Technical Training
Climbing at altitude is extremely dangerous and it is vital that we develop all the technical skills we will need before we climb Everest. The following training schedule will ensure that we are ready to take on whatever the Big E throws at us!
October 2009 – Rock Climbing Course – Already Completed!!!The course we attended at Plas Y Brenin in Snowdonia, North Wales, was designed to take us from absolute beginners to starting to lead our own climbs. During the week we learnt some bouldering techniques which involved climbing without ropes. This developed our awareness as to how to distribute our body weight according to the moves we need to execute, a vital part of climbing. This dispelled the commonly held myth that climbing is all about upper body strength and hauling yourself up! In addition, we learnt all the necessary rope techniques to be-able to go out and climb confidently on our own and practiced using some of the technical equipment such as the harnesses, ascenders and belay devices that we will be using on Everest.
All you gadget geaks check out exactly what equipment we’ll be using on our Equipment page.
Winter Mountaineering Skills – Scotland – February 2010.We will be heading up to Scotland to join Mountain Instructor Di Gilbert for a week to improve our Winter Mountaineering Skills in Scotland’s testing conditions. We chose Di as our guide as she was successful in guiding Jake Meyer, the youngest Brit to summit Everest in 2005, so she has experienced Everest and will be able to tailor our training accordingly. Based in Aviemore we plan to strap on our crampons for the first time and learn how to manoeuvre safely on both snow and ice. This will be a tailor made course designed to practise the skills we need to conquer our other training climbs and eventually the big E! This will be our first foray into the use of crampons and ice axes and getting used to the cold weather that we are pretty much guaranteed to find in Scotland! Although not necessarily needed for Everest, we also plan to gain our first experience of ice climbing which involves a host of new skills in itself.
Mont Blanc & Expedition Training Course - June 2010Before we tackle Mont Blanc itself we plan to attend an intensive Expedition Skills course in Chamonix. This will build on the winter skills we developed in Scotland. These will include rescue techniques, glacier travel, using fixed ropes and navigation on snow and ice. We will then put these skills to the test on Mont Blanc itself.
Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco in Italian, meaning White Mountain, is the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe. It rises to 4,810 metres (15,781 feet) above sea level and lies between the regions of Aosta Valley in Italy and Haute-Savoie in France. This will be our first taster of altitude but remains relatively low in comparison to Everest. This makes it the perfect practise ground to practise our new skills.
There are two routes that we may climb. The slightly more technical route takes you from Aiguille du Midi, over Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit and is generally a quieter route. The more reliable and slightly easier ascent would be via the Tramway du Mont Blanc to the Nid d’Aigle, then over the Dôme du Goûter and the Bosses ridge. The assents will take approximately 6 – 7 hours and as the air is thin the going will be slow and steady.
Cho Oyo / Aconcagua – August / October 2010.Both Cho Oyo and Aconcagua are excellent mountains to climb in order to prepare for high altitude mountaineering and expedition life. Either of these will provide a tough test and we will make the decision as to which one to tackle closer to the time depending on what leave we are able to secure from work. (Thank you lovely boss people!!)
Cho OyoCho Oyo is the sixth highest mountain in the World standing at 8,281 meters (26,906 feet) and is located 20km to the West of Everest in the Himalaya. Cho Oyo translates as 'Goddess of Turquoise' referring to the stark shadows that appear in this colour when viewed from Tibet during sunset. It is located at the border between China and Nepal and whilst it is regarded as technically straightforward for an 8,000 metre peak, it’s altitude is a serious undertaking and requires very high levels of fitness and preparation. This will also give us the opportunity to experience using oxygen for the first time. Like Everest, Cho Oyo involves staying at various camps on the way up in order to acclimatise before making an assault on the summit.
This will be our first visit to the Himalayas and the first time we’ll see Everest for real. The initial few days will involve a series of acclimatisation walks, often in Nylam and Tingri, experiencing the Tibetan culture and meeting and working with the Sherpas for the first time.
AconcaguaAs an alternative we may decide to climb Aconcagua which stands at 6,962 meters (22,841 feet) and is the highest mountain outside Asia. It is located in Argentina in the Andes Mountain range and is one of the seven summits. In mountaineering terms it is a technically easy mountain when approached by the normal route and although the effects of altitude are severe, the use of supplemental oxygen is not required. However, it will provide excellent training and allow us to build on our fitness, altitude experience and expedition life.
Kilimanjaro – January 2011.After Cho Oyo or Aconcagua, climbing Kilimanjaro should be relatively easy! We thought we would add this one in as it only takes a week and will boost our altitude experience shortly before our Everest attempt. At 5,895 meters, Kilimanjaro is the world’s highest freestanding mountain and on a clear day it is possible to see the curvature of the horizon from the summit. There are a variety of routes, all trekkable for people with a good level of physical fitness.