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Posted by: Andy Bond, Leif Bergstrom, Charlie Harrison, Joey Manship, Evan Redman, Will Nash
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guide Andy Bond and Leif Bergstrom climbed to Ingraham Flats today. The teams were above the smoke and enjoyed a wonderful sunrise. While at the Flats the team learned crevasse rescue and did some ice climbing. The team will finish up their training soon and return to Paradise later this afternoon.
Posted by: Andy Bond, Jack Delaney, Joey Manship
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 11:19 pm PT
Greetings from 14,000' Camp. We packed up 11,000' Camp this morning and climbed up Motorcycle Hill and Squirrel Hill passing the Father and the Son wall. We strolled along the Polo Field and climbed past the 13,000' cache garden where we left supplies yesterday. The terrain on the route is steep and strenuous. The Bond Girls were carrying heavy loads with our sleeping bags, tents, personal gear and one piece of group gear each. But the reason I asked to do to the blog today was the loads carried by Andy, Jack and Joey. Their packs were overloaded beyond imagination and the sleds they dragged were piled high with gear! More than twice the weight any normal person could move. I worked on the railroad most of my life and have witnessed people doing extraordinarily hard jobs under extremely difficult conditions many times but the efforts of these three men today left me in disbelief! I stand at 14,000' Camp tonight looking at the beautiful sight of Mount Hunter and Foraker humbled by the efforts of the men that made it possible.
Jeff Ebeling aka Trashman
Hello to Andy Geldean and the rest of the group. I’ve been following the blog and am exhausted just reading about your journey. You all amaze me. So proud of you Andy. Can’t wait to see pics.
Posted by: Dawn riewe on 6/15/2023 at 2:50 pm
Moving on up! Go, Scott go!! Congrats guides and team on conquering a long, hard day! Hot cider cheers from Nashville! CKP
Posted by: Christine Perkinson on 6/15/2023 at 11:33 am
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
May 28, 2023 12:01 PM PT
We hoped for a repeat of yesterday's weather, but instead we got light snow and wind. Definitely not a summit day.
So we're resting inside our tents inside a ping pong ball. Spirits are high despite today's weather wrinkle. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to climb.
We stocked our camp with plenty of food and fuel, so we're able to wait it out a few days. Until next time, we'll be counting the ripstop nylon squares in our tents, dreaming of a sunny and calm day for climbing.
Mike
Well done! Very impressive! Safe journey back to Talkeetna- where the beer is cold and the pizza is hot!!! Yeah! You did it!!! Susan
Posted by: Susan on 5/30/2023 at 10:38 pm
Congratulations! What an accomplishment :-) safe travels on the way down. You should be very proud of yourselves.
Elysia hey
Posted by: Elysia Morrison on 5/30/2023 at 9:42 am
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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:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
We had a restful night here at the Chilcabamba Lodge last night. The Team woke to clear and sunny skies and a spectacular view of Cotopaxi. The Chilcabama Lodge is a rustic hacienda with thatch roofs, that has been given just enough of a facelift to maintain its charm and more then enough creature comforts to enjoy our time here. We set out for what ended up being a long walk to a waterfall that we could not access. However, along the way we enjoyed the beautiful rolling farms, lush vegetation and fun conversation for about four hours. We are all back enjoying some down time and anticipating afternoon rain showers. This group has really bonded well and the trip has flown by. We will refresh a few items for our climb and pack our bags for Cotopaxi this evening before dinner.
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
On The Map
Hi to Jeff Hooper from sis - I think this is the right team! Hope you are having a great time, looks cold! Take care, thinking of you. Jill and Dad (via phone)
Posted by: Jill Cathey on 5/26/2013 at 7:59 pm
Hello Monica,
Wow the pictures are beautiful! Kathy,Maribeth and I are so proud of your accomplishments!
Praying for you,
Jimmy Rx
Posted by: Jim Gentle on 5/26/2013 at 6:44 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
Mike Walter checks in from 17,200' camp
On The Map
Way to go Kyle!!! I am so happy to hear that you reached the summit. I can’t wait to hear all about it! Love you bunches! Christina
Posted by: Christina on 5/29/2012 at 1:40 pm
Congradualations! Awsome Job! We can’t wait to celebrate with you and hear all about it.
Kyle, we LYF
Posted by: Donna & Lloyd on 5/27/2012 at 10:45 pm
Someone add 10 extra pounds to Sara’s pack and DON’T TELL HER!! Good luck to everyone.
Posted by: Dwight on 8/21/2023 at 1:33 pm
Best of luck to all the group especially my son, Heath Scheibmeir. Enjoy the wonders of your trip and above all STAY SAFE! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
Posted by: Joni Y Thummel on 8/20/2023 at 8:49 am
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