Climbing Everest: a 2 year plan

wasatch range wrote:

leadvillenative: I mistyped my email:

goteberg74@yahoo.com

statfool: thanks. i'd like to start with Leadvillenative's route this august, progress to Aconcagua in December, then do rainier in june. Aconcagua will be during my busy operative time at the end of the year, as well as deer season, so I might do that in jan. i'll likely do Leadville's route again that august, then again that winter, then hopefully be that much closer in may for a trip to Nepal. obviously, i'll be training hard in the interims here in the Wasatch and gym, as well as purchasing an altitude tent for the guestroom.

Please go away.

The 14ers in Colorado do look like the closest ones to you.

You might be able to do Tokewanna (UT, 13k) in a 2 day weekend, but it could be rough on your knees. 3 days would be better for getting started.

http://www.summitpost.org/tokewanna-peak/152823

LeadvilleNative's circuit sounds like a big test, but not really what you are doing on Everest because of the heavy pack. If you want to try it in the winter you will need time to develop a network of mountaineering partners. Going solo on that without much experience wouldn't be good.

Just getting some time hiking at 14k in Colorado is the main thing. Assuming you can go up and downhill fine in the 9k-13k range.

Aconcagua before Rainier is OK as long as you test yourself well at 14k first. Aconcagua is pretty high, at 23k. It sounds like you are trying to rush it. I'd do Rainier first.

Everest is weird now because of the $ and the fixed ropes. You are basically hiking up a series of footsteps with an ascender on the fixed rope. Little or no pack; most stuff is carried for you. It requires $, the ability to function at altitude and some endurance.

Conventional mountaineering is done mostly unroped because of the long distances and time it would take to anchor the rope to belay. So you will be in some situations where if you slip, you probably die. Different from having a fixed rope. You have to develop skills for getting up terrain in careful control over many hours. Both this and Everest require moving efficiently.

Climb Cho Oyu or Shishapangma before going to Everest if you want to gain some valuable experience on a couple of the "easier" 8,000m peaks.

You're a surgeon with a yahoo email address? I'm a little skeptical to send my friend's number. I don't know if you are a troll or not, but your language kind of indicates it.

Jkj wrote:

You're a surgeon with a yahoo email address? I'm a little skeptical to send my friend's number. I don't know if you are a troll or not, but your language kind of indicates it.

Even if he isn't a troll, I wouldn't send him your friend's information. High-achieving, narcissistic tourists, who take up mountaineering so that they can inflate their own ego by claiming an ascent of Everest are a blight on the climbing community.

wasatch range wrote:

Can anyone here put me into contact with someone here in the Salt Lake City area that might be available for specific training advice/goals along this period?

You've gotten some decent advice here about Everest, along with all the other stuff. Become a mountaineer first and decide whether you like it. Your objectives may change, or not. Anyway, not SLC, but look into Mountain Athlete in Jackson. Their programs are what you're looking for, I think, and you can do them remotely.

Go to the nearest restroom, stand in front of the mirror, and take a good, long, wistful look at the tip of your nose. Now say farewell.

I sat on a plane next to a guy who had done the seven summits, and more impressively, all the seven continent's second highest summits.

In regards to your body fat %:

I would focus more on being in shape. This guy told us that they would return to base camp just to gain weight back. The oxygen at that altitude burns up fat and can leave you with very little energy. He said they would come back to camp and just eat out of PB jars and try to throw on 15 lbs before their next ascent.

look into hang gliding back down, most casualties occur going down, not up the mountain

nope. not a troll. i'm not sure how a yahoo email address would indicate that? i've had it since 1995. anyway, if you don't want to give me the name and help, then that's totally fine, man. in the future, don't offer then. seriously. everyone wants to post their two cents on this thread as well as seemingly any other (most of it from people who have never done anything like this- only read books), yet no one ever wants to back it up or actually answer the original question posted. i DON'T CARE if there are fixed ropes. i DON'T care if you feel offended that i'm not following your mountaineering rules, mr. "go away". i don't give a rat's behind that you're reading ed viesturs' book. all you other angst riddled middle agers, "experts", and miserable lot can continue to live in your grumpy little world. i don't need any of your negativity. i'll go live. best to you.

xfittest wrote:

Climb K2 like a Real Man. Everest is for girly men.

Saltysailorman wrote:

The oxygen at that altitude burns up fat and can leave you with very little energy.

??

The oxygen at 20k is the exact same as the oxygen here. There's no special "fat burning" oxygen up there.

You are a pathetic loser.

You know what he meant.

another average american wrote:

Saltysailorman wrote:

The oxygen at that altitude burns up fat and can leave you with very little energy.

??

The oxygen at 20k is the exact same as the oxygen here. There's no special "fat burning" oxygen up there.

Honestly didn't/don't. Is it that the body's lack of oxygen burns so much fat? I understand how it exhausts you, but I don't think you burn through your fat supplies at 20k. I've been that high (not meant to be a humblebrag) and while I noticed myself getting tired more easily, we weren't going back to base came to fatten ourselves up or anything. I'm no expert though so if there's information here, I'm genuinely interested in hearing it.

Anyway, OP, I think it's a great goal and you should go for it. Other people might have different priorities and choose different peaks or goals and they're welcome to choose those goals for themselves. If you want Everest, go for Everest.

My comment on the fixed ropes was just meant to say that climbing on the "training peaks" will have different risks that on Everest.

If you want some inspiring training in SLC, check out:

http://www.gymjones.com/

When will they install a chairlift to the top of Everest?

P.S. It might appear from the photo that the people at gymjones are just a bunch of bodybuilders, but the guy in charge is Marc Twight, who is a climber who has done a lot of hard climbs worldwide.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twight

I'm all for living out your dreams bro. Your dream is just a shitty dream. Climb a better mountain.