Energy bars

Crubeens

I'm treking up Kilimanjaro in a couple of months and have been advised to bring lots of energy bars to eat between meals as you get so hungry on the trek.

Any advice on the best kind of energy bars to bring?

fergalr

I have no experience with big mountains like that, or special needs of altitude.

One piece of advice I can give is that it's very important to train with whatever you're going to eat before you go - make sure you've practiced eating the type of bar at similar intervals doing similar exercise.
Even though energy bars are expensive, it's worth doing this a few times, as some people find that food they can eat while not exercising doesn't work at all for them when on the move.

Krusty_Clown

Try the athletics forum... They'd be experts on the subject of energy bars/gels/camel packs etc!

Alun

How cold does it get up there? I've experience of the chewy type energy bars (i.e. not the ones containing any kind of grain, if you get what I mean) going absolutely rock solid even at modestly low temperatures (-5 to -10). They became effectively inedible unless you kept them somewhere warm close to you body.

cavedave

fergalr
One piece of advice I can give is that it's very important to train with whatever you're going to eat before you go.

I agree with this. This book by an ultrarunner "Why We Run: A Natural History" describes what happened when he switched to a different form of cranberry juice. If you see a copy of it it is worth reading as it talks about the science of endurance events.

pirelli

cavedave wrote: »

I agree with this. This book by an ultrarunner "Why We Run: A Natural History" describes what happened when he switched to a different form of cranberry juice. If you see a copy of it it is worth reading as it talks about the science of endurance events.

Good advice an something I would have never realised could have such an effect.