CLIMBING BY NUMBERS: POINT SYSTEM FOR PREPARING FOR K2 NORTH SIDE

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ATTEMPTING THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2 IS A BIGGER DEAL THAN THE MAJORITY OF OTHER 8000m OBJECTIVES. NOT HAVING THE HUGE COMMERCIAL PROCESS TO ACCESS AND ASCEND THE ROUTE MEANS PREPARATION NEEDS TO COVER A LOT MORE THAN JUST THE BASE FITNESS TO HANDLE THE WELL PREPARED ROUTE. AS ‘AN ALPINISTS ROUTE’ THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2 NEEDS AN ALPINISTS PREPARATION WHICH INCLUDES CONSISTENT DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL SKILL AND PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS PHYSICAL CONDITIONING.

COMMERCIAL 8000m TRIPS ARE WELL COVERED WITH THE SORT OF TRAINING PROGRAMS FOUND IN PLACES LIKE UPHILL ATHLETE, AND FORM THE BULK OF THE CONDITIONING REQUIRED, BUT THEIR 3-6 MONTH PROGRAMS DON’T GO INTO THE SORT OF LARGE SCALE PREPARATION THAT ‘SHIPTON-SIZED’ TRIPS REQUIRE, USUALLY BEING PREPARED FOR OVER SEVERAL YEARS.

BACK IN THE DAY, TEAMS FROM THE SOVIET UNION AND EASTERN BLOC – WHERE MOUNTAINEERING WAS A NATIONALIST MATTER AND TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY AT GOVERNMENT LEVEL – STATE-PICKED ALPINISTS HAD PROGRAMS WHEREBY A POINT SYSTEM WAS USED TO ACCUMULATE EXPERIENCE THAT RANKED THEM FOR THE TEAMS THAT WENT OFF AROUND THE WORLD. THIS IS ALSO A SYSTEM STILL USED BY ULTRAMARATHON RUNNERS NOW, THE ITRA SYSTEM, TO SELF-SELECT THOSE WHO ARE PREPARED WITH SUFFICIENT VOLUME AND TYPE OF EXPERIENCE FOR CERTAIN OBJECTIVES.

BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN ASKED, WE PUT TOGETHER A POINT SYSTEM FOR K2’S NORTH RIDGE. POINTS ARE GIVEN FOR A TYPE OF TRAINING TRIP, WITH HIGHER VALUES FOR THINGS THAT MATTER MORE ON THE ROUTE LIKE NIGHTS SPENT, SEASON & TECHNICALITY. IN FITTING WITH THE TIMELINES WE SEE, POINTS LOSE VALUE THE LONGER AGO THEY WERE ACCRUED.

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K2 NORTH RIDGE PREPARATION POINT SYSTEM

SUMMER CLIMBING DAY 1pt

WINTER CLIMBING DAY 2pt

SUMMER ALPINE* NIGHT 1pt

WINTER ALPINE NIGHT 2pt

TECHNICAL CLIMBING** DAY +1pt

EVERY CLIMBING DAY 1000m INCREMENT ABOVE 3000m +1pt

EVERY ALPINE NIGHT, 1000m INCREMENT ABOVE 3000m +1pt

EVERY TECHNICAL CLIMBING DAY, 1000m INCREMENT ABOVE 3000m +1pt

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OTHER NON-CLIMBING, HUMAN/WIND-POWERED TRIPS***, DAY +1pt

>10hr VOLUME TRAINING WEEK +1pt

ALL POINTS ACCRUED >2 YEARS PRIOR -50%

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*ALPINE NIGHT IS DESCRIBED AS BEING IN A SELF-CARRIED TENT OR OPEN BIVY, ON ROUTE OR CLIMBING THROUGH THE NIGHT

** TECHNICAL CLIMBING IS DESCRIBED AS USING 2 TOOLS, BELAYED, PLACING OWN GEAR

***RELEVANT ACTIVITIES ie KAYAKING, TREKKING, CANYONING, PARAGLIDING, BC SKIING, SAILING etc

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THIS SYSTEM TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T LIVE ON EXPEDITION, INSTEAD THEY ACCUMULATE THEIR EXPERIENCE AND CONDITIONING OVER YEARLY CYCLES THAT INCLUDE AN ANNUAL TRIP TO HIGH ALTITUDE, A FEW SHORT TRIPS TO LARGE PEAKS, MULTIPLE WEEKENDS DOING OVERNIGHTS, DAY TRIPS AND REGULAR SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. ALSO THAT PEOPLE HAVE LIVES THAT ARE ABOUT MORE THAN JUST CLIMBING – THOUGH FOR AN OBJECTIVE LIKE THE NORTH RIDGE, IT DESERVES PRIORITY.

BIG TRIPS TO THINGS LIKE COMMERCIAL 8000m PEAKS SCORE THE SAME AS TRIPS TO LOWER PEAKS THAT HAVE MORE TECHNICAL CLIMBING AND POTENTIALLY MORE CLIMBING DAYS PER TRIP. IN THIS CASE ‘TECHNICAL’ MEANS CLIMBING THAT REQUIRES 2 TOOLS, BELAYED, WITH PROTECTED BELAY STANCES AND PLACING PROTECTION.

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THIS SYSTEM AND SYSTEMS LIKE IT VALUE MOST ‘QUALITY VOLUME’ NOT JUST VOLUME ALONE, NOR SPORADIC OCCASIONAL BIG EFFORTS THAT BASE SOLELY ON EXTREME ALTITUDE AND THEREFORE HAVE A LOT OF NON-CLIMBING DAYS. DAYS SPENT HANGING AROUND CAMPS OR IN LODGES DON’T COUNT, AND ‘ALPINE’ NIGHTS ARE GIVEN A HIGH VALUE AS THEY IMPLY CARRYING & USING RELEVANT GEAR INTEGRAL TO HIGH ALTITUDE EXPEDITIONS.

WITH THIS KIND OF METHOD OF TRAINING CAN BE VIEWED OVER MACRO CYCLES THAT LET YOU PLAN AROUND HIGH VALUE TRIPS; WHEN THE GOAL IS A COMPLEX 8000m ROUTE TIME IS BETTER INVESTED IN THE VOLUME OF HIGH ALPINE MULTI-DAY BLOCKS THAN IN ANYTHING ELSE, WITH NIGHTS BEING AT THE CORE OF THAT FOR HOW THEY BRING TOGETHER A BIG OVERLAP OF SKILLS. LIKEWISE ROOM IS MADE FOR OTHER TYPES OF SPORTS WITH SIMILAR PERSPECTIVES THAT THOUGH THEY MAY NOT SHARE MUCH TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTE TO A GENERAL ‘EXPEDITION HEADSPACE’ AND VALUABLE BRING IN CROSS-SKILLS FROM OTHER ENVIRONMENTS AND RESOURCES.

THE END GAME HERE IS TO DEVELOP A CLIMBER WITH DEPTH TO THEIR ABILITY, NEITHER TOO SHALLOW NOR TOO OVER-SPECIALIZED, WHO CAN TAKE ON THE BREADTH OF SCOPE OF A COMPLEX EXPEDITION. ULTIMATELY, CONSECUTIVE DAYS ON TECHNICAL TERRAIN MATTER MOST, THOUGH TIME AT HIGH ALTITUDE IS ALWAYS LIMITED BY AVAILABILITY, SUSTAINABILITY & IMPACT ON OTHER ASPECTS OF CLIMBING, HENCE A 6 WEEK EVEREST TRIP DOESN’T HAVE THE SAME VALUE AS SEVERAL SHORTER TRIPS TO LOWER PEAKS THAT ADD UP TO MORE DAYS ACTUALLY CLIMBING.

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DETAILS OF ROUTINE WEEKLY TRAINING CAN BE BETTER FOUND HERE AND HERE AND HERE, AND SUFFICE TO SAY THAT 10hrs A WEEK OF ENDURANCE AND CLIMBING-SPECIFIC STRENGTH TRAINING DONE AS ORGANICALLY (ie NOT USING MACHINES AND CONTRIVED SCHEDULES) AS POSSIBLE PREPARES THE BODY BETTER THAN OVERLY-COMPLICATED NUMBERS-BASED PROGRAMS. “COVER GROUND, LOAD THE BODY IN EVERY DIRECTION, FORTIFY THE THE PARTS THAT TAKE THE LOADS, BE CONSISTENT” IS ABOUT AS COMPLICATED AS IT NEEDS TO GET BECAUSE IN THE END ACCUMULATED VOLUME GETS RESULTS WHEREAS LOOKING SLEEK DOESN’T.