Training for Mountain Fitness

K09

Hi,

A group of friends are planning to hike Kilimanjaro in June.
Could someone please direct me to a good training program for this. Fitness is currently pretty low.

Altitude sickness seems to be main issue on the mountain. So would it help immensely to be very fit?

Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Cookie_Monster

Kilimanjaro is actually a very easy walk all in all. Go hiking every weekend and this should be enough, if you have an ok level of fitness, get used to walking on rough ground for 5-6 hours a day.

thirtyfoot

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Kilimanjaro is actually a very easy walk all in all.

That in my opinion is bad advice. When you are walking to a height of 19,000 feet then you should never under estimate anything. Put simply, you can die at that height if you are stupid or unlucky. Yes, the distance you travel and the hours you hike (4-6 hrs a day) will be easy but that is not the issue. To a seasoned high altitude hiker or climber it is a very easy walk. To the vast majority of others it is a very, very hard walk but a walk that most people can accomplish. Just because Cheryl Cole and a few other celebs did it, doesn't make it a stroll in the park.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Go hiking every weekend and this should be enough, if you have an ok level of fitness, get used to walking on rough ground for 5-6 hours a day.

That in my opinion is good advice. Just get out hiking as often as you can. Get into good habits, staying hydrating, snacking on your hike etc etc.

Its trail most of the way so surface is not an issue. A few strolls up Sugarloaf or something like that will get you used to the scree on the cone.

gman2k

K09 wrote: »

Hi,

A group of friends are planning to hike Kilimanjaro in June.
Could someone please direct me to a good training program for this. Fitness is currently pretty low.

Altitude sickness seems to be main issue on the mountain. So would it help immensely to be very fit?

Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks.

Fitness is important for doing the walk, so you'll have to work on that. Stamina is even more important, and the ability to go through the pain, tiredness barrier.
You should get used to being able to climb any of the Wicklow hills, Leinster, Kippure etc, and get used to slogging uphill!
Re Altitude sickness, nothing can prevent it happening - if it's going to happen.
Some climbers can do many high altitude trips without problems, then it'll strike without warning.
The medical community don't actually know for sure what brings it on in certain people at certain times.
Acclimatisation will certainly help though.
The best piece of advice I can give you re A.S. is to take it easy when you are out there, stay very hydrated, and don't push the pace. There are drugs you can take if the symptoms appear, but going down is always the best advice.
I trekked in Nepal a few years back, and I was at my lifetime fitness peak at that time (running 5m per day, gym work etc). However, I got Altitude sickness in Namche Bazaar @3440m, and had to come down, and ended the trek. For 24 hours, I felt the worst I ever felt in my life, and even though I had planned the trip for 9 months, getting outta dodge was all I wanted!
So to summarize, get fit, otherwise you won't be able to climb, but it won't guarantee protection against A.S.