND YOU MAY HAVE GIVEN AWAY YOUR PERSPECTIVE WILLINGLY. THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE RESPONSE TO EXTREME ENDURANCE IS FUN, WONDER AND HUMOUR, AND LIKE FAT METABOLISM YOU ONLY MAKE THIS IN TRAINING. SPEND 25hrs A WEEK ENJOYING THE WEIRD HOURS, COLOURS AND SOUNDS, AND ABSURDITY OF DIFFICULTY AND YOU WILL FIND FUN IN THE MOST DESPERATE OF TIMES WHICH INCLUDES THE COSMIC JOKE OF MORTALITY. SPEND 25hrs A WEEK TORTURING MACHO BULLSHIT OUT OF A SCREAMING BODY AND YOU JUST BECOME A WANKER.
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REST & RECOVERY
THE NEED FOR REST IS INDICATED BY ALL THE USUAL ALARM BELLS SUCH AS ENERVATION, BUT THESE ARE REAPPRAISED AS THE NEED TO CORRECT BOTH THE TRAINING AS WELL AS THE RECOVERY PHASE. INSTEAD OF THE USUAL STRATEGY OF ENTIRES DAYS OFF, IN THIS PARADIGM RECOVERY TAKES PLACE IN THE 20 OR SO HOURS EACH DAY YOU ARE NOT TRAINING. RATHER THAN ACCUMULATE MORE ACUTE FATIGUE THEN PUT A DENT IN THE CURVE TO KEEP GOING, HERE THE CURVE IS ADJUSTED TO KEEP RISING AT A SLIGHTLY LOWER DEGREE, BUT THAT LANDS YOU WITH GREATER EFFECT AT THE CULMINATION OF THE CYCLE.
TAKE 1 DAY A WEEK TO REST AND THAT ACCUMULATES TO FOUR WEEKS WITHOUT CONDITIONING STIMULUS OVER A 6 MONTH CYCLE, OR PUT ANOTHER WAY – OVER A 6 MONTH CYCLE YOU MAKE AVAILABLE AN EXTRA MONTHS WORTH OF STIMULUS, WHICH AT AROUND 15% IS SIGNIFICANT CHUNK OF WHATEVER METRIC YOU CARE TO LOOK AT. BECAUSE YOU ARE COMPRESSING RECOVERY INTO SHORTER PERIODS YOU NEED TO GET THINGS RIGHT, WHICH MEANS A RECOVERY CONTINUUM. YOU CAN ONLY TRAIN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN RECOVER SO THE NORMAL CYCLE OF SPENDING AND REPLENISHING CAPACITY NEEDS TO CHANGE, TO A MORE CONSTANT MINDSET THAT EMBEDS TRAINING SESSIONS INTO A CONTINUUM OF RECOVERY.
EVENTUALLY NECESSARY REST DAYS PROBABLY WILL COME AROUND – IT TAKES TIME TO GET THE MACRO CYCLE RIGHT AND THE INTELLIGENCE IS IN MAKING SMART MISTAKES. WEATHER, OTHER STRESS, CHANGES TO EATING, CHANGES TO TIMING AT THIS LEVEL CAN BE ENOUGH TO ROCK THE SHIP, AND THE BEST WAY TO KEEP VOLUME MIGHT BE JUST TO TAKE A DAY OUT RATHER THAN CHIP AWAY WITH COMPROMISED SESSIONS.
TRAINING LIKE THIS CONDITIONS YOU TO RECOVER RAPIDLY SO A WHOLE DAY OFF HAS A BIG EFFECT, AND SHOULD BE GIVEN FULL ATTENTION TO AMPLIFY THE POTENTIAL. AS YOU NEED IT, INDULGE IT, AND KICK OUT THE JAMS, WITH EVERY RECOVERY MECHANISM AVAILABLE ESPECIALLY SLEEP, HYDRATION, DISTRACTION, QUALITY KCALS AND HEDONISM. DON’T VIEW IT AS A DAY OF DEPRAVITY AND ‘CHEATING’ AND MISS THE LESSON THAT HAS PRESENTED ITSELF – THAT YOU SHOULD BE INCORPORATING MORE OF WHATEVER RECOVERY METHODS WORK TO AVOID BEING BACK HERE AGAIN.
RECOVERY IS INTENTIONAL, NOT JUST ‘NOT DOING’, AND INCLUDES AVOIDING THINGS THAT WILL COMPROMISE WHAT YOU WILL DO TOMORROW. THIS WILL SHIFT AS YOU GET INTO THE HIGHER VOLUME WHERE YOUR BODY IS ON ITS FRONTIER OF ADAPTION, SUPERCEDING METHODS THAT WORKED PREVIOUSLY AS YOUR METABOLIC NEEDS EVOLVE.
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FOOD & HYDRATION
VAST AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT ENDURANCE NUTRITION SO WE WON’T REPEAT IT. IN OUR CONTEXT THE FIRST THING IS TO NOT FALL FOR MARKETING JUNK AND STUFF AIMED AT THE 10hr/WEEK CROWD. IF GOOD NUTRITION STILL ELUDES YOU OR YOU ARE BEDAZZLED BY THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY THEN IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP.
THE SECOND THING IS TO CONDITION FOR NUTRITION AT ALTITUDE, WHERE FAT METABOLIZES DIFFERENTLY. IT IS KNOWN THAT UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS FAT UPTAKE AND MOBILIZATION INCREASES WITH ENDURANCE TRAINING, SO IT IS REASONABLE TO THINK THAT DEVELOPED OXYGEN UPTAKE ALSO HELPS WITH THE DIGESTION OF FAT AT ALTITUDE WHERE IT IS KNOWN TO BE IMPAIRED.
THIRDLY, VIEW NUTRITION AS A CONTINUUM AND GET OUT OF THE SUPPLEMENT CYCLE, WHICH IS CLOSER TO AN ADDICTION THAN ACTUALLY FUELING THE BODY OF SUSTAINED EFFORT. CALLING THIS ADDICTION IS NOT A METAPHOR, IT IS AN INDUCED CHEMICAL LOOP, THAT WE SEE BLOOM AS A PROBLEM ALMOST EVERY TIME ON EXPEDITION. LIKE OPIOIDS, THIS REWARD CYCLE GOES SKEW WHEN THROWN INTO AN EXPEDITION ENVIRONMENT, AND A CLIMBER GOING THROUGH SUGAR WITHDRAWALS ON THE GLACIERS OF TIBET IS LIKE SOMETHING FROM A HUNTER S THOMPSON BOOK.
FOURTHLY, WHAT IS AMAZING IS YOUR METABOLISMS CAPACITY TO ADAPT AND NORMALIZE TO IMPRESSIVE ENERGY DEMANDS WITH A FAIRLY NORMAL DIET. GET YOUR NUTRITION WORKED OUT – IT’S NOT ROCKET SURGERY – AND ALL THE INCREASED EFFICIENCY FROM DOING THE TRAINING CAN BE SEEN IN AN UNREMARKABLE EATING CYCLE. WHERE ONCE 4500kcal DAYS WOULD DEMAND SERIOUS EATING TO ADDRESS, LONG PHASES OF 4500kcal DAYS IN A ROW BECOME NORMALIZED WHICH HAS A MAJOR TRANSFER OVER TO EXPEDITIONS.
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DOING IT
OBSERVATION TELLS US YOU NEED A MINIMUM OF 6 MONTHS ‘IN THE TUNNEL’, AND TO SUSTAIN THE PEAK LOAD PHASE FOR 6 WEEKS BEFORE STEPPING OFF ON THE PLANE. TAPERING DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THERE WILL BE AN ENFORCED BREAK FOR TRAVEL BEFORE USING WHAT YOU HAVE BUILT, WHICH WILL KICK IN AS YOU HIT ALTITUDE SOMEWHERE TOWARDS 5000m. ON OUR TRIPS WE HIT THIS RAPIDLY AND WITH LITTLE EFFORT, MEANING THE MONTHS OF CONDITIONING FLOW SEAMLESSLY INTO THE CLIMBING WITH AN ELEGANCE NOT KNOWN ELSEWHERE.
GIVE OR TAKE, 2000kms PER TRAINING CYCLE ON YOUR FEET CAN BE EXPECTED, AND THE LATER WEEKS OF SUCH VOLUME WILL FEEL ‘EXPEDITIONISH’ IN THEMSELVES, BECAUSE JUST LIKE ON EXPEDITION IT WILL BE A CYCLE OF EFFORT, EAT AND RECOVERY. WE ADMIT THIS IS A HARD TIMELINE TO FIT IN AROUND ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE ELEMENTS LIKE RACES AND SHORT TRIPS, BUT THEN MOST HIGH ALTITUDE EXPEDITIONS ARE VERY SINGLE-MINDED EVENTS. NEVER LOSE SIGHT THAT THIS IS ALL HYPER-SPECIFIC TO HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINISM WHICH IS THE DOMAIN OF ULTIMATE HUMAN ABILITY, AND WORTHY OF THE INVESTMENT IN FOCUS, ALL PERVASIVENESS AND INTENT.
SET YOURSELF UP WITH GOOD QUALITY GEAR FOR THE PURPOSE, AS TRYING TO WRING ENDURANCE PERFORMANCE OUT OF NORMAL SHOES, CLOTHES, HYDRATION SET UPS etc IS UNREALISTIC AND A COMMON SOURCE OF INJURY. OVER HUNDREDS OF HOURS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GEAR FIT FOR PURPOSE WILL BE CLEARLY FOUND AND THE COSTS WILL ADD UP – THERE IS A REASON REAL ULTRA GEAR COMES FROM OBSCURE NICHES IN THE MARKET. LONG HOURS WILL MEAN TRAINING IN THE DARK AT SOME POINT SO GET A DECENT HEADLAMP AND RETROREFLECTIVE GEAR, AND SET YOURSELF UP TO DRINK, EAT AND RECOVER CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT YOUR DOWN TIME.
REMEMBER ALWAYS THAT YOU ARE CONDITIONING YOUR BODY TO DELIVER, EXTRACT AND ABSORB OXYGEN, TO STREAMLINE DEMAND, AND TO DUMP METABOLITES AND CO2. ANYTHING THAT STRAYS FROM THIS INCLUDING TIME WASTED ELSEWHERE, YOU WILL WISH YOU HADN’T DONE, OUT AT THE SHARP END WHERE THINGS ARE A CACOPHONY OF COMPETING TINY PERCENTILES KICKING IN THE DOORS OF YOUR PSYCHE. SESSIONS THAT BUILD A HUGE SPIKE IN DEMAND THAT THEN TAKE SERIOUS RECOVERY TO GO AGAIN ARE THE ANTITHESIS OF HIGH ALTITUDE CONDITIONING, WHICH IS MADE UP OF COUNTLESS SMALL EFFORTS THAT ARE RECOVERED FROM RAPIDLY. OVER TIME ALL THESE MICRO-EFFORTS STRING TOGETHER INTO A FINELY OSCILLATING CONTINUUM, THAT LIKE THE CYCLIC BREATHING OF MILES DAVIS CAN KEEP THE MOVING FOR DAY AFTER DAY, WEEK AFTER WEEK.
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IN THE END, YOU DO IT OR YOU DON’T, BUT THE FUTURE OF ALPINISM LAYS ONLY WITH THOSE WHO GO BEYOND THE NORMS OF TODAY. WHILST NOTHING POSTULATED HERE IS ANYTHING NEW, IT’S COMBINATION WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN EQUIPMENT, NEW IDEAS ABOUT OBJECTIVES AND NEW ACCESS TO NEW PLACES TO CLIMB MEANS THAT THE SUM OF THE PARTS IS SOMETHING NO ONE QUITE KNOWS THE POTENTIAL OF. WE THINK ALPINISM CAN ENTER ITS FINEST PHASE, IN THE REMAINING 8000m WILDERNESSES WHERE THE LAST OPPORTUNITIES FOR ROUTES ON BARELY KNOWN FACES CAN BE DONE IN TRUE ALPINE STYLE. THIS WON’T BE DONE BY NORMAL CLIMBERS WHO ARE THE PRODUCTS OF NORMAL CLIMBING, BUT BY THOSE WHO RETHINK AND RETOOL THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF ALPINISM. THIS WILL TAKE TAKE WILL, AT EVERY LEVEL FROM THE MICRO TO THE MACRO, FORMING THAT WORD AGAIN – A CONTINUUM – THAT BRINGS ALL OF ALPINISM TOGETHER.
EXPEDITIONS ARE PLANNED AROUND THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, SO BETTER CONDITIONED AND QUANTIFIED CLIMBERS CAN BE MATCHED TO THE BETTER DEVELOPED AND QUANTIFIED LOGISTICS AND EQUIPMENT THEN AIMED AT OBJECTIVES IMPOSSIBLE OTHERWISE. THE REALITY IS THAT THE FINEST HIGH ALTITUDE OBJECTIVES REMAIN UNTOUCHED BECAUSE THE PIECES DON’T EXIST TO REALIZE THEM, THE HUMAN DEMANDS TOO HIGH AND THE PROCESS TOO COMPLEX TO BE ANSWERED JUST WITH HARDWARE. WE REGULARLY OBSERVE 8000m OBJECTIVES THE CLIMBING COMMUNITY DOES NOT EVEN KNOW TO DESCRIBE, BLINDSPOTS IN ALPINISM MASS CONSCIOUSNESS ON THE FRACTAL EDGE OF POSSIBILITY, GRADUALLY UNDERGOING “THE FORMALITY OF ACTUALLY OCCURING”.
THE CLEAR PROGRESSION OF ALPINISM IS ALWAYS TOWARDS THE HIGHER, THE COLDER, THE MORE SELF-SUSTAINED AND THE MORE REMOTE, BUT MECHANICAL AND LOGISTICAL ADVANCES TEND TO OUTRUN THE ORGANIC ONES OF HUMAN PROGRESS, WITH A LAG UNTIL THE RIGHT HUMANS STEP UP TO THE RESOURCES WAITING FOR THEM. WE CAN’T EXPECT CLIMBING TO EVOLVE ON A DIET OF THE SAME OLD OBJECTIVES ONLY DONE IN NOVELTY WAYS AND INCREMENTS OF OPINION, BECAUSE THOUGH THE MONKEY MIND MAY BE WILLING THE MONKEY FLESH REMAINS WEAK.
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