Preparing For A High Altitude & Hot Mountain Climb/Trek

I was preparing some simple info for a couple of guys heading to climb a high and hot peak in Africa and thought it may be of interest to someone also also... Nathan Kingerlee - Outdoors Ireland


There are two things I would suggest to get to your summit comfortably; 1 - be mountain fit and 2 - be organised with your gear/clothing.

1. To be mountain fit is fairly straightforward; just a case of getting onto the trails and hills. Gym work won't achieve it. Look for trails that have ups/downs and plenty of height gain to build stamina. OSI Map 56 covers the Wicklow/Dublin Mountains and has some decent options on it.

2. The main reason people have issues and problems in the hills in my opinion is due to being disorganised, untidy with their packing, and not knowing what they should be carrying. Also not having enough water and getting dehydrated, leading to injury or feeling altitude sickness more that you should do.

If you have exactly what you need in your bag, with plenty of spares (but not too much to weigh you down); plus know exactly where each and every piece of gear is kept, from blister plasters to your spare socks; this means you can relax about your gear and simply concentrate on your breathing, footwork and keeping your body under control at the higher altitudes.