RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Robby Young, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
On The Map
Go get’em Kelby!
Posted by: Mike Potter on 5/13/2019 at 9:28 am
Wishing the first team of the season an awesome weather and an unforgettable experience! I’ll follow your footprints in a few weeks!!!
Posted by: Anna on 5/11/2019 at 10:10 am
Congrats to all on a successful summit! Each trip report I read deepens my desire to attempt the summit myself. Someday.
Posted by: Greg on 5/11/2019 at 9:14 pm
Never get tired of seeing Hahn and Knoff celebrating a summit. Way to go!!
Posted by: Jane Knoff on 5/10/2019 at 9:47 am
Posted by: Brent Okita, Bryan Mazaika
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congratulations to all. What an accomplishment. And you all did not have to suffer this heat wave in Seattle.
Posted by: Mac Fletcher on 5/10/2019 at 9:45 pm
Congrats team!! A beautiful start to the climbing season onRainier. Way to go Brent Okita! On his way to 600!! :)
Posted by: Larry Schultz on 5/9/2019 at 8:01 am
Posted by: Brent Okita, Bryan Mazaika
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,000'
Posted by: Robby Young, Andy Bond
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congratulations. What an accomplishment!
Posted by: Mac on 5/10/2019 at 9:39 pm
Words are inadequate to express how truly proud we are of you and your team on this amazing accomplishment!! Unbelievable you were even able to reach the summit. We are in awe of the feat you and your team achieved. God Bless You!!
Posted by: Uncle Gary and Aunt Roe on 5/5/2019 at 11:53 am
Posted by:
Categories: Mountaineering Fitness & Training
One of the keys to performance in endurance events such as distance running, cycling, swimming, or mountaineering, is to be able to put in a hard burst in the middle of your effort and then recover. We see Tour de France cyclists do this all the time, racing a full out sprint in the middle of a stage, then recovering for the final sprint 60 miles later. Runners do it when they make a break up a hill to get away from the field, and mountaineers need to be able to do it when getting through a tough stretch of Disappointment Cleaver or clambering over the bergschrund on the fixed lines on Denali. The ability to put on a burst AND recover while you maintain your activity is developed through interval training.
There are lots of different intervals that can be tailored to accomplish different goals, from natural rolling intervals (Fartlek Intervals), to the 4x4 interval workout. Another useful set of intervals are ladder intervals.
Ladder intervals are sets of increasing and/or decreasing intervals. Ladder intervals can be done in a variety of terrain, from flats, to rolling hills, to a hill climb. A common ladder set might be to do a 1-minute interval, then recover, then do a 2-minute interval, followed by a 4-minute effort, followed by a 6-minute interval. Once you reach your peak (you’ve worked your way up the ladder), start working your way back down, reversing the pattern. After the 6-minute interval, do a 4-minute interval, then a 2-minute interval, and then finish with a last 1-minute interval. As with all interval training, the goal is to complete each one at a similar pace. The 1-minute interval might naturally be a bit faster, but you want to avoid blowing yourself out in the first couple of intervals so that you are just surviving through the remainder.
Another important component to interval training is the recovery time. Recover for between 50-100 percent of the duration of the previous effort. For shorter intervals, recovery time might be closer to 100 percent (you might recover for 1 minute after a 1-minute interval) while longer intervals may be closer to 50 percent (for the 4 and 6-minute intervals). Recover for long enough that your heart rate has dropped and you feel ready for the next set, but not so long that your heart rate returns to a very low zone 1 or 2 effort level. Recovery is best accomplished actively, at a very slow jog, walk, or spin; after all, the ability to recover while moving is what we are trying to develop.
As with all training tools, the ladder intervals can be adjusted to fit your needs. Using longer sets (at a slower pace) will help to build your lactate threshold, while shorter (and faster) sets will help to build your anaerobic threshold and recovery. These can also be done over distances rather than time, such as on a track. An example might be a 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m. Remember that interval training requires a quality warm up and cool down, both to prevent injury, and allow you to perform and get the most out of the workout.
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Need a refresher on interval training? Learn more about general interval training…
Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts here!
very impressive post for mountain climber like me.i am very excited to do my next expedition after reading your article.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Rajendra Timalsina on 5/14/2019 at 8:18 am
Posted by: Brent Okita, Bryan Mazaika
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,000'
Words cannot adequately express how proud and excited we are for you and your team on this amazing accomplishment. You even were able to reach the summit!!
God Bless You!
Posted by: Uncle Gary & Aunt Roe on 5/5/2019 at 10:41 am
Posted by: Brent Okita, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
This was a great experience for me and my two boys, that we will never forget. Our team of climbers was made up of a great mix of people who all came together to get to the top. I’m proud have climbed with you guys and you’ve inspired me to be better.
On the guides; A thing I learned very early in my Marine Corps career was how to spot professionalism and raw, unfiltered competence. This is especially important when serving in a combat zone. You learn quick to spot people who know what the hell they are talking about because lives and mission rest on it. From the very first meeting it was very obvious to me that Rob, Josh and Chad had this talent in abundance and it became even more evident on the mountain. Thanks guys, you humbled this old Jarhead (not easy, lol), with your knowledge, physical ability and spot on climbing guidance.
I hope we get to climb together again soon
Semper Fi
Paul
PS: Tell Josh I’m working on my walking skills and hope to cut my future descent trip/falling to less than 10 per mile. ;).
Posted by: Paul Roarke on 5/14/2019 at 6:36 am
Incredible experience!! So proud to climb alongside such an awesome team and couldn’t have asked for better guides. Miss everyone already :) Thanks for everything!!
Posted by: Anna Dooner on 5/13/2019 at 7:51 pm
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