THE CONVENIENT ANSWER IS ‘AS FIT AS POSSIBLE’, WHICH MEANS SOMETHING BUT NOT REALLY ENOUGH. METRICS LIKE HEART RATES AND BEEP TESTS AND MARATHON TIMES GIVE HINTS, BUT BECAUSE K2 IS MEASURED IN RESILIENCE RATHER THAN FITNESS THERE ARE BETTER MEASURES.
AS A BASE LEVEL OF FITNESS YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB ABOUT 500m OF MEDIUM LEVEL ALPINE TERRAIN WITH A 15kg PACK ON PER DAY. OF COURSE NO ACTUAL DAY ON THE NORTH RIDGE WILL BE THAT, BUT IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO WORK OFF. IF YOU’RE NOT THERE YET AT 3000m YOU HAVE PROGRESS TO MAKE. IF YOU ARE WELL BEYOND THAT ALREADY, THEN LEARN TO DO IT BETTER. THAT ARBITARY METRIC IS WELL WITHIN THE REACH OF MOST MOTIVATED CLIMBERS WHO SPEND THE MAJORITY OF THEIR WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS IN THE MOUNTAINS. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A FANATIC, BUT YOU DO NEED TO BE FOCUSED. MOST PEOPLE GOING IN TO A TRIP LIKE THIS MAKE IT THEIR FOCUS FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS BEFORE.
‘MOUNTAIN FIT’ IS WHAT MATTERS MOST, BUT THAT IS USUALLY SUPPLEMENTED WITH GENERAL CONDITIONING, ENDURANCE RUNS & LOAD CARRYING. THE LESS MOUNTAIN-TIME YOU GET, THE MORE YOU NEED TO MAKE UP FOR IT WITH VIRTUAL STUFF.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO BE TOO ATHLETIC, AND WE’VE SEEN SEVERAL HIGH LEVEL COMPETITIVE ATHLETES WHO STRUGGLE DUE TO BEING TOO SPECIALIZED IN TOO NARROW A FIELD. YOU WILL WANT A HEALTHY AMOUNT OF BODY FAT, UPPER STRENGTH & AND GENERAL DURABILITY THAT FINE-TUNED ATHLETES CAN SOMETIMES LACK. IN FACT SEVERAL TIMES WE’VE SEEN THOSE WITH VIGOROUS JOBS OUT-PERFORM METRICALLY IMPRESSIVE ATHLETIC TYPES, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BETTER DAY-TO-DAY DURABILITY.
ANY GOOD PROGRAM PUT TOGETHER BY ALPINISTS FOR ALPINISTS WILL HAVE PERIODIC TESTS TO JUDGE PROGRESS. IF YOU DON’T GO FOR THIS STUFF THEN LOGGING YOUR TIME YOMPING A PACK UP A STEEP TRAIL AND TOP ROPING A FEW HUNDRED METERS OF EASY ROCK WILL DO. MANY CLIMBERS HAVE A FAVOURITE ALPINE ROUTE THEY REPEAT REGULARLY TO USE AS AN INDICATOR OF THEIR FITNESS STATUS. WHAT MATTERS HERE IS THAT YOUR BODY IS ATTUNED TO PROGRESSING. RUNNING A SINGLE MARATHON IN DECENT TIME ISN’T USEFUL, BUT RUNNING THE MARATHON DISTANCE AT A SUSTAINABLE PACE ONCE EVERY FEW WEEKS IS. SUCCESS ON K2 IS MADE UP OF SINGLE FITNESS STUNTS, IT’S THE CULMINATION OF SUSTAINED EFFORT OVER TIME.
