Evoke Endurance - Fitness Training for Mountaineering

Fitness training for CTSS expedition members Training for mountaineering encompasses many components: Aerobic capacity, general and core strength, technical movement proficiency and mental toughness are all important elements you need to develop to be successful in the mountains. Many mountaineering objectives require you to sustain your performance for days, weeks, or months. Proper training, like the sport itself, takes a great deal of commitment and a high degree of consistency. In the mountains, fitness equates to safety. The faster and more efficiently you are able to move, the safer you will be, period. Some routes offer only limited safe locations for breaks, and you often have to climb at a constant pace for several hours between snacks and sips of water. Objective hazards, such as rockfall and avalanches, can threaten sections of the route. Sometimes the only safe strategy for moving through these areas is to limit the time you spend in them, meaning you have to go as fast as you can without burning yourself out for the rest of the climb. Unlike organized races, mountains don’t offer an easy exit if things go wrong. You can’t duck under the ropes and hobble into a medical tent if you are exhausted or injured. You have to rely on yourself and your teammates to get you up and, most importantly, down the mountain safely. As a member of a rope team, it’s your responsibility to make sure you are fit enough to complete the objective, and that you have plenty of fitness reserves to support your teammates if unexpected issues arise, as they often do in harsh mountain environments. The process of developing your mountaineering fitness takes time. Thankfully, improving your fitness can go hand in hand with learning the technical skills and gaining the on-mountain experience you need to become a proficient mountaineer. As your fitness profile grows, so should your rope skills, crampon technique, and technical repertoire. On top of that, your training efforts will take you into some beautiful outdoor landscapes, fueling your spirit and motivating further explorations. If you can learn to love the process, finding joy and utility in a consistent routine, you will inevitably reach your goals.