Having done some other very high altitude peaks but not Everest I will say need a different kind of fitness than running but having a solid running base gives you a big leg up. Running will give you some mental strength to keep going when at the limit.
More important is Genetic luck on how well your body handles / adapts to high altitude, and your ability to sleep at high altitude matter more than fitness. There is very little you can do if your genetics don’t allow you to deal with altitude. I’ve seen people with very average running fitness dominate hardcore runners / athletes if the former is gifted at altitude and the latter isn’t.
I know someone who prepared by doing one hour of Stairmaster a day for a year, lost 25 lbs in the process. She was still a bit on the larger side (also very tall), but for enough to do it.
Having done some other very high altitude peaks but not Everest I will say need a different kind of fitness than running but having a solid running base gives you a big leg up. Running will give you some mental strength to keep going when at the limit.
More important is Genetic luck on how well your body handles / adapts to high altitude, and your ability to sleep at high altitude matter more than fitness. There is very little you can do if your genetics don’t allow you to deal with altitude. I’ve seen people with very average running fitness dominate hardcore runners / athletes if the former is gifted at altitude and the latter isn’t.
Very well stated. How your body adapts to >18k is essential. Fitness obviously helps, but really has nothing to do with how your body is going to react to the higher altitudes. I climb with a guy that is a 2:15 marathoner and absolutely destroys anything from 14-16k. Anything higher, and his body just craters. I’m talking like o2 sats in the 50’s.
Having done some other very high altitude peaks but not Everest I will say need a different kind of fitness than running but having a solid running base gives you a big leg up. Running will give you some mental strength to keep going when at the limit.
More important is Genetic luck on how well your body handles / adapts to high altitude, and your ability to sleep at high altitude matter more than fitness. There is very little you can do if your genetics don’t allow you to deal with altitude. I’ve seen people with very average running fitness dominate hardcore runners / athletes if the former is gifted at altitude and the latter isn’t.
Why do people pay to do it. Is there like a turnstyle and security guard? I read about people who climb it without a permit, dont understand why more people dont do that given the huge cost.
Why do people pay to do it. Is there like a turnstyle and security guard? I read about people who climb it without a permit, dont understand why more people dont do that given the huge cost.
On the North side it is hard to get up without a permit, because of a long remote appriach and it being in China.
Nepal side may be easier because you can register as a trekker and trekkers can trek to base camp.
But once at base camp, a non-permit lone climber would stand out, and an organized group of unpermitted would too because the expeditions need to work together setting up the route up the mountain and coordinating climb windows to reduce traffic.
Well an 80yr old just climbed Everest a few days ago. Not saying there aren’t some super fit 80yr olds around but it definitely gives it a bit of perspective.
Not that fit. Jesus. It's a white men midlife panic caravan.
kind of a different take here, as i assumed this as well. when i turned 40, i had just sold my business and had a 2 year noncompete. so, what did i do? i needed a carrot on a stick and a goal to pursue. i decided to climb everest. i found a reputable climbing company (alpenglow), and in order to do everest, i was required to have done another 8000m peak prior to everest under my belt, so signed on for cho oyu. this is technically the "easiest" 8ooom peak and a great way to see how your body will adapt to the altitude. a bit of background: i had run 2:34 for a marathon 2 years previous, and kept myself somewhat fit in the gym, (i was a 29:31 10k guy in college.) cho oyu was done with very few crowds, and a bit easier because the weather there is a bit more predictable, and certainly less harsh. in addition, there are only 3 camps above advanced base camp, which makes it less logistically difficult- ie less gear to haul up and down the mountain.
long story longer, i then trained for the next year- running when i felt like it, but really doing quite a bit of hiking with a heavy pack (see training for the new alpinism by scott house). as cho oyu had gone fairly well for me (though 2 of the 5 clients had dropped during the climb- one from HACE and another from from frostbite).
well, my original plans to go with alpenglow fell through because of permits (only chinese expeditions were allowed during this period), and was pretty bummed as they summit from the north side. that side is much less crowded, and the abc is much higher (17k), which gets you a bit higher up on the mountain. so, south side it was. after almost 2 1/2 months, multiple rotations up and down the mountain, reroutes because of icefall, emergent rescue of 2 westerners and 2 sherpas, dodging bodies frozen to the mountain, and a few days separately of nasty altitude cough and stomach bugs, i made it to the top. our group started with 8 clients, 12 sherpas, 3 western guides, and 1 manager for logistics/radio/etc. by the end in may, only myself and one other client were left for a shot at the top. on the final push, he ended up turning around at camp 3, as we had gotten stuck in a storm on a previous rotation and he had gotten somewhat serious frostbite that he hadn't told anyone about. everyone else on our team gave out for a different reason- mostly mental fatigue and one guy from poland fell and broke his arm. 2 of the sherpas had been involved in a random serac accident, 4 other sherpas had gotten the same stomach bug i had and were too dehydrated, and one of the western guides got fired for not going up to help the polish guy that fell.
my point of this long diatribe of memories is that it's much more than a quick walk up. it takes 8-10 weeks of commitment. you will be colder than you've ever been, and will likely get sick at least once. the comment in the thread about sleeping at high altitude is also pretty poignant. if you can't sleep, you can't recover. you literally don't want to eat anything. I weighed 157 when i left for nepal, and was 131 when i weighed myself back home. the majority of the people (clients) either quit or drop on their own. sure, it's doable physically, but the monotony makes it such that it really better be a goal that you're committed to. the conditions can sneak up on you quickly. that's the main thing. the conditions can get brutal at the drop of a hat. 3 climbers from another team died while i was on the mountain, and it was basically because of the conditions. people, get stuck at high camps all the time. we were lucky enough to procure a window that allowed us (the sherpa i climbed with and I) to move quickly on the ascent, but we were extremely hampered on the descent. in my opinion, the long line of climbers waiting to move up (especially above 26.5k) is essentially a death trap and causes unwarranted exposure. thankfully, we were on our way down when we encountered them. i think the answer is to significantly limit the people on the mountain and charge more. that way, the sherpa people that depend on this every year are not compromised financially. when all was said and done- including plane tickets, gear, guide fees, compensation for sherpas, etc i spent 72k. i'm still in contact with the sherpa that i climbed with, and he will come stay with my family and i this august. if you made it through reading this far, congrats. it's truly not about how much money you spend- it takes a lot of luck with the conditions and some genuine commitment to do it right.
Not that fit. Jesus. It's a white men midlife panic caravan.
kind of a different take here, as i assumed this as well. when i turned 40, i had just sold my business and had a 2 year noncompete. so, what did i do? i needed a carrot on a stick and a goal to pursue. i decided to climb everest. i found a reputable climbing company (alpenglow), and in order to do everest, i was required to have done another 8000m peak prior to everest under my belt, so signed on for cho oyu. this is technically the "easiest" 8ooom peak and a great way to see how your body will adapt to the altitude. a bit of background: i had run 2:34 for a marathon 2 years previous, and kept myself somewhat fit in the gym, (i was a 29:31 10k guy in college.) cho oyu was done with very few crowds, and a bit easier because the weather there is a bit more predictable, and certainly less harsh. in addition, there are only 3 camps above advanced base camp, which makes it less logistically difficult- ie less gear to haul up and down the mountain.
long story longer, i then trained for the next year- running when i felt like it, but really doing quite a bit of hiking with a heavy pack (see training for the new alpinism by scott house). as cho oyu had gone fairly well for me (though 2 of the 5 clients had dropped during the climb- one from HACE and another from from frostbite).
well, my original plans to go with alpenglow fell through because of permits (only chinese expeditions were allowed during this period), and was pretty bummed as they summit from the north side. that side is much less crowded, and the abc is much higher (17k), which gets you a bit higher up on the mountain. so, south side it was. after almost 2 1/2 months, multiple rotations up and down the mountain, reroutes because of icefall, emergent rescue of 2 westerners and 2 sherpas, dodging bodies frozen to the mountain, and a few days separately of nasty altitude cough and stomach bugs, i made it to the top. our group started with 8 clients, 12 sherpas, 3 western guides, and 1 manager for logistics/radio/etc. by the end in may, only myself and one other client were left for a shot at the top. on the final push, he ended up turning around at camp 3, as we had gotten stuck in a storm on a previous rotation and he had gotten somewhat serious frostbite that he hadn't told anyone about. everyone else on our team gave out for a different reason- mostly mental fatigue and one guy from poland fell and broke his arm. 2 of the sherpas had been involved in a random serac accident, 4 other sherpas had gotten the same stomach bug i had and were too dehydrated, and one of the western guides got fired for not going up to help the polish guy that fell.
my point of this long diatribe of memories is that it's much more than a quick walk up. it takes 8-10 weeks of commitment. you will be colder than you've ever been, and will likely get sick at least once. the comment in the thread about sleeping at high altitude is also pretty poignant. if you can't sleep, you can't recover. you literally don't want to eat anything. I weighed 157 when i left for nepal, and was 131 when i weighed myself back home. the majority of the people (clients) either quit or drop on their own. sure, it's doable physically, but the monotony makes it such that it really better be a goal that you're committed to. the conditions can sneak up on you quickly. that's the main thing. the conditions can get brutal at the drop of a hat. 3 climbers from another team died while i was on the mountain, and it was basically because of the conditions. people, get stuck at high camps all the time. we were lucky enough to procure a window that allowed us (the sherpa i climbed with and I) to move quickly on the ascent, but we were extremely hampered on the descent. in my opinion, the long line of climbers waiting to move up (especially above 26.5k) is essentially a death trap and causes unwarranted exposure. thankfully, we were on our way down when we encountered them. i think the answer is to significantly limit the people on the mountain and charge more. that way, the sherpa people that depend on this every year are not compromised financially. when all was said and done- including plane tickets, gear, guide fees, compensation for sherpas, etc i spent 72k. i'm still in contact with the sherpa that i climbed with, and he will come stay with my family and i this august. if you made it through reading this far, congrats. it's truly not about how much money you spend- it takes a lot of luck with the conditions and some genuine commitment to do it right.
Although technically not a running thread, it is astounding to find a post containing actual factual personal knowledge. How refreshing. Thank you.
kind of a different take here, as i assumed this as well. when i turned 40, i had just sold my business and had a 2 year noncompete. so, what did i do? i needed a carrot on a stick and a goal to pursue. i decided to climb everest. i found a reputable climbing company (alpenglow), and in order to do everest, i was required to have done another 8000m peak prior to everest under my belt, so signed on for cho oyu. this is technically the "easiest" 8ooom peak and a great way to see how your body will adapt to the altitude. a bit of background: i had run 2:34 for a marathon 2 years previous, and kept myself somewhat fit in the gym, (i was a 29:31 10k guy in college.) cho oyu was done with very few crowds, and a bit easier because the weather there is a bit more predictable, and certainly less harsh. in addition, there are only 3 camps above advanced base camp, which makes it less logistically difficult- ie less gear to haul up and down the mountain.
long story longer, i then trained for the next year- running when i felt like it, but really doing quite a bit of hiking with a heavy pack (see training for the new alpinism by scott house). as cho oyu had gone fairly well for me (though 2 of the 5 clients had dropped during the climb- one from HACE and another from from frostbite).
well, my original plans to go with alpenglow fell through because of permits (only chinese expeditions were allowed during this period), and was pretty bummed as they summit from the north side. that side is much less crowded, and the abc is much higher (17k), which gets you a bit higher up on the mountain. so, south side it was. after almost 2 1/2 months, multiple rotations up and down the mountain, reroutes because of icefall, emergent rescue of 2 westerners and 2 sherpas, dodging bodies frozen to the mountain, and a few days separately of nasty altitude cough and stomach bugs, i made it to the top. our group started with 8 clients, 12 sherpas, 3 western guides, and 1 manager for logistics/radio/etc. by the end in may, only myself and one other client were left for a shot at the top. on the final push, he ended up turning around at camp 3, as we had gotten stuck in a storm on a previous rotation and he had gotten somewhat serious frostbite that he hadn't told anyone about. everyone else on our team gave out for a different reason- mostly mental fatigue and one guy from poland fell and broke his arm. 2 of the sherpas had been involved in a random serac accident, 4 other sherpas had gotten the same stomach bug i had and were too dehydrated, and one of the western guides got fired for not going up to help the polish guy that fell.
my point of this long diatribe of memories is that it's much more than a quick walk up. it takes 8-10 weeks of commitment. you will be colder than you've ever been, and will likely get sick at least once. the comment in the thread about sleeping at high altitude is also pretty poignant. if you can't sleep, you can't recover. you literally don't want to eat anything. I weighed 157 when i left for nepal, and was 131 when i weighed myself back home. the majority of the people (clients) either quit or drop on their own. sure, it's doable physically, but the monotony makes it such that it really better be a goal that you're committed to. the conditions can sneak up on you quickly. that's the main thing. the conditions can get brutal at the drop of a hat. 3 climbers from another team died while i was on the mountain, and it was basically because of the conditions. people, get stuck at high camps all the time. we were lucky enough to procure a window that allowed us (the sherpa i climbed with and I) to move quickly on the ascent, but we were extremely hampered on the descent. in my opinion, the long line of climbers waiting to move up (especially above 26.5k) is essentially a death trap and causes unwarranted exposure. thankfully, we were on our way down when we encountered them. i think the answer is to significantly limit the people on the mountain and charge more. that way, the sherpa people that depend on this every year are not compromised financially. when all was said and done- including plane tickets, gear, guide fees, compensation for sherpas, etc i spent 72k. i'm still in contact with the sherpa that i climbed with, and he will come stay with my family and i this august. if you made it through reading this far, congrats. it's truly not about how much money you spend- it takes a lot of luck with the conditions and some genuine commitment to do it right.
Excellent commentary. I do believe that the North side ABC is actually at 21,000 feet though. Base camp is at 17,000 feet and you drive there. I've done two trekking peaks in Nepal as well as the EBC trek and a few other treks. The most important thing is how well you can adapt to the altitude. If you cannot adapt it will be game over. In addition, a good climbing resume listing your experience and skills are important. Training wise, running will definitely help. Cycling will help. Stairmaster workouts help. Hiking with a 40lb backpack will really help.
Do you get a medal and T-shirt if you do Everest - or just the bragging rights. For the $100k (or more) it takes to finally summit, you better at least get a T-shirt.
Do you get a medal and T-shirt if you do Everest - or just the bragging rights. For the $100k (or more) it takes to finally summit, you better at least get a T-shirt.
I would assume that Everest takes rather than gives.