At a coaching conference a while back, I listened to some very experienced triathlon coaches speak about Ironman training. According to these coaches, the TSS (Training Stress Score) numbers that TrainingPeaks can calculate are solid enough for them to say with some conviction that to complete the world championship race in Kona in under 9 hours, a triathlete needs a CTL (Chronic Training Load) of 150. They also had enough data to produce similar benchmarks for other races and marathon times. This got me thinking: Would it be possible to establish a CTL yardstick in TrainingPeaks for the mountain athletes we coach?What follows is a deep dive into how we came up with…

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Steve and I continue to beat the drum of low-intensity training for building endurance. Why are we so focused on it? Early in our careers, we connected some previously unconnected dots and had the proverbial aha moment that shaped our training philosophy. Over the past 15 years of ascents and achievements, both personally and with our clients, that philosophy has proven itself to work very well.Yet we still run into alpine climbers and trainers on a daily basis who continue to use training methods more suited to sport climbers and 5,000-meter runners…

Is the hardest part of training finding time for your workouts? Do you need to prioritize family and work ahead of training? Is life too busy to think about increasing your strength and fitness?If you have read Training for the New Alpinism or any of the writing here on the Uphill Athlete website, you know that we are not big on compromise approaches to training. We have a great deal of experience working with elite endurance athletes and we know what works and why it works. We know that it takes a large volume of training, applied systematically for years,…

BUY NOW FOR $89 This is the plan that we recommend for those who have already had a season or two of structured endurance training and are looking to boost their performance in SkiMo races. This 16 week plan starts at a higher level than the beginner/intermediate plan. It will be demanding in terms of time and energy. It will require considerable effort to complete. It is not for a novice as it starts off with over 7 hours of required training the first week and peaks at over 11 hours per week. It includes substantially more high intensity training…

BUY NOW FOR $49 The Uphill Athlete 8 Week Hut-to-Hut Ski Tour Training Plan is designed for skiers bound for a multi-day hut trip and or ski traverse like the Wapta, Ortler, Hochtirol or Haute Route. This plan assumes that you have no strength training background but are fit enough already for long day tours. This plan is ideal for ski tourers who have never engaged in an organized training program or who have not done so for a long time.This plan is based on scientifically sound training principles and a combined thirty years of professional endurance coaching experience and…

BUY NOW FOR $89 This is the minimal plan that we recommend for those who are at the early stages of SkiMo racing and have a goal of competing in short-duration (sub 4 hour) SkiMo races. This 16 week pre season plan progresses gradually but will require considerable effort to complete. It is primarily a dry land based program so that you can hit the snow in good shape and for those who do not live close to snow. The endurance workouts can be done on snow if you have access.. It is not for a novice as it starts…

BUY NOW FOR $69 This is the plan for expert back country skiers and ski mountaineers who seek out the steep lines on big mountains. This advanced level plan is intended primarily for skiers who will skin or climb to the top of their objective. It will also serve well for heli or lift-assisted skiers looking to improve their all mountain skiing. The plan is not for novices and assumes you have a solid physical conditioning, no current injuries and have been very active over the summer but are looking to put the final touches on your fitness during the…

This is how David Roeske became the fourth person ever to successfully climb Everest and another 8,000-meter peak, in his case Cho Oyu, without oxygen in the same season.Part One: Braving Hypoxia on Cho OyuDuring the long flight from New York to Doha, Qatar, I had time to reflect on the seriousness and uncertainty of the journey I was about to undertake. We were cruising along comfortably above 30,000 feet, just a bit higher than the summit of Everest. I shivered a little, not knowing what the next weeks might bring, what condition my body would be in on the…

This is how David Roeske prepared to climb two 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen in a stairwell at sea level.When I got back from Everest in 2013, I felt incredibly grateful and overwhelmed with my good fortune. The summit experience was powerful and transcendent for me, and I came back with a desire to share the inspiration I had found there. I also felt fortunate that my body had proven able to handle such a major leap in altitude from the levels I had previously climbed. In seizing the opportunity to go, I had accepted a substantial probability of having to…

It was high on the summit slopes of Mount Orizaba, during what felt like a complete crash, that I found myself reflecting on how I had become a mountain climber in the first place.Back in 2009, I had suffered a different kind of crash. I was just out of university, and in the throes of a demoralizing breakup after five years of a difficult and enduring relationship. I don’t want to get into too many details about what she did, what I did, what happened to make it all go wrong. I just want to say this: my confidence, my…