Training for the New Alpinism and Training for the Uphill Athlete are the books for alpine climbing and backcountry skiing training. Summary is as follows:

• Most people train for all-day, high-mileage mountain pursuits incorrectly. It is a common misconception that one needs to train at high intensity all of the time and that the harder they train, the less they have to train. This “work hard play hard” mentality does not work here.

• Very generally: We have 5 heart rate zones. All-day, high-mileage mountain pursuits should be in primarily zones 1 and 2. This is a pace we can maintain all day. If we spend too much time in zones 3-5, we are likely to bonk early. Given that, our focus should be to expand what we can do while still being in zones 1 and 2. The only way to do that is by spending more time training in zones 1 and 2 (aka low intensity, high mileage).

• A very rough indicator of transitioning from zone 1-2 to 3-5 is when you feel like you are are forced to breathe from your mouth instead of your nose.

  • Get a heart rate monitor for the most precision.

  • Regardless of zone, nose-breathing is always more efficient than mouth-breathing, so train yourself to nose-breathe even in higher zones.

• I’ve personally found that I am better able to stay in the correct heart rate zones when I am solo vs. with people (peer pressure to go a particular pace).

• Other types of training are still important, and different objectives call for different training plans.

• Recovery (sleep, nutrition) is critical. Your workout isn’t what increases fitness; your recovery from your workout is what increases fitness.

• Sample training plan

  • Zone 1-2 training

    • Try to mimic your activity as closely as possible. Hike steep terrain with a pack (~20 lbs if single day, ~40 lbs if multi day) and mountain boots (if applicable). When no access to hills, stairmaster with a pack and mountain boots forwards and backwards.

    • If new to training, start with 2 hrs/week and gradually ramp up to 4 hrs/week.

    • In addition, do 1 longer zone 1-2 workout per 2 weeks that mimics your objective. Gradually ramp up the duration of this workout; 2 weeks before your objective, you should be mimicking the same elevation gain and mileage as your objective.

  • Strength training

    • Core workout + strength training

    • If new to training, start with 1 session/week and gradually ramp up to 2 sessions/week.

  • The week before your objective should be focused on recovering with light activity.