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There is something to admire around every turn of the 31 mile trail through the Khumbu Valley from Lukla to Everest Base Camp. Monasteries, cultivated fields, grazing yaks, and tiny villages all share the valley, sitting beneath the some of the world’s tallest and most stunning mountains. A few of our guides sat down to compile a list of ten things to be sure and experience on the Everest Base Camp Trek:   10. View From Kala Patar: It's not widely known, but the view from the top of Kala Patar, a rocky outcropping above Gorak Shep, provides a sweeping panorama from Everest to Ama Dablam and are far better than those of Base Camp.   9. Lama Geshe: A renowned spiritual leader living in a small house in Pangboche, Lama Geshe never fails to greet visitors with a deep laugh and broad smile. As he chants prayers in his native Tibetan in a deep but soft voice, he provides a fascinating appreciation and insight into the Buddhist process of embarking on a journey, whether for an Everest Expedition or a trip to visit distant relatives.   8. Momos: Akin to Chinese dumplings, the Nepalese momo is a delicious treat after a long day on the trail.   7. Afternoon prayers at the Tengboche Monastery: After making the 1,300’ ascent to the ridge top Monastery, find a seat along the edges of the Dokhang (the prayer hall), framed by a two story tall golden statue of Buddha, and listen to the deep chants of the resident monks fill the space.   6. Exploring Namche Bazaar: Perched on a hillside in the middle of the Khumbu, Namche Bazaar is the cultural and economic hub of this mountainous region. Yaks, monks, and Tibetan traders share the narrow streets with locals and trekkers alike, and a new discovery can be found around every corner, from tailors to bakeries to monasteries and museums.   5. The experience of trekking lodge-to-lodge: After a warm breakfast served in a cozy dining room, shoulder a light day pack with only the gear you need for the day, leaving your duffel outside your door, and start up the trail. Spend the day wandering through villages, fields, and valleys, until you reach your next night's teahouse where your bag awaits. The teahouses are simple but comfortable, with cozy community dining rooms to eat, relax, and socialize in and sleeping rooms just down the hall.    4. The Trail: While the excitement of trekking to Base Camp is reaching  the foot of Everest at the end of the trail, the wonder comes from the entire experience of traveling the trail, where a simple centuries old footpath serves as both highway through the valley and the villages' Main Streets. Slow your pace now and again to look around and take in the shops, homes, and life that all happens right along the path!   3. Island Peak's summit ridge: Ringed by several of the world's greatest mountains (Nuptse, Lhotse, Everest, and Ama Dablam), the airy summit ridge of Island Peak provides all of the excitement of Himalayan climbing in a short extension to the spring trek.   2. Spending the night at Everest Base Camp: you've walked all that way, why turn around and leave again in a matter of hours? Spending the night in Base Camp is a peek into the full experience of embarking on an Everest Expedition and enjoying a cup of tea while watching the sun peak over the top of the Western Cwm is an unforgettable moment.   1. Stopping to soak it all in: The Khumbu is simply an amazing place. One of the best things is just being there: stopping to dig your heels into the ground and looking around. There is nowhere else in the world like it. Ready to experience the Khumbu for yourself? Join RMI on a trek to Everest Base Camp!

Testing your fitness from time to time is a great way to gauge improvement and to take the opportunity to find your limits. A fitness test acts as a measurement of overall fitness as well as specific core muscle endurance and agility. A test like this should be repeated several times during your training so that you can measure your progress. It’s not the individual results from the test that provide information, it’s the change between results that tells you of your progress. Complete the fitness test, write down your results, and then try it again in a few weeks to see how much you’ve progressed. As with all training, there should be an emphasis on safety and self care. Push your limits but don’t place undue stress or strain on your body. Rather than go all out, try to nudge your results forward in a controlled and sensible way, much like a successful mountain climb. In our Seattle based ‘Fit To Climb’ workouts we use a custom version of a military fitness test that can be done during a short workout. The test consists of a ‘timed run’ - we suggest a mile (if you don’t like to run, then walking is perfect) - followed by a strength test with 4 exercises designed to gauge your upper-body strength, core strength, leg strength, and agility. After a good ten-minute warm-up followed by the Daily Dozen, or similar exercises, first do the timed run. Go at a speed that feels like an intense effort. Record your time. Then, rest for 5 minutes by gently walking or just pacing slowly back and forth. For the strength test, find an area that has a solid, level, and soft surface. Grass is perfect but you can also do this indoors if you prefer. During this test, you will perform four exercises for 2 minutes each, with 3 minutes of rest between each exercise. For the first three exercises, the goal is to count the number of perfect repetitions you can complete in 2 minutes. If you do this with a partner, you can rest while counting their repetitions—along with encouragement! For the fourth exercise, the Shuttle Run, simply time yourself. Write down your scores for each test. Perform the strength test as follows: 1. Push-ups: 2 minutes, followed by 4 minutes of rest 2. Steam Engines on Back: 2 minutes, followed by 4 minutes of rest 3. 3/4 Squats: 2 minutes, followed by 4 minutes of rest 4. 20-yard Shuttle Run: Set up your shuttle run course with some cones or water bottles. If you aren’t sure of measurement use 25 normal paces as a guide. Run back and forth between your markers for 2 minutes, counting the number of times you complete one leg. • For an explanation of strength exercises see the Daily Dozen. • A tip: Break the 2 minutes into 30-second segments, it’ll help you maintain a steady pace. Is it hard? It really is! Two minutes may not sound like a lot but your body will know it is working hard! I suggest you record your scores and do the test each month during your training. - John Colver John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle.

Fit to Climb: Week 8 Schedule

DAY	WORKOUT	TOTAL TIME	DIFFICULTY
1	Rainier Dozen / Easy Hiking ( 30 min)	42 min.	Medium
2	Rainier Dozen / High Intensity Stair Interval Training (60 min)	72 min.	Very Hard
3	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
4	Strength Circuit Training x 4	54 min.	Hard
5	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
6	Fitness Test	60 min.	Medium
7	Rainier Dozen / Hike (4 hrs, 15lbs of pack weight)	252 min.	Medium
	Total	8 hrs 24 mins

BRIEFING You’re approaching the halfway mark of the Fit To Climb conditioning program. A question I often ask myself is, “If I had to do the climb today, how would it go?” I like to think that once I reach the halfway point, I could give it a strong attempt and with good conditions and the stars aligned, I’d probably make the summit and back. This is the mindset that goes with the next few weeks. You still have a ways to go in order to arrive at the start of the climb in great shape, but you should feel confident that you are already more prepared than most on summit day. To quantify that feeling of preparedness, you’ll perform the fitness test again this week. You should see big gains over your results from week 4 due to the volume of intense training you have done since then and the fitness test is a way to measure that progress. For the hike, we’ll increase the length to 4 hours but keep the same pack weight of about 15 pounds. Everything else will stay the same this week. DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKOUTS Day 1: Rainier Dozen + Easy Hiking (30 Minutes) Today’s hike is a recovery workout and you can always substitute it with a different activity, such as running, biking or swimming. The important thing is to move at a moderate pace for 30 to 45 minutes. The pace can be conversational, and you do not need to be dripping with sweat at the end of the workout. Day 2: Rainier Dozen + Stair Interval Training (60 Minutes) After the Rainier Dozen, warm up for about 10 minutes, and then climb up and down a set of stairs, at a consistent pace, for about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool down with some stretching. You don’t need to carry a pack on your stair interval training, the focus in this workout is on speed and intensity. Day 3: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to take another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you feel like it (a brisk walk is a great option). If you feel tired, today is a good opportunity be good to take a complete rest day instead. Listen to your body. Day 4: Strength Circuit Training x 4 Repeat the strength circuit training workout introduced in Week 3. After warming up, perform four sets of the following exercises: • Steam Engine • Push Up • Three Quarter Squat • Russian Twists • Lunge • Steam Engine Laying down • Mountain Climber • 8 Point Bodybuilder Spend 40 seconds performing the exercises, and take 20 seconds between exercises to rest and rotate. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take ten minutes to cool down by stretching after you’re done. Day 5: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to take another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you feel like it (a brisk walk is a great option). If you feel tired, today is a good opportunity be good to take a complete rest day instead. Listen to your body. Day 6: Fitness Test (1 Hour) After a good ten-minute warm-up followed by the Rainier Dozen, first complete the timed run for a distance of one mile (or your original timed run distance from the first test) at an intense pace. Record your time and then rest for five minutes. Following the timed run, perform the strength test as follows: count the number of perfect repetitions you can complete in 2 minutes for each exercise. Write down your scores for each test. • Push-ups: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • Steam Engines on Back: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • 3/4 Squats: 2 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of rest • 20-yard Shuttle Run: Set up your shuttle run course with some cones or water bottles. If you aren’t sure of measurement use 25 normal paces as a guide. Run back and forth between your markers for 2 minutes, counting each loop as one. Day 7: 4 Hour Hike This week you’ll increase the hike duration by about an hour, and approximately 2 miles. If you are hiking on steep terrain, this could add another 700 to 1000 feet in elevation. Adding an hour may seem like a small increment, but you are going from a medium length hike to a fairly substantial effort. SUMMARY Congratulations on reaching the halfway point of your training program! Take the time to review your performance in the fitness test and compare them to the results from your first fitness test during Week 4 of the Fit to Climb Program. The value of recording your results in the fitness test is to show quantifiable measurement. These results may show progress (faster timed run and more number of strength test repetitions) which means that you are getting stronger and the program is working for you. If your numbers are the same or have slipped a little, it tells us that we need to re-focus and take look at specific areas of your fitness that are not yet improving. Armed with that knowledge, talk to a local fitness expert or trainer about what you may need to work on in order to improve. Lastly, don't forget to take the time to celebrate your achievements on your dedication and progress over the past 8 weeks! - John Colver Have a question? See the Fit To Climb FAQ for explanations of specific exercises and general pointers to help you through the Fit To Climb Program. John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program.

Adjusting to the low oxygen of high altitude environments is a natural process that we will all experience if we travel or live at high altitudes. Like all things in life, some people are better at adjusting to high altitude than others. Fortunately, there are ways that each of us can prepare at home and in the early stages of mountain travel before going to the big peaks.

We all experience the low oxygen of high altitude a little differently, but the most prominent symptoms of going to high altitude are categorized as the condition Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). AMS is composed of a group of symptoms that can present themselves after spending some time at high altitude. Symptoms of AMS include headache, fatigue, anorexia, nausea and insomnia. While the severity of these symptoms can vary, AMS does not have to end your climb but should be used as an indication that your body is struggling to acclimatize.

The most important aspect of performing well and staying healthy in the mountains under the stress of low oxygen is by being physically fit. If you have been following a rigorous training program then you are well on your way to being physically fit for your climb. Fitness cannot prevent the symptoms of AMS but if the daily physical tasks of climbing are easier due to your high fitness level, then you have more energy reserves to battle the stress of the low oxygen environment.

Proper nutrition and hydration are also important variables leading up to and during your climb. While you may avoid simple carbohydrates during daily life, at altitude simple carbohydrates are the most efficient and most preferred form of energy for your acclimatizing body. Don’t be afraid to eat those high glycemic foods while working hard at altitude!

Dehydration can certainly be detrimental to your performance and health at high altitude, but you do not need to constantly consume water. Listen to your body, specifically your thirst, it has been finely tuned over many generations to keep you hydrated.

The prescription medication acetazolamide (Diamox) can help with acclimatization to high altitude, but it is not a magic pill that will solve all your high altitude problems. Diamox has repeatedly reduced AMS symptoms and hastened acclimatization during multi-day clinical and laboratory studies. It can work and is a great tool to use if you are not acclimatizing during an expedition even though you are using a standard acclimatization schedule, but its efficacy is less known for a quick overnight summit attempt such as Mt. Rainier. Remember: all medications have side effects that you need to understand before using and Diamox will not make up for a lack of fitness when headed into the mountains.

The bottom line is make sure that your body is fit enough to handle the stress of a high altitude mountain trip, and listen to your body while you are at altitude. If you pay attention, your body will tell you what fuel you need to keep going and how well you are adjusting to the high altitude environment. Have fun and climb safe!

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Walter Hailes is a senior guide at RMI and has guided extensively in North and South America. He also works as an exercise physiologist at the University of Montana, primarily studying the human capacity to endure/excel in difficult environments including high altitude, extreme heat and cold.

Questions? Comments? Share your thoughts on the RMI Blog!

It is good to be back in the summer heat of Mendoza! The team returned to the city healthy, safe, and proud of our climbing accomplishments. Switching our boots and jackets for flip flops and swim suits has been a welcomed change. To unwind from the trip, we have enjoyed all of what the city has to offer. Lounging by the pool and eating copious amounts of gelato have been our main focuses. The group has become incredibly close during our time in Argentina. We are all eager to head home, yet reluctant to part ways. As the trip concludes, we will continue to relish in each others company until the final moments. Our time together has truly been the best.

Till next time,

RMI Guide Luke Wilhelm, David Price and Team 

RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos organized a team of RMI Guides to climb Tibet’s Shishapangma (26, 289'), the world’s 14th highest mountain. The team reached the summit on October 11th & 12th. We sat down with Elías after the expedition to chat with him about the climb. RMI: What first inspired you to climb Shishapangma? Elías: I had been hoping to go climb an 8,000 meter peak for awhile. When you have that in your head and you have never been to the Himalayas, at first it looks like any peak - if the opportunity arose - would suffice. For the last couple of years, the objective was looking closer and closer, and the deeper research started. Initially I wanted to climb Dhaulagiri, as it was the dream of one of my mentors who never could do it. But I was determined to go this past fall and it turns out that Dhaulagiri is not the best for the post monsoon season, so I started to look at other mountains. Shishapangma seemed beautiful, rising alone on the Tibetan plateau. Easy access played a key role, as it also diminished the cost. And of course, it offered a relatively "easy" and "safe" line for this, our first, 8000 meter peak. RMI: Organizing an expedition to an 8000 meter Himalayan peak is a major undertaking, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced in simply getting the expedition off of the ground? Elías: Of course the budget is the main undertaking. It is fairly expensive, particularly when one does it pretty much out of pocket. (We have to thank RMI's indispensable Guide Grant and First Ascent's gear support.) This challenge leads to the difficulty of building a team as well; initially, along with my wife Bridget, I had this trip planned with my two good climbing friends from Spain, but getting 2 months off of work in addition to the funding, made it impossible for them to participate, so I had to start with 0 climbers just 6 months prior to the trip, when everything was logistically planned. Luckily, working for RMI made it easy to "collect" good friends for the expedition. Jake Beren, Geoff Schellens, Eric Frank, and Leon Davis were memorable companions. Ironically, the logistics were fairly easy, thanks to the internet and to Nima, our great contact in the Himalayas. RMI: How did your previous climbing and guiding experience prepare you for the climbing and organizational challenges of the expedition? Elías: That experience was probably a good 50% of the success of the trip. Having been on expeditions in other parts of the world is a great help that teaches you how to quickly act when facing problems or difficult situations, whether logistics or interactions with the local people. You come up with solutions or new plans on the go and deal with it. The climbing and guiding experience among all of us on the team was definitely another great plus. Without much talking, we know what you have to do in different situations and the flow of the climb is as smooth as it can be as a result. Being a professional in the field, that usually works towards helping others achieve this goals, makes you have a greater temper on decision making too. RMI: What was your impression of the Himalayas? Elías: What can I say? It is the biggest mountain range in the World!!! Shishapangma sits alone in Tibet and unfortunately we drove to the trailhead from Kathmandu with clouds [covering the mountains], so we could not see much at first. When we all saw the mountain for the first time at Chinese Base Camp at sunrise, we were like little kids on Christmas day in front of Santa's gifts - so excited. But at the same time you acknowledge the magnitude of the mountain and get those butterflies in your stomach. I was lucky to have some time afterwards to explore the Annapurna-Dhaulagiri and the Solu Khumbu regions of Nepal, where the concentration of mountains is greater and the steepness of their walls grows exponentially...I have no words to describe what I felt there. RMI: Give us a glimpse into your daily routine on a long expedition like this... Elías: Wake up, breathe. Eat breakfast and come up with a plan, breath. Climb or rest, breathe. Try to have a hearty dinner, breathe...sleep. Start over. RMI: Do you have a favorite memory or moment from the trip you can share? Elías: Of course the summit. We made it to the Central Summit of Shishapangma at 8013 meters. I cried. I am very sentimental at points and being able to give a hug to my wife and two good friends up there after pursuing such a long dream is indescribable. RMI: Any advice for climbers that have aspire to climb in the Himalayas one day? Elías: Go for it. I think that such an undertaking requires determination. If there is a will there is a way and money and time to do it will materialize. Train for it and learn the skills that are necessary to do it. Be determined with your dream and with what it requires. And if you do not climb on your own, climb with a good guide, like the ones of RMI!!! RMI: What is next for you? Elías: As far as guiding goes, anything where I can help RMI clients. As I am shifting towards being more of a full time guide, I am very thankful for the opportunities RMI is giving me. I’m headed to Aconcagua (*Elías is currently on Aconcagua) and I am looking forward to the remainder of the winter with the ice climbing programs. Personally, I have big ice and mixed climbing projects for this winter-spring locally here in Colorado and in the Canadian Rockies. Since the Himalayan bug has bitten me, I have to admit that plans for Dhaulagiri are "in the oven".

This spring I teamed up with an international crew of ski mountaineers to traverse Tajikistan’s Fedchenko Glacier. Before the expedition, I had hardly heard of Tajikistan and certainly had never dreamed of crossing one of the longest glaciers outside of the Polar Regions. When the opportunity arose, I couldn’t say no. A high mountain adventure to a central Asian country on the northern border of Afghanistan wasn’t something my sense of adventure would just let me walk away from. The trip came to life three years ago when three Canadian skiers hatched the idea and began the logistics. I was brought on because the team wanted two more experienced ski mountaineers for the remote and relatively unexplored zone of the Pamir mountain range. Having traveled in developing countries before, I knew that I not only wanted to travel, climb and ski in this remote range, but to give back to the mountain communities that would help inevitably help us on our adventure along the way. As I packed my gear for the trip I noticed how much great warm clothing I had to choose from and I realized that I didn’t even use half of it anymore. This was it! I could get people to donate the winter clothing they hadn’t used in years and put it to good use in a country where access to technical apparel was slim to nil. I began a clothing drive and between me and my teammates Holly Walker, Emelie Stenberg, Vince Shuley and Selena Cordeau, we were able to collect and give 350 pounds of clothing to give to the Tajik people who needed the clothes far more than we did. The good vibes from the clothing drive started our trip on a positive note - which was good, because it was a long, hard trip. We planned on one week for getting on and off the tributary glaciers to get to and from the Fedchenko. It ended up taking us thirteen days, nearly twice as long. We planned on setting up three basecamps and skiing 6000m peaks for two weeks; we were tent bound for six of those days due to weather. On top of all that, the snowpack was just about as unstable as it could get. This greatly limited what we were able to climb and ski. Despite the hard work and frustrating snowpack, we had an amazing trip. Massive valleys, towering peaks like Peak Ismoil Somoni (formerly Peak Communism) and Independence Peak (Peak Revolution) and miles of ice surrounded us in a grand scale. We were in a place that few people had been before and completely isolated except for our DeLorme InReach two way satellite texting device. It was humbling and inspiring. We met our goal of traversing the Fedchenko from our starting point in a town called Poy Mazor to its head and descended out the beautiful and rugged Tanimas Valley. Due to the exploratory nature of this trip and having little information about our exit, we left ourselves a few extra days before we would all have to fly home. Our extra days were spent regaining some of the pounds we lost during the expedition eating fresh tandoor bread, kebabs and local apricots and cherries. People greeted us everywhere and invited us to share bread and tea with them even if they couldn’t speak a word of English (and we could only muster hello and thank you in Tajik). The team left Tajikistan with a good taste in our mouths in more ways than one. We explored and lived in a high mountain range for 29 days, were exposed to the kind and generous culture of the Tajik, Pamir and Afghan people and came home safe! Thanks to the Eddie Bauer/ RMI Guide grant for assisting me in this amazing pursuit. The lessons I learned on this trip will forever shape my decision making and goals in the mountains. Until next time... _________ Zeb Blais is a Senior Guide at RMI. He has climbed and skied mountains throughout North America. When he is not guiding, Zeb teaches avalanche courses and ski patrols at Squaw Valley in California. His spare time usually doesn’t save his feet from ski boots.

Fit to Climb: Week 6 Schedule

DAY	WORKOUT	TOTAL TIME	DIFFICULTY
1	Rainier Dozen / Easy Hiking ( 30 min)	42 min.	Medium
2	Rainier Dozen / Stair Interval Training (50 min)	62 min.	Hard
3	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
4	Rainier Dozen / Strength Circuit Training x 3	46 min.	Hard
5	Rainier Dozen / Rest	12 min.	Recovery
6	Rainier Dozen / Cross Training (1 hr)	72 min.	Hard
7	Rainier Dozen / Hike (3 hrs)	192 min.	Medium
	Total	6 hrs 18 mins

BRIEFING Last week we bumped up the length of three workouts and you may still be a little bit tired. This week, all workouts keep the same length and intensity. DESCRIPTIONS OF WORKOUTS Day 1: Rainier Dozen + Easy Hiking (30 Minutes) Perform the Rainier Dozen, and follow it up with approximately 30 minutes of easy hiking. Feel free to mix things up occasionally with a different activity, such as running, biking or swimming. Day 2: Rainier Dozen + Stair Interval Training (50 Minutes) Warm up for about 10 minutes, and then climb up and down a set of stairs, at a consistent pace, for about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool down with some stretching. Day 3: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to add another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you up for it (a brisk walk is a great option). Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest. It would be good to take a complete rest day instead. Day 4: Strength Circuit Training x 3 Repeat the strength circuit training workout introduced in Week 3. After warming up, perform three sets of the following exercises: • Steam Engine • Push Up • Three Quarter Squat • Russian Twists • Lunge • Steam Engine Laying down • Mountain Climber • 8 Point Bodybuilder Spend 40 seconds performing the exercise and take 20 seconds between exercises to rest and switch to the next one. Take a full minute of rest between each set. Take ten minutes to cool down by stretching after you’re done. Day 5: Rainier Dozen / Rest Begin your day with the Rainier Dozen. Feel free to add another 30 to 60 minutes of light exercise if you up for it (a brisk walk is a great option). Listen to your body. If you feel tired, rest. It would be good to take a complete rest day instead. Day 6: Rainier Dozen + Cross Training (1 Hour) Warm up with the Rainier Dozen and then spend an hour in some moderately vigorous activity as cross training. Listen to your body, and have fun with it. Day 7: 3 Hour Hike Warm up with the Rainier Dozen. Hike for about 3 hours, covering 5 - 6 miles in distance. Hike at an even pace. SUMMARY As you work hard at your workouts, pay close attention to how you feel during your workouts and be diligent about self-care and recovery. This self-awareness can help you know what parts of the fitness triangle (aerobic, anaerobic and strength) might need a little extra work. It might also help you realize that you’re pushing too hard and need to dial it back a little. You do have leeway as you train. If, for any reason, you feel exhausted or you feel like you're slipping back, it's often best to take an extra rest day or two. Taking more rest is not a negative. This is not to encourage a lack of discipline, but to respect and honor the intuition and self-knowledge that we all have when it comes to understanding when enough is enough. A simple rule in this regard that is often used in elite athletic coaching circles is that "If you have to choose one, it's always better to undertrain than to overtrain." - John Colver Have a question? See the Fit To Climb FAQ for explanations of specific exercises and general pointers to help you through the Fit To Climb Program. John Colver is a longtime climber, former mountain guide, and certified personal trainer with the American Council of Exercise. Colver introduced outdoor fitness classes to athletic clubs throughout the greater Puget Sound region before creating his adventX brand. Currently, adventX leads training programs in Seattle and Colver presents clinics on outdoor fitness at companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, the American Lung Association, and REI. Colver lives in Seattle, and is working on his second book, Fit to Climb - a 16 week Mount Rainier Fitness Program.

To the top we go! Thirteen days into our trip, we can all feel the wear and tear from the previous mountains. Chimborazo is our final objective, the tallest of the three peaks standing tall at 20,500'. 

There is quietness to the team as we get ready for our climb. As per usual, the alarm clock goes off far too early. There is no need to go wake folks since we are all sleeping in a dome tent. An hour goes by quickly and we are all roped up ready for our journey. The first portion of the route has a disappointment clever feel as we traverse under el castillo. Crampons and rocks is never a fan favorite but the team cruises through it. A short section of ice brings us to our first break. No matter how tired the team may be, everyone looked motivated to keep going. From that moment to the summit we climbed sustained steep switchbacks. The climb is unrelenting, never easing up. After a few false summits and a confusing bright star we reached the lower summit Pico Veintimilla. Once at the false summit we make the extra 30 minute walk to the true tippy top. A very faint glow of the sunrise greets us at the top. 

The team finishes their trip three for three on the volcanos. The hardwork and preparation they all put in for these climbs shows with the great success on all the volcanos. Its a bitter sweet moment on top as we celebrate our victory but also acknowledge that this trip is coming to an end. After snapping summit photos and the beauty of the sun rising, we safely reverse our steps and head back down to camp. We pack up our things, enjoy some pizza and coffee and then make our way back to the van. The van has never looked so good. We free our feet from the confines of our mountaineering boots and load up. After a hard days climb we all look forward to hot showers, comfy beds, and celebratory drinks.

 Moods are high as we reminisce on our climbs. With heavy eyes from an early start, its early to bed for all. Its been a great day and an excellent trip. We can all go to sleep feeling good about all that we have accomplished. Tomorrow we make our way back to Quito and then back to the states. 

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Adam Knoff, Hannah Smith, and team

This past autumn I left the surf and sand of Southern California to attempt my first 8,000-meter peak, solo, and without supplemental oxygen or Sherpa support. I don’t quite remember when the idea came about, but climbing a Himalayan giant is something I’ve dreamt of since an early age. This project always struck me as a rematch of sorts, as my first foray into mountaineering as a teen was a botched solo attempt on Mt. Whitney in January. That first climb put me through the ringer and I departed for this expedition fully expecting the same. With expeditions like this, the unknowns are bound to be many; I heard differing opinions on just about everything. “Kathmandu is modern and you can buy all your supplies there,” one person would say, and then the next day I would hear the opposite. For the record, Kathmandu is definitely not modern - but all this can be fun. I found adventure in the 21st century and that seems to be rare. So I planned for what I could and insulated myself from what I couldn’t. It was exhilarating to know that I had no concept of everything I’d face. Near midnight on the 1st of September, I hit the tarmac of Kathmandu International Airport. The city of Kathmandu sits within a large valley at the foot of the Himalaya. Its streets are crowded and its buildings somewhat dilapidated, but the people are kind and the food is fantastic. Surely much has changed since the first westerners arrived, but there is still a sense of lore about the place. Hindu temples, large and small, are strewn about, and filled with worshipers while Buddhist monks’ roam the streets. The entirety of this scene is cast against the gear shops and bustle of everyday city life in a place steeped in climbing history. On September 10th I arrived at Chinese Base Camp, the “end of the road”. Over the previous week I’d driven through the alpine rainforests of Nepal and into the moonscape of the Tibetan Plateau. At the Tibetan border it is necessary to leave your Nepali ride and walk across the “Friendship Bridge” flanked on either side by the Nepalese and Chinese military. Once across, I met my Chinese Liaison and Tibetan driver. We quickly departed and speedily wove through the streets of Zhangmu, a border town perpetually stuck in a dense fog of clouds as they collide with the rising Tibetan Plateau. At Chinese Base Camp (BC, 16,300') I still was 2,400’ vertical feet and an unknown distance from Advanced Base Camp (ABC). I spent 3 days at BC waiting for yaks (pack animals that would move my supplies to ABC). While waiting, I developed a terribly bothersome head cold; unfortunately this was not the only time I got sick during this expedition. Days later and sick as a dog, I trekked the last distance into ABC, low visibility, snowing hard with a frigid wind in my face. We erected ABC (18,700') and soon I fell into the rhythm of establishing higher camps mixed with days of leisure. Everything seemed to slowly come together, as I prepared my body and my supplies for a possible summit window in the beginning of October. I think what kept me most sane during the expedition was my focus on the immediate. An undertaking such as this can be daunting if you try to grasp the sum of the next 20-day span, including the challenges yet to be overcome. So I’d only spool out as much time as was immediately necessary in my mind, and kept my thoughts off the many days ahead of me to reach the summit. Throughout the climbing period of the expedition I kept a brisk pace between camps, taking care not to push myself so hard that I couldn’t construct camp and take care of myself adequately afterwards. It’s a fine line up there; it’s far too easy to push yourself past the limit. I saw this countless times with other climbers but they had the safety net of Sherpas, guides, and teammates to assist them when they took on too much. I had no such safeguard and this was something I had to always take into account. I wouldn’t want to put a negative connotation on climbing solo though, because it was gratifying in its simplicity. On September 30th I pulled into Camp 3 at 24,500’. I recall constructing camp atop a small ridge of snow perched beneath the notorious Yellow Band. Here I definitely felt the altitude. Beneath me two Sherpa friends were digging in a platform for their team’s arrival. I’d look over at them as I was catching my breath and they’d be doing the same, smiling and laughing with each other at the ridiculousness of it all. Climbing without supplemental oxygen and solo (or as solo as it gets on Cho Oyu) has dangers that are heightened, namely the two forms of edema: HAPE and HACE. These affect the lungs and/or brain and are deadly if they persist without descending to lower altitudes. These conditions mainly strike during the night as your breathing naturally decreases. Being on your own when this happens can be mortally dangerous. I took measures to lower my risk by staying hydrated, well feed, comfortable, stress free, and I always kept a wary eye on my breathing and short term memory. The year prior I’d seen firsthand the grim realities of high altitude mountaineering on Argentina’s Aconcagua, after a rescue of another team turned tragic. Cerro Aconcagua was my previous high point at 22,841’. Everything beyond was unknown and I was well above that now and pushing higher. In hindsight, perhaps maybe I should have been more nervous at these altitudes, but I suppose I never felt threatened by them. As was the case in all my previous expeditions, the altitude only seemed to leave me breathless and nothing worse, not even a headache. And so I hydrated, ate and went to bed excited for my summit attempt only hours away. Summit Day I awoke at 12 midnight; outside I could hear guides addressing their climbers, the hiss of oxygen bottles as the regulators were spun on and the crunch of crampons engaging the firm snow as the first teams departed. Climbers’ torches faintly lighted my tent as they passed and the walls were lined with ice that rained down with the slightest nudge. I gave myself a once over, everything felt good and I was ready. I roused and started my stove, opened a few vents to ensure proper ventilation and stuck my head out the top of the tent. I had spoken to the leaders of the other expeditions and they were leaving quite early, at 12 midnight which meant they had woken up hours earlier. My plan was to leave as late as 2 am for two reasons: firstly I wanted to meet sunrise sooner as I would be running colder without O’s (oxygen), and secondly to give the other teams a large enough head start to ensure I could keep warm by continually climbing. But this night would be hapless from the moment I spilled my hot water all over the tent. As the other teams passed, and in a moment of carelessness, I fumbled a liter of water in my tent. Luckily, everything required for the summit push was outside in my pack. But with the threat of getting my boots or down suit wet I decided to depart for the summit immediately. The time was 1 am, an hour earlier than I had planned, and as soon as I left my tent I saw a traffic jam forming at the Yellow Band – a formation of rock above Camp 3. Hoping that their supplemental oxygen would see them through with some speed I continued on, but as I ascended it became apparent that they would not climb as hastily as I had hoped. As I sat in line below this technical rock step my extremities lost feeling. Swinging them in circles - something we call “windmills”, easily reinvigorated my hands. But climbing through the chilly night, I wasn’t able to completely regain feeling in my toes, this was a constant concern. However, I had not lost the ability to wiggle them as I took each step so I continued climbing into the night. After the Yellow Band, I threaded my way through a steeper section comprised of rock and snow, unclipping from the fixed lines and passing other teams as often as I was able too. The process of passing other teams at that altitude is quite tiring, as I had to abandon my efficient rhythm for a faster pace outside of the beaten in route, at times breaking into the snow up to my knees. Luckily I only had to do this 3 or 4 times as the majority of the climbers were moving faster than I was, with their bottled oxygen giving them more stamina. I recall one moment at 25,800' when I became exceedingly nauseous. But it quickly passed and I continued on. This was the only moment I felt the altitude affect me. At Camp 3, when I left, it was warm and still with high clouds touching the summit, but now, at 26,000', a light wind had picked up and the last of the high clouds were blowing over me. My suit was covered in ice and I had to stop periodically to rewarm my face by burying it in the cowl of my hood. As I reached striking distance of the summit (or so I thought) the horizon became faintly lit. And I encouraged by what it signified! As I came over the top onto the summit plateau I saw a high point off to my left, but Liz Hawley, an elderly woman who keeps the records of the Himalaya, warned me against this. I met Liz in Kathmandu, and discussed my plan for the expedition. She instructed me, “When you enter the plateau you’ll see a high point off to your left that seems to be the obvious summit, but go forward and slightly to your right and continue until you see Everest. This will be the true summit.” I recalled her words and continued on straight. Those last 45 minutes plodding along at 26,900' for what seemed an eternity, a quarter of a mile, the summit not even visible (or so I thought) was the hardest for me. I had nothing to hold onto. The plateau seemed to stretch beyond the visible horizon. Despair mounted at the thought of having to start grid searching for the damnable thing. I scanned the plateau again. It was then that I noticed a single string of prayer flags off in the distance to my right; on a mound no higher than 3 feet from the point I was standing. It was the summit, maybe one of the least climactic summits I’ve experienced, but I was deeply relieved when I got there and found myself standing at the summit of Cho Oyu! Alex Barber on the summit of Cho Oyu I was on top for about 15 minutes. Most of the time seated on my pack eating peanut M&Ms and washing them down with warm Tang from my thermos. I made a speedy descent to Camp 3, quickly packed and made the entire descent to ABC, arriving soon after dusk. Dawa, one of my cooks waited outside of ABC for me with hot tea and a huge smile, after a celebratory embrace we descended the last 15 minutes together into ABC. I felt relieved to be finished. The day was October 1st, I had summited at 8:20 am that morning Nepali time. You know, I’ve been asked what it felt like for everything to culminate and be on top. That feeling of accomplishment or exhilaration - what was it like? But I think what draws me isn’t that singular moment at the top or any feeling of exhilaration from being there. Instead it’s the quieter and constant sense of contentment that comes from the simplicity of mountaineering, the journey along the way and being surrounded by extraordinary beauty that challenges you to conquer – not the mountain – but yourself. For me the journey is the destination. Alex Barber is a mountain guide for RMI Expeditions and splits his time between the beaches of Southern California and mountains around the world. Alex will be guiding an Expedition Skills Seminar – Winter in January before returning to the Himalaya this spring to attempt Lohtse and Shishapangma. Read more about his climb and follow the upcoming adventures on www.alexanderbarber.com.