THINKING YOU WILL DO WELL ON AN 8000m PEAK CLIMBED ALPINE STYLE BASED OFF A SHORT-TERM PROGRAM IS UNREALISTIC. SERIOUS ASCENTS ARE NOT A SCENE FROM A MOVIE WHERE YOU CAN PULL YOURSELF INTO CONDITION IN SOME EXOTIC LOCATION BY USING SOME SECRET ‘HACKS’ AND SHEER TENACITY. THERE ARE SOME GOOD PROGRAMS OUT THERE, SCHEDULING UP TO 6 MONTHS OF YOUR TIME TO GET YOU IN CONDITION FOR A BIG TRIP, BUT THEY CAN’T COVER EVERYTHING. CLIMBING WELL ON SOMETHING LIKE THE NORTH RIDGE OF K2 TAKES MORE THAN A PROGRAM CAN DELIVER, AND WHILST A DEDICATED PROGRAM CERTAINLY HELPS, IT’S YOUR GENERAL LIFESTYLE THAT WILL HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT.
SOME PEOPLE APPEAR AS ‘JUST CLIMBERS’ BECAUSE THEIR GENERAL LIFESTYLE RESULTS IN THE SORT OF BUILD AND METABOLISM THAT FUNCTIONS WELL ON BIG ASCENTS. THESE TYPES EXISTED WELL BEFORE THE LAST DECADES FLOWERING OF DEDICATED PROGRAMS, THOUGH THOSE DEDICATED PROGRAMS CERTAINLY HELP TO HONE CONDITION AND LINE THINGS UP BECAUSE THEY ARE STACKED ON TOP OF EXISTING CONDITION, NOT REPLACING IT.
BIG ASCENTS RELY ON MORE THAN ATHLETIC CAPACITY OF COURSE. ONCE YOU’VE REACHED THE LEVEL OF NECESSARY FITNESS, WHAT KEEPS YOU CLIMBING IS YOUR CAPACITY TO RECOVER, YOU ABILITY TO EAT, YOUR CAPACITY TO RETAIN CONDITION, YOUR ABILITY TO JUST ACTUALLY CLIMB AND YOUR CAPACITY TO ACCEPT DISCOMFORT – NONE OF WHICH A SHORT-TERM PROGRAM SIGNIFICANTLY ADDRESSES, ALL OF WHICH IS A RESULT OF HOW YOU LIVE.
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EFFORT APPLIED TO ANY PROGRAM WITH A BASE LIFESTYLE APPROPRIATE TO BIG ASCENTS WILL HAVE FAR BIGGER RESULTS THAN JUMPING INTO ANY PROGRAM
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SO WHAT DOES AN ‘8000m LIFESTYLE’ LOOK LIKE?
CLIMBING AT ALTITUDE IS ALL ABOUT EFFICIENCY AND THAT TAKES CONSISTENT TIME TO BUILD – LOTS OF IT. EFFICIENCY IS A BANDWIDTH OF CAPACITY TO TAKE IN AND UTILIZE OXYGEN AND THE WIDER THAT BANDWIDTH THE MORE EFFICIENT. PUSHING THE TOP OF YOUR CONDITION – PEAK OXYGEN DEMAND – UPWARDS REQUIRES ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF YOUR TIME, APPLIED WELL RESTED SO AS TO HIT THE HIGH NOTES. THE BASE OF YOUR EFFICIENCY THOUGH TAKES MUCH MORE. LOOKING AT HOW ULTRARUNNERS DO THINGS (A PURSUIT THAT IS 95% PURE ENDURANCE ABILITY), AND VOLUME SPENT AT CONSISTENT PACE IS THE LARGEST PREDICTOR OF PERFORMANCE. BEFORE SPECIFICITY COMES INTO, SIMPLE VOLUME IS WHAT MATTERS BECAUSE WITH IT ALL ELSE BECOMES DETAIL.
TO THE ALPINIST THIS HAS 3 ELEMENTS; BASELINE EFFICIENCY, BASELINE DURABILITY & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT.
