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I just stumbled across your video. I'm 63 and just finished a hike up twin sisters in Colorado, only 11,400 but everything you say is spot on. I'm in relatively decent shape and patiently slogged my way up the hill. I "trained" for a few months prior by doing a lot of walking and incorporating as many hills locally as I could. My friends in Colorado have talked me into coming back to do a 14er with them. Your video is very helpful. All the physical is obviously very important, I felt the last section from 18:20 to the end may have been the most important.

What's a 14er?

Hike long and high (not on drugs). Don't let altitude be an unpleasant surprise. Also train for the downhill. If you are not conditioned for the hike down, your knees will suffer and you will cry. I generally only hiked during the summer, and it took me 3 years of conditioning until my knees did not hurt on the hike down from a long hike.

I live at sea level… I’ve prepped for baker, Shasta and now Rainier by jogging, and doing stairs for 2-3 hours (25 floors) with a 45 lbs pack and mountaineering boots. Creativity is everything

You parked on a dead end side road ? I climbed I think that one in 1990.

Nice work on the climb. Excellent vid.

Excellent video. Good work on the Spiral Staircase!

Weight on your body

I would say the best clip I've seen! I love the fact that not a word was said but said so much. Great job!

Bro 50lb packs in winter…. 16 mile moderate hikes…. What kind of hell are you living in 😂

I just trail run 4 to 10 miles at a time at low elevation

A different kind of presentation of the natural beauty❤

Thank you

I've done eleven 14ers, nine in the past four years. I'm age 66 now. I think I have a decent training program of hiking 5-6 miles twice every week or two, but you've added a LOT of good advice. I also have a physical job that adds to my training, but I am going to incorporate as much as I can of what you advise. Thanks for the tips - there are way more than just 5 !

Enjoyed the video. At age 74, I completed my first Colorado14er, Mt Elbert, this August 2022. I had done adequate aerobic training (distance and elevation gain) and reached the top in good condition. What helped was all the encouragement I received from other hikers on the trail and seeing the people on top when I got close. Going downhill things got worse. I had extreme leg muscle fatigue (rubber legs) and needed some assistance coming down. In preparing for another attempt on Elbert in August, 2023 at age 75, I am adding more core and leg strength and muscle endurance training to my aerobic training program which seemed adequate.

I just got a 3 year old German/Aussie mix and I can’t wait to build him to the mountains! I’m sure he could already hike miles around me.

Great video! I've been contemplating buying the book you mentioned, Training for the new Alpinism. Some book reviews mention that much of the training involves going to the gym, discouraging me from buying it. Your training approach seems great. I just need to get baseline endurance to hike in the Cascades. I wonder how things are for you two years after this video? Did you go on any 14ers? I need to check out more videos on your channel for sure. I'm just now thinking about doing some easier alpine routes and need to get started with training, but it needs to be in a way that I enjoy at least somewhat, like going on hikes. :) Thanks again.

Love your videos and your pup! If conditions still look good, I'm attempting to take my Belgian malinois on his first 14er this weekend- Quandary! Fingers crossed it goes well because I plan on taking him on a lot more!

Awesome information video, really appreciate the insight.

Good job. I was cheering for you.

Canis Familiaris the friend who never fails!

Amazing video. Your dog muss be sp Happy.

Great advice. And it is so important to take diet, weight, and composition as seriously as training. Losing nonproductive, deadweight fat - and any useless muscle mass - which you no longer have to haul up the hill - is free mountaineering fitness. Leaner is faster - and faster is safer. Not to mention more fun. This is a point driven home well in House and Johnston's more recent book, Training for the Uphill Athlete.

Nice job. Great video. I'm planning to do Crestone Traverse next year. I'll be watching this video repeatedly as I prepare. Congrats and thank you!

My daughter just did this and it really makes me want to tackle this. Thanks for posting, great video!...Subbed.

During the hiking and training part I would factor in a 4th point. 4. Conditions such as temperature, humidity, altitude etc. The psychological factors and mental conditioning is critical. Physical condition is not enough at the elite level. In many cases people will not know how they will respond under pressure, adversity and extreme conditions. That is part of the risk and journey of gaining experience. (Also, climbing alone and in a team are completely different monsters. I suspect that talking to a camera whilst walking can help with pain distraction and rhythm etc)

th-cam.com/video/Hfj0XS9usV4/w-d-xo.html

Thank you for the video!

"False Summit... that's some BS..." - "Yeah that is some BS"... Lol, go do Mt Elbert with the Multiple False Summits plus Steepness Rating Bro... I think there were 3 (correct me if I'm wrong please). I totally felt these quotes! Keep up the Great work!

Thank you for sharing

Great video! I just downloaded the audiobook of Training For New Alpinism, I'm excited to give that a listen. Thanks for talking about heart rate zones. I have an understanding of this from running, but haven't really applied it to hiking. Also I dig your outlook on the importance of elevation gains, I only have ever really looked at that as a metric of how difficult it will be, and not as something to keep track of.

Came across your channel from an old post in the 14ers on FB. Thanks for sharing your experience

Great video. I enjoyed it. I'd add one more topic of concern and that would be altitude. I can tell you are from Colorado but some of us live in the lower altitude states and coming out West to do a 14ner is a big adjustment. Personally I'm usually pretty good at 10 thousand ft. but when I get to 12 thousand it's like someone sucked all the energy from me. I know that spending more time at altitude is really the only way to adapt.

I wish we had some fourteeners here in Australia.. or 4000m would do. I've solo hiked up to 5000m in India, love the unique challenges of high altitude. Keen to get to something like Mera peak in Nepal one day, not keen on the health passports & experimental vacs though 💉

Preparing now for my 4th 14er and only have 2 months, got a late start and lots to do in less than 2 months, this helps hearing! Thanks for making this, it is helpful

One thing I might add to the vertical gain aspect is that the vertical gain you are training at, starts at a higher elevation. Because you can do 4000 feet of gain but if you’re doing it starting down at 5000 feet it’s not the same as starting that 4000 vertical gain at 10,000 feet. Just my two cents.

I want to see how yall got back down!

I've been looking for a video exactly like this, Thanks for the great information

I liked your tip on visualization. I appreciate your openness and can feel your sincerity. Funny how some ppl I've hiked 14'ers with almost put off the air of not wanting to help/guide/advise as if they were guarding the world of hiking. 😂 Thanks for this! 💖💖💖

Very useful advice. In addition to getting your hiking legs, invest in a good pair of socks (I use Darn Tough) and get a roll of leukotape for any hot spots on your feet that might come up. Better to wrap your toes if they're starting to rub than put up with blisters. I wrap the tape just below the grips of my trekking poles so I have it with me without having to carry the roll around in my pack.

The most valuable "training" for 14ers is, unfortunately, acclimatization. If you're wiling to plod along and put in the time, you can make it up most 14ers. I grew up in 5000-foot hills, but now live at only a few hundred feet. In the last few years I've gone out to summit Mount Whitney and Pike's Peak (don't waste your time on the latter until about the mid 2020s, the summit views are wrecked by construction). At 50 and carrying a lot of muscle for my height (5'9", 235#), I still have the legs to make it up, but the damn altitude has me pounding once I hit around 10000 feet. It's the main thing that has kept me from heading up to Alaska or even to try Kilimanjaro. I just wouldn't be able to take the altitude, and you really can't train around that. I'll have to "settle" for maybe something like the Half Dome in the future. So, I've switched gears and am moving toward lower but more technical climbs now. I'll be putting on the crampons and grabbing an ice axe for the first time in a few months for 11000-plus Mount Hood. I'm sure it will be fun hauling my heavy ass up that mountain. :)

Tons of potential movement held in check by one boulder.

Third lockdown here in the Uk and watching this is torture during winter season

You are spot on when you say the way to train is just to hike. I hiked Longs Peak by just going a little further each time. By the time I did it it was so familiar with the trail that it didn't seem that far (understatement LOL). I find it a little sad that some people are paying $50 for training programs to hike Fourteeners. I've done 15 of them so far, and it's just about experience, and upping your game. Thanks for the common sense video, making these peaks attainable for most of those who would like to climb them.

Cool brother! Nice work, I did get the $9000 ticket climbing some peaks in the Gores/other side of the valley myself. We are very similar but my skills are on rock not ice. I have been working hard at getting cool similar footage. For a GoPro helmet mounted that is quite good, I have moved to using a 360 camera when actually climbing and it has really helped show more of the action! I would just use the GoPro or a gimbal for any moving camera shot, I know it is weak compared to your nice camera (which you got some AMAZING shots with from the tripod!) but the shake is so harsh . . . If you want to climb or chat cameras drop me a line. I just premiered an easy free solo of the 3rd Flatiron with the 360 if you want to see what I'm talking about, ( I can help you with the drone too) a warm up for a gnarly snowy 3rd class scramble on Kelso Ridge I just completed and am quite pleased with. Will premier next week! I am temped to go up there just to play around in the ice chamber, that was AWSOME!

Great video! We got smoked out of doing Whitney for the first time this fall. I think we were ready for it. I’ll put this info to use while training for next time!

What’s that on your right shoulder strap ?

great video!! lookimg foward to this winter, ice climbing is on my list!

were you able to get pass any of the jaws obstacles along the road?

Very helpful video. Thank you! We are planning to do it in a couple days. I'm nervous that the headwall might get slippery when I pee myself.