{"id":33701,"date":"2019-11-18T21:52:47","date_gmt":"2019-11-19T04:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=33701"},"modified":"2019-11-19T16:26:02","modified_gmt":"2019-11-19T23:26:02","slug":"why-did-i-turn-back-on-my-last-climb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/18\/why-did-i-turn-back-on-my-last-climb\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did I Turn Back on my Last Climb?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With no hope left, you drop like a sack of rocks into your chair. Your eyes focus on the wall, then the 100-yard stare begins.<\/span><\/p>\n

You thought you did everything right, but as you near the top of your mountain, you hit the wall. Bang, dead in your tracks. Left with no choice, you turned around and now are back home, filled with doubts. I\u2019ve sat in that chair back home too many times, to be honest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I believe that five areas deserve an in-depth, honest review to learn from your experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Training\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Fuel<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Pace<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Acclimatization<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Mental toughness<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let\u2019s take them one at a time seeking to identify your specific areas of improvement.<\/span><\/p>\n

    TRAINING<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Training is a distinct area to inspect. Did you train well enough for the scope of the climb? Note, I\u2019m not asking if you trained \u201chard enough,\u201d but rather, did you train \u201csmart enough.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Physiology experts and climbers themselves, Scott Johnston and Steve House, have developed an entire culture around smart training. In their book \u201cTraining for the New Alpinism,\u201d Scott puts it bluntly:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201cThe days of working out until you puke are over, thankfully, for climbers, and may well be for any athlete.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

    One thing is clear, to climb mountains, it\u2019s best to train in the mountains. After all, why do you think Michale Phelps, 20 time Olympic Swimming Gold Medal winner spends so much time in the pool?<\/span><\/p>\n

    Training for climbing is all about stamina, developing an efficient cardiovascular system, not bulking up with huge muscles. Take a look at Alex Honold, Simone Moro or, our friend, Steve House – lean and lanky. Do you think it was actually Sylvester Stallone who climbed that 5.12 rock wall in the horrible movie \u201cCliff Hanger\u201d?<\/span><\/p>\n

    When I\u2019m training for a big climb, I try to get three days a week: one long 8-12 hours, then two more 4-6 hour events. I try to carry a 20 to 30-pound pack, and because I\u2019ve chosen to live in Colorado, almost all my training is in the mountains, mostly between 6,000 and 14,000 feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Another factor to consider while training is overtraining and\u00a0<\/span>low-carb diets<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that cause glycogen depletion, which I\u2019ll cover next. Bottom line – overtraining is terrible!<\/span><\/p>\n

    As I\u2019ve said often about training for K2, Everest, or any challenging climb considering your experience, when you start to get tired, you have only just begun.<\/span><\/p>\n

    To get the best result, you need to learn how to push your body to smart limits while training is the key to pushing beyond the wall in the mountains.<\/span><\/p>\n

    FUEL<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Our bodies are engines that need fuel: water, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. This great chart from\u00a0<\/span>Nutri Strategy<\/a><\/span>\u00a0reveals the fuel challenge:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Calories burned per hour during various exercises<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Activity<\/b><\/td>\n130 lbs<\/b><\/td>\n155 lbs<\/b><\/td>\n180 lbs<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Rock climbing, ascending rock<\/td>\n649<\/td>\n774<\/td>\n899<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Rock climbing, mountain climbing<\/td>\n472<\/td>\n563<\/td>\n654<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Rock climbing, rappelling<\/td>\n472<\/td>\n563<\/td>\n654<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Hiking, cross country<\/td>\n354<\/td>\n422<\/td>\n490<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Climbing hills, carrying < 9 lbs<\/td>\n413<\/td>\n493<\/td>\n572<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Climbing hills, carrying 10-20 lbs<\/td>\n443<\/td>\n528<\/td>\n613<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Climbing hills, carrying 21-42 lbs<\/td>\n472<\/td>\n563<\/td>\n654<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Climbing hills, carrying > 42 lbs<\/td>\n531<\/td>\n633<\/td>\n735<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    One of the critical elements is glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

    In general, we have about 4 hours of glycogen before we begin strenuous exercise. This storage is about 400 grams or about 1,600-2,800 calories of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, stored in our muscles and liver at any given moment.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not surprising that if we don\u2019t replace the fuel we burn, we \u201cbonk\u201d before the liver begins to convert fat and protein to glucose. The symptoms include extreme fatigue, dizziness, and maybe even hallucinations. Sound familiar?<\/p>\n

    The moral to this tale is to keep the body topped off, but humans can only process about 250 Kcal of sugar per hour, far less than we expend over the same period.<\/p>\n

    I use Honey Stinger products. I like the way my body processes the natural honey, but in the end, sugar is sugar and natural is best.<\/p>\n

    Dehydration is the silent killer in the mountains. We sweat and lose water even on the coldest days. Some athletes sweat 0.5 to 1.5 liters an hour. This transparent process sucks away life and leaves us fatigued and hurting. While a few elite athletes can train their bodies to go all day on little food and water, we regular folk don\u2019t have that capacity. I try to drink half a liter every couple of hours and always add electrolyte replacement tablets, i.e., Nuun products, to keep my body chemistry in balance.<\/p>\n

    When you think about hitting the wall, how much food and water (and was it the right kind) did you take on board the previous few hours? A simple change in habits will go a long way to improve performance. Self-care in the mountains is your responsibility.<\/p>\n

    PACE<\/h2>\n

    It can be easy, or perhaps, misleading to find your speed when you are alone, but most of us hike or climb with friends and on occasion in a guided group. One of my Everest friends calls his best practice his \u201cgo all-day pace.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Summit days can be 8, 12, 16 hours, or longer on the significant peaks. You must be able to find a sustainable pace that is neither too fast or too slow – the Goldilocks pace! Too slow will put you in danger of pure exhaustion. Too fast can have the same effect – everyone has their limits.<\/p>\n

    Professional guides try to find a safe pace, based on experience, that will get you to the top and back in a reasonable timeframe. But some guides push too fast, forcing their clients to go more quickly than their cardio-vascular system can support. Going back to our training discussion, that \u201cfast pace\u201d may not be too fast, it may expose inadequate training or self-care.<\/p>\n

    ACCLIMATIZATION<\/span><\/h2>\n

    The human body is fantastic at adapting to different environments. However, it has to have a chance. Living at sea-level and flying to Colorado to immediately climb to 14,000-feet is asking for trouble. Make that a guarantee if you try to shortcut the acclimatization process for a 7,000 or 8,000-meter peak.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The body begins to create new red blood cells almost immediately upon being exposed to a lower amount of oxygen. To fully adapt to a new altitude, it may require several weeks shown by most studies, and the new red blood cells will live for about 120 days.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember that altitude sickness can start as low as 8,000-feet! While you may think you are \u201cunique\u201d because you have climbed a California or Colorado 14,000-foot peak with no problem, that was probably in 24 hours. Spending a couple of weeks or longer on a 6,000 or 7,000 or 8,000-meter peak is an entirely different scenario.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The rule of thumb for acclimatization is never to gain more than 300-500 meters\/900-1500 ft per day. Most guided climbs loosely follow this protocol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The problem is simple – look at this chart from the\u00a0<\/span>Center for Wilderness Safety<\/a><\/span>\u00a0for the \u201ceffective oxygen\u201d levels. Although air contains 20.9% oxygen at all altitudes, lower air pressure at high altitude makes it feel like there is a smaller percentage of oxygen.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Altitude (feet)<\/b><\/td>\nAltitude (meters)<\/b><\/td>\nEffective Oxygen %<\/b><\/td>\nAltitude Category<\/b><\/td>\nExample<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    0<\/td>\n0<\/td>\n20.9<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\nBoston, MA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    1000<\/td>\n305<\/td>\n20.1<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    2000<\/td>\n610<\/td>\n19.4<\/td>\nLow<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    3000<\/td>\n914<\/td>\n18.6<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    4000<\/td>\n1219<\/td>\n17.9<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    5000<\/td>\n1524<\/td>\n17.3<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\nBoulder, CO<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    6000<\/td>\n1829<\/td>\n16.6<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\nMt. Washington, NH<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    7000<\/td>\n2134<\/td>\n16.0<\/td>\nMedium<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    8000<\/td>\n2438<\/td>\n15.4<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\nAspen, CO<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    9000<\/td>\n2743<\/td>\n14.8<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    10000<\/td>\n3048<\/td>\n14.3<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    11000<\/td>\n3353<\/td>\n13.7<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    12000<\/td>\n3658<\/td>\n13.2<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    13000<\/td>\n3962<\/td>\n12.7<\/td>\nVery High<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    14000<\/td>\n4267<\/td>\n12.3<\/td>\nVery High<\/td>\nPikes Peak<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    15000<\/td>\n4572<\/td>\n11.8<\/td>\nVery High<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    16000<\/td>\n4877<\/td>\n11.4<\/td>\nVery High<\/td>\nMont Blanc<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    17000<\/td>\n5182<\/td>\n11.0<\/td>\nVery High<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    18000<\/td>\n5486<\/td>\n10.5<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    19000<\/td>\n5791<\/td>\n10.1<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\nKilimanjaro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    20000<\/td>\n6096<\/td>\n9.7<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\nDenali (McKinley)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    21000<\/td>\n6401<\/td>\n9.4<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\nLimit of MAG-20<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    22000<\/td>\n6706<\/td>\n9.0<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    23000<\/td>\n7010<\/td>\n8.7<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\nAconcagua<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    24000<\/td>\n7315<\/td>\n8.4<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    25000<\/td>\n7620<\/td>\n8.1<\/td>\nExtreme<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    26000<\/td>\n7925<\/td>\n7.8<\/td>\nUltra<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    27000<\/td>\n8230<\/td>\n7.5<\/td>\nUltra<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    28000<\/td>\n8534<\/td>\n7.2<\/td>\nUltra<\/td>\nK2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    29000<\/td>\n8839<\/td>\n6.9<\/td>\nUltra<\/td>\nEverest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    But the \u201cfeel-like\u201d altitude depends on temperature and location relative to the poles and equator. The closer to the poles the temperature your body will feel the impact of \u201cthin-air\u201d<\/p>\n

    \n

    Summit Coach<\/a><\/h2>\n
    \n
    You\u2019re about to spend $10,000 or even $50,000 to climb the mountain of your dreams \u2013 but are you ready? Summit Coach<\/a><\/strong>‘s consulting service can help climbers of all experience levels better prepare and increase their chances of a positive expedition. Based on Alan Arnette\u2019s 23 years of high altitude mountain experience and 30 years as a business executive, we help aspiring climbers throughout the world achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services.<\/div>\n

    Please click for more information on signing up<\/a>, services<\/a>, pricing<\/a> and why select Alan<\/a> as your coach.<\/h3>\n
    \n<\/div>\n

    MENTAL TOUGHNESS<\/h2>\n

    This last area may be your Achilles\u2019 heel. When I ran track in High School, one day, I was loafing through practice. Finally, my coach, in utter frustration, called me over and said: \u201cAlan, you don\u2019t want it bad enough.\u201d He was right.<\/p>\n

    At one point in my climbing career, I had given up on more peaks than I had summited. I had made a lot of the previously mentioned mistakes, but more to this point, I lacked real motivation. I required a deep understanding of why I would put myself in such uncomfortable settings. I lacked the knowledge of the \u201cwhy\u201d and found it easier to focus on the \u201cwhy not.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Motivation is the key to smart training, smart self-care, smart pacing, and smart acclimatization. The best actors always want to know \u201cwhat is my motivation\u201d before they accept a movie role.<\/p>\n

    But this is another one of those \u201cand\u201d with the \u201cand\u201d being motivation and mental toughness. Marathon runners talk about \u201cmile 23,\u201d where their body is ready to shut down. They hit the wall. The best athletes train for this and are prepared, knowing it will happen. For climbers on a prominent peak, most of us hit the same wall.<\/p>\n

    My epiphany came after three unsuccessful attempts to summit Everest. I hit the wall at precisely the same place, just below the balcony around 27,500-feet. I was climbing for bragging rights, to stand on the summit and declare victory – that I \u201cconquered\u201d the mountain. How silly. How ego-driven. On my fourth attempt, I was climbing in memory of Ida Arnette, who died from Alzheimer\u2019s Disease. It was a cause larger than my self-interests.<\/p>\n

    Now, I\u2019m not saying that everyone has to have a \u201ccause,\u201d but I am saying that you have to know precisely why you are willing to put yourself in such pain and discomfort because it\u2019s just too easy to turn around and sink in that chair.<\/p>\n

    Taking Inventory<\/h2>\n

    So on the next training or big climb, take inventory when you are in trouble:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Am I hydrated?<\/li>\n
    2. Do I have enough fuel i.e carbohydrates on board right now?<\/li>\n
    3. Was my physical preparation adequate now that I’m here and know what is happening.<\/li>\n
    4. Do I really want this and enough and am not willing to die for it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Questions 1 and 2 are key. The answers depend on your experience. If this is your first time at 8,000 meters, you don’t know what you don’t know. A wrong answer could be deadly. If on a Californa or Colorida 14er, the risk is high but might not be deadly. The next two questions are best for when you are safely down, especially number four.<\/p>\n

      Climb On!
      \nAlan
      \nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      With no hope left, you drop like a sack of rocks into your chair. Your eyes focus on the wall, then the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Why Did I Turn Back on my Last Climb? On the next training or big climb, take inventory of these 4 steps when you are in trouble.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[432],"class_list":["post-33701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climbing-news","tag-climbing-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/everest_2008_442-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}