A lot of my readers at Adventure Travel Tips love to climb mountains. Several of us have climbed Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world, while many others are climbing numerous peaks in different parts of the world. However, Everest remains a dream for most of us. As an Everest climber myself I can give you some great advice on climbing the peak. So if you are planning a trip to Nepal, here are a few things that I want you to know.
Climb smaller peaks first
While the number of climbers has increased exponentially, you must not try to climb Everest in your first try. For starters, the peak is at 29,035 ft or 8,850 meters above sea level. The weather, low oxygen conditions are suitable for newbie climbers. Therefore, you must ensure that you have climbed peaks over 20,000 ft. previously. Doing this prepares you for difficult conditions. You know how to handle cold temperatures, low oxygen, and more. You should know how to use ascenders, jumars and other tools and must have exceptional ice-climbing skills.
Fitness is crucial
Just because you can walk for 5 miles without breaking a sweat, doesn’t mean that you can climb Everest. Always try to start small. You might, for example, try increasing your physical health by participating in a pigeon forge adventure, which includes a variety of physical activities that will benefit you in the long run. Several newbie climbers ask me at Adventure Travel Tips if they could ascend Everest in the next year. If you are not serious about your health and wellbeing, try it.
You have to be at peak physical health, and your cardiovascular fitness has to be top-notch. Apart from this, you should have built significant endurance for carrying 50-60 lbs. of weight at least 4,000 ft – elevation on successive days. Your body needs to be slowly conditioned to withstand extreme temperatures and climate. Note that our bodies start losing muscle mass as we move towards higher altitudes. Therefore, staying in peak physical health where your muscles at working at maximum capacity are essential.
Train well
Your training schedule is of crucial importance in this condition. You should start with climbing conditioning first, which includes stair climbing, walking and uphill hiking with a pack. You also need to build up more strength in your core and lower body to resist the extreme physical fitness demanded by Nepalese conditions.
Cardiovascular health is also important here. A weak heart will not allow you to sustain for too long, even if you are 3,000 ft above sea level. If you have to climb almost 10x that height, you should do aerobic and anaerobic workouts. Make sure that you do some of these exercises with pack weights so your muscles don’t get shocked when climbing. Flexibility training is also important in this case.
In most cases, you need significant climbing experience and peak physical health to climb Everest. At least one year of training is essential for you to climb the tallest peak in the world. I always advise my readers at Adventure Travel Tips to be mindful of the conditions they will face and make sure that they are fully prepared for consequences. Several people have had to come back from base camp because they were ill-prepared for the conditions at the mountain. So be safe!
