One of our blog followers asked about the skill and fitness required to climb Adams. Bellow you will find my response and some links you may want to visit for further information.
First: Although Mt. Adams qualifies as mountaineering, climbing Adams does not require the same technical training and expertise as expected on Mt. Rainier. On Mt. Adams, we will not wear uncomfortable and awful looking harnesses, be roped up to each other (although a great metaphor for our course), wear constricting helmets, climb technical areas, or potentially rescue someone from a crevasse. So far so good huh? On the other hand, Mt. Adams will still require the skill of self arrest and traversing snow fields with crampons. So the simple answer is, no major moutaineering experience required - we will learn and practice how to walk with crampons and we will have some fun practicing self arrest during our full day at base camp. Additionally, Mt. Adams does not present the same dangers as Rainier, as far as avalanches, rock fall, and crevasses.
Second: Although Adams stands at 12,276 versus Rainier's height of 14,411 it still packs a punch, especially given that some sections are steeper and lend to quicker altitude gain. You're probably thinking - "That's wonderful, I'll be done quicker" - well, the downside is
AMS - acute mountain sickness (click link).
AMS, among a few other muscle ailments, will be your biggest annoyance, to say the least. You will feel out of breath, dizzy, nauseous, symptoms leading to or accompanied by headaches. To make matters worse, Mt. Adams gives off a lovely smell of sulfur towards the summit – a former sulfur mine – but the smell will surprinsingly not remind you of eggs Benedict at a five star resort.
Training is unavoidable and an important consideration for any daily hike, let alone one that takes you to great altitude. I am hesitant to post the training regime and/or expectations, but it is a reality we cannot avoid. Given the requirements of the course, I anticipate that most students who enroll in the course already live an active lifestyle during a typical week – it is not a requirement to enroll in the course but simply an assumption of what may attract you to a course on hardiness. On that note, we will have about 2.5 months of training to focus on specific cardio and anaerobic exercises that will prepare or elevate your fitness for climbing to base camp with a pack of 50+lbs and then to the summit, with lesser weight. Please listen to the
Podcasts from RMI and consider their fitness philosophy. Also, visit
Ed Viesturs' website and learn about his training philosophy and why he continues to be a premier icon in mountaineering.
Now, after this slight intimidation, please return to a realistic and feasible training philosophy recognizing that these climbers train for 8,000+ meter peaks. My strong recommendation and expectation would be that you run at least three times a week for 60 minute intervals. Additionally, you are actively involved with exercises to strengthen your core muscles, arms, and shoulders. I typically stay away from heavy weightlifting given that we don’t need to pack on the muscl weight, let alone hoist more weight up the mountain. Although some may see this as strange, I fill my pack to about 40lbs and hit the stair master at the gym for one hour while watching my favorite episodes of “Man vs. Wild” – yes, I do get some funny looks if you were wondering. It is important that you develop the muscles that will help you balance your pack, footing, and contribute to muscle memory. Realistically, training will not prepare you much unless you make other lifestyle choices about what you eat and drink, as well as learning to what your body responds to in various scenarios. We will work with these choices throughout the class, but be prepared that your accountability group will ask you and me “Hey Adrian, did you really need to inhale half of that pizza the other day?” “Why did you skip breakfast that morning?” “Wow, you’re hitting the coffee quite heavily in the afternoon, what’s going on man?”….you get the point. Your body will only perform depending on your fuel.
Additionally, remember that our course will also focus on the mind and spirit - two key variable that greatly contribute to endurance, safety and success on the mountain.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, although the summit is in sight for any climber,
Getting to the summit is optional, but getting down is mandatory. - Ed Viesturs - I can't stress this enough for climbing and especially our course. We will not risk a fingernail for the summit and our guides will make sure that we all follow this ethos. Additionally, some of us may have to call it a day at base camp, or the guides will call it a day for you if you are struggling.
Well – I hope this energizes and motivates you towards that "leap of faith". We will have a blast – I hope to see you there!
