Powering Up: Four climbing-specific exercises to increase your odds of getting to the top

Michael Darter

Heil topping out on Adams (left); roping up during our "glacier clinic" on Mount Rainier

WE TALKED TO THE EXPERTS, but we didn't like what we heard. All of them, including five-time Everest bagger Ed Viesturs and Trango Tower conqueror Mark Synnott, recommended a steady diet of trail runs. It was sound advice, but a running routine unseasoned with other aerobic ingredients offers all the appeal of a root canal. So most of us shook up the standard cardiovascular routine (20- to 40-minute runs, three times a week) by mixing in the following alternatives.

Ditch the lifts: If you live close to a ski area, hike to the top several times a week by using skins on an alpine-touring setup or simply strapping your skis to a backpack. The workout closely mimics the grinding pace of mountaineering, and the ski down provides a reward decidedly more palpable than the elusive runner's high.

Water torture: To get used to the weight you'll have to haul on an expedition, fill a full-size backpack (5,000 cubic inches or larger) with containers of water (milk jugs, two-liter soda bottles, whatever) to equal roughly 50 pounds, and find the nearest hike that gains approximately 1,500 vertical feet. If your knees or ankles are weak, pour out some of the water before the descent. Try this routine at least twice a week, adding another pound or two each week.

Hit the gym: Alas, aerobic workouts alone won't prepare your legs for a 5,000-foot forced march with a 60-pound pack. If you already have a weight-lifting routine that includes leg exercises, stick with it. If not, try this bare-bones approach starting at least three months before departure: Three times a week, do leg presses, hamstring curls, and squats—three 15-repetition sets of each, with enough weight to bring you to failure by the last rep.

Sit-and-spin: A few strident cyclists on our team rejected running on moral grounds and stuck to their beloved mountain bikes—a method of training that some veteran climbers swear by. Seek out long climbs—anywhere from one to three hours of steady uphill grind—on which you can strengthen your legs, enhance your cardiovascular fitness, and have some fun.

Getting Schooled: Don't even think about stepping onto a glacier until you've "dialed in" these mountaineering skills Help me, fellas! Ingersoll demonstrates crevasse rescue technique with victim/guinea pig Chris Keyes on Rainier's Nisqually Glacier.
OUR THREE-MONTH preparation involved only modest skill-building clinics: a day of knot review and a weekend practicing self-arrest and team rope travel. By the time we reached Rainier, many of us had forgotten our knots and anchors, and were relying on the rusty skills of our more knowledgeable team members. Bad idea. We can't cram a textbook's worth of necessary wisdom in here—for that, you should consult Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (The Mountaineers Books). In the meantime, we strongly urge you to review the following skills checklist and roster of schools (at right) before you set foot on your first self-guided climb.	Training Centers Alaska Mountaineering School 907-733-1016; www.climbalaska.org American Alpine Institute 360-671-1505; www.mtnguide.com Colorado Mountain School 970-586-5758; www.cmschool.com Exum Mountain Guides 307-733-2297; www.exumguides.com Mountain Adventure Seminars 209-753-6556; www.mtadventure.com National Outdoor Leadership School 307-332-5300; www.nols.edu Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. 253-627-6242; www.rainiermountaineering.com
Skills Checklist * Self-arrest * Team rope traveland team arrest * Crampon use (front- pointing, French, and three o'clock) * First aid * Knots (figure eight, butterfly, Münter hitch, clove hitch, bowline, etc.) * Setting up snow anchors with ice axes, pickets, flukes, and screws * Map and compass skills * Crevasse rescue techniques, including Z-pulley system * Weather-reading skills for mountain terrain * Avalanche evaluation * Avalanche rescue