If you had 6 months to train (starting today), could you climb Everest?

The question was "could" I climb Everest, not "would". Even if you have been above 8000m, it is no guarantee of future altitude performance, among other things. In terms of the prerequisites of fitness and experience, my answer is still "yes, I could", if weather and logistics are favorable. I certainly have done far more technically difficult climbs and can run a competitive 50K+.

My uncle did it. He was chunky, to put it nicely, when he started. He paid a ton of money, ~500,000, to basically have three personal Sherpas hall his butt up the hill. It was a many month long thing. They spent a long time acclimating then would do "mini" climbs up to different base camps and come down. He ended up doing it but I guess it took him a dangerously long time, like many hours past the deadline. I'm not sure why they let him keep going, I guess when you pay that kind of money they let you do what you want. He's a bit of jerk. Anyway it did not storm that day so he was very lucky. Also came back skinny. Personally I'm not sure I would do it. I've heard many horror stories about snow blindness, brain swelling due to altitude, confusion because of hypothermia, then there is the problem of paint hundreds of thousands of dollars only to get told you must turn around. Idk, too risky and too many factors outside of my control.

Reality Bath wrote:

The question was "could" I climb Everest, not "would". Even if you have been above 8000m, it is no guarantee of future altitude performance, among other things. In terms of the prerequisites of fitness and experience, my answer is still "yes, I could", if weather and logistics are favorable. I certainly have done far more technically difficult climbs and can run a competitive 50K+.

So, your answer is that you've "never been above 20,000 ft", cushioned by filler of all your technical climbs and running The Speed Goat 50? With all due respect, Everest isn't a Sunday hike up The Grand.

Put it this way: I am far more technically experienced on ice and rock than 90% of the people who have summited, and in better aerobic shape than almost all of them. I have a dozen friends and acquaintances who have summited, soe mutiple times, and a half dozen who have summited K2. I am not speaking out of my @$$. Nothing of what they have told me makes it sound at all appealing.

One thing I would prioritize is adding at l least 10 lbs of bodyfat, since I am currently 6-8%. Also, I would choose my partners wisely; probably the most important variable.

That said, even with all of the above, summiting would probably be a 50/50 proposition. It is that much dependent on objective variables. And if you don't know clearly and viscerally the difference between objective and subjective variables, please don't bother to respond.

Sir Hillary Clinton wrote:

Yes. I could do it with 2 months of training, including the acclimatization period. Have you seen some of the fatties that make it up there? The Sherpas do all the hard work.

Fat is insulation. I'm 6'3", 172 pounds, BMI = 21.5 - not especially skinny for this forum (though I'm a middle-aged guy) - and I think I would freeze to death climbing Everest.

And be able to self-rescue.

moanswers wrote:

Everest should be viewed in climbing like a racing a marathon is in running. Get a lot of experience a lower heights before moving up.

You need to know how to route find, handle ropes, crampons, feeding and keeping yourself warm in a tent in a raging storm, when to forge ahead and when to turn back.

it's not about training, it's about gaining enough experience in less risky climbing situations that you don't get yourself killed.

*** wrote:

(And yes, I know that Everest is not the most demanding climb in the world.)

Assume you had 6 months from today. Also, assume all costs and travel are taken care of, you had the appropriate leave from school/work to train and travel, etc. Also assume that you can use oxygen and have the support of the Tibetan sherpa guides (as many climbers do).

Hi Nick. And, 6 months to climb Mt. Everest means 6 months to live.

Reality Bath wrote:

Put it this way: I am far more technically experienced on ice and rock than 90% of the people who have summited, and in better aerobic shape than almost all of them. I have a dozen friends and acquaintances who have summited, soe mutiple times, and a half dozen who have summited K2. I am not speaking out of my @$$. Nothing of what they have told me makes it sound at all appealing.

One thing I would prioritize is adding at l least 10 lbs of bodyfat, since I am currently 6-8%. Also, I would choose my partners wisely; probably the most important variable.

That said, even with all of the above, summiting would probably be a 50/50 proposition. It is that much dependent on objective variables. And if you don't know clearly and viscerally the difference between objective and subjective variables, please don't bother to respond.

It is hard to hear you as you are talking out of your a$$.

Anyone can do Everest. There have been 80 year old women and 8 year old kids. If you luck out and get good weather, anyone can do it. If you get a freak unforecasted storm the best conditioned climber in the world will perish. It is all about the weather and has nothing to do with condition or physical ability.

Certainly, Killian Jornet is finding out what a crap shoot it is.

Pay attention wrote:

Curious as to how many of the above top 5 posters have ever been above 20k feet? After 8 years as s guide on Denali, Everest, Cho-oyu, etc, I'd say that the majority that have flippantly answered "yes" are typically the types whose dead bodies are still up there.

This +1000

I have pretty good amount of mountain experience, rock climbing, ice climbing, I am fit and used to multi-day hikes on technical terrain carrying heavy loads. The technical aspects of summiting mount Everest do not scare me; I would never even try to climb it, however, because I know that I do not tolerate altitude. When climbing over 14K feet I am the first of the group to get sick, even with a good deal of acclimatization. I can get away with it on Denali, but I know that if I get sick while quickly trying to get down from he summit of Mt Everest as a storm is approaching, I would be dead, and I don't like the odds.

The traffic jams in the Death Zone are an issue as well. People waiting to summit while their oxygen supplies dwindle, finally making it to the top, only to find out they do not have enough left for the decent.

greality wrote:

There have been 80 year old women and 8 year old kids.

Um, no. Maybe on the mountain, not to the summit.

Chack Fecker wrote:

greality wrote:

There have been 80 year old women and 8 year old kids.

Um, no. Maybe on the mountain, not to the summit.

73 is the oldest woman

80 is the oldest man

13 is the youngest

All made the summit.

Bad Wigins wrote:

Why can't you just wear a heated pressure suit like they did on the moon? Don't tell me Everest is more extreme than outer space.

There's a little thing called gravity that is a lot higher on Earth than on the moon. If anyone can make it to the summit of Everest in a moon suit, they are fvcking superhuman.

That depends, what will the weather be on Everest six months from today??

Muffled wrote:

73 is the oldest woman

80 is the oldest man

13 is the youngest

All made the summit.

As I said anyone can do Everest. If an 80 year old and 73 year old woman can do it anyone can do it and you don't need any conditioning at all, all you have to do is listen to your Shirper (guide) and do what they say and it is a breeze, certainly much lower conditioning than it takes to run a 22 minute 5K. So many people have done everest that the biggest problem they have there is the huge amount of trash that piles up from so many people doing it and locals have complained that it has become a tourist location. Also as another stated, it is so easy there are literally traffic jams of people at some of the narrower passes during the 2 favorable weather climbing months. It is 100% about the weather. Get a great day and grannys can do it, get a sudden storm out of nowhere and the best climber in the world will die up there. A much higher percentage of people can climb Everest than can run a 22 minutes 5K.

UsedToBeKnowItAll wrote:

Bad Wigins wrote:

Why can't you just wear a heated pressure suit like they did on the moon? Don't tell me Everest is more extreme than outer space.

There's a little thing called gravity that is a lot higher on Earth than on the moon. If anyone can make it to the summit of Everest in a moon suit, they are fvcking superhuman.

True, but the higher you go the less gravity there is since you are closer to the moon.

By the time you get up there you would damn near need to tether yourself to the flag up there to prevent drifting off into space.

You're gamblin with death. Most people die trying to make it up. If you don't value your life then give it a try.