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Outside Magazine June 2003

Fitness, Health, and Nutrition for the Outside Athlete
Chalk It Up
Experience is the key to mountaineering prowess, but high-altitude fitness makes all the difference on summit day

By Clyde Soles

Intro | Up Against the Wall | Elevation Gains | Grow Stronger, Go Longer | The Iron Mountain


	Altitude check: you need a plan for peak performance. (John Clark)

RAINGEAR? CHECK. Topo map? Already highlighted. A Dagwood-style summit sandwich? Made it last night. Experience on high peaks and big walls? Plenty. If this sounds like your comprehensive pre-climb checklist, guess what... You've left out the most important element. "Any climber's number-one priority should be fitness," says mountaineer Dr. Frank Hubbell, executive director of Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities, or SOLO, a New Hampshire-based wilderness-emergency medical school.

A super-tuned body is the vital common denominator that can be achieved by both beginners roping up for the first time and rock rats speed-climbing El Capitan. And if you think spending the summer scrambling around Yosemite's Camp 4 will cut it, you're wrong: Time on the rocks is just one component of a three-part equation for getting in summit-worthy shape. The other two? Cardiovascular stamina, for all-day staying power, and weight lifting, for injury prevention and power. What follows is a plan that integrates all three—technical skills, endurance, and strength—in order to deliver you to base camp in top form.

Before you begin, however, you've got to match your regimen to the mountain. The granite tower of Washington State's Liberty Bell and the glaciated volcano of Mount Rainier present very different physiological challenges—and require that you assess your weaknesses in very different ways. If you can run a marathon but can't eke out a pull-up, scale back the mileage and start strengthening your upper body. Conversely, if you can crank through a powerful crux move but a five-mile approach leaves you winded, swap the climbing shoes for some trail runners. You'll need serious aerobic conditioning before you can tackle the likes of Rainier.

Once you're familiar with the physical demands of your objective, follow our path for at least four months leading up to your climb. By the time you head to the mountains, the weather—not your conditioning—will be your primary concern.

Next Page: Up Against the Wall

Intro | Up Against the Wall | Elevation Gains | Grow Stronger, Go Longer | The Iron Mountain

CLYDE SOLES is the author of Climbing: Training for Peak Performance (Mountaineers Books, 2002).