November 11, 2011

Part 5 of our week long series “From A Guide’s Perspective”, IMG Guide Max Bunce talks about some key components to any successful outdoor adventure.

Max Bunce

1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Many times in my life I have failed on a climb almost certainly because I was dehydrated. Hydrating comes in three phases. Pre-hydrating, hydrating during the climb and post-hydrating. Pre-hydrating starts the night before, usually tapering down at night so that I am not up all night going to the bathroom. In the morning I start back up again with at least a liter before the climb starts. During a climb, I usually drink no more that 2 liters of water, keeping in mind that water is heavy and drinking takes time. You might be dehydrated by the end of the day, but something’s gotta give! Hydration bladders are nice because you can drink water more continuously but they don’t work in all situations. The number one reason not to use a bladder in the mountains is that they freeze. The second reason is that they seem to leak more often than a regular water bottle. During a classic rock climb called the Petit Grepon in Rocky Mountain National Park our party decided to bring most of our water in one 100 oz. bladder. Two pitches up, I felt a wetness on my back and to my dismay I found that our water drained into my backpack because the hose got pulled off. We climbed the rest of the day with no water causing us to move slower and make less than ideal decisions. We made it out safely but that little mistake could have cost us! Post climb is also a very important time to hydrate. Downing a liter in the 2 hours after the climb increases recovery and may make the difference for the next days climb. Remember beer is not a substitute for water but if you have to, drink light beer!

2. Eat!

Tell me if this sounds familiar? You have been hiking all day with friends or a loved one and sometime later in the day you get in a fight about the most trivial thing. This is almost certainly due to a lack of blood glucose. It happens to everyone and it is caused by burning through all your food energy. Simple solution, eat more! The problem is many people aren’t hungry so they don’t eat. As a guide this is one of our “red flags”. It’s a complete no brainer, if someone is not eating and they are burning calories, eventually they will crash. A good rule of thumb is to eat at every break. One common question is what to eat? The short answer is whatever you like best. I would go with foods that you eat on a regular basis, things you know that you like. Here, weight is less important than finding quality food that you like. Finally eating lots of high sugar food right after a climb is a good idea. It has been shown in many studies that eating or drinking so called “fast” carbohydrates immediately after exercise helps recovery. This is when I go to my favorite candy, sour patch kids.

3. Pace Yourself.

November 10, 2011

Part 4 of our week long series “From A Guide’s Perspective”, IMG Guide Greg Vernovage lays out a few simple but effective tricks of the trade.

Greg Vernovage

Tricks Of The Trade
By Greg Vernovage

I have been around a lot of guides over the years and what I’ve noticed is that we all have some things we do that help us keep our sanity and allow us to be more a little more comfortable in what can be an uncomfortable environment.  I’m no different, my tricks tend to focus on comfort, speed (read efficiency) and warmth.  As always, these ideas may not work for everyone but with enough time in the mountains, you’ll come up with some of your own.

My first recommendation to anybody is always based on food and water. We all know that we need to eat and drink at every break even if we’re not be hungry. A simple trick is to store your food and water in the same place in your pack every time you climb so it’s easy to find at every break. Often times I’ll put a snack in my pants pocket or the pockets of my puffy jacket so they’re easy to access at the breaks, and a touch easier to eat since they won’t be as frozen as some of your other food buried in your pack.

Another simple trick is to keep some food and water near you at night, sip on water after you go to the bathroom (hint: don’t confuse your water bottle and pee bottle) and have a few snacks handy as well.  You may wake up in the middle of the night hungry; if you’re hungry – eat!  Keep your stuff sack and water next to your at night so you won’t bother your tent mate as you rummage through your pack that’s conveniently outside the tent.  Remember, bring your favorite foods, if you don’t like something at sea level, you won’t eat it up there. Swedish Fish!

And a big one for me; change those socks!  After you have rolled into camp, worked hard all day and dug in, take a minute and put on a fresh pair of dry socks.  We rely on those feet so it’s in our best interest to take care of them.  You will feel refreshed and a little lighter on your feet.  You can put the socks you have been wearing all day in you jacket near your core and they will dry out for the morning.  They might stink a little but at least you will be comfortable.

And lastly, stay warm in camp. It is much easier to stay warm than it is to get warm. Put that extra layer on when you get to camp.  Keep stokin that fire with food and water and stay dry.

It’s the simple things.

Greg Vernovage

November 9, 2011

Part 3 of our week long series “From A Guide’s Perspective”, IMG Guide Austin Shannon talks about a few simple ways to lighten up your overflowing backpack.

Lighten Up!
By Austin Shannon

Austin Shannon

Ok, ok, I know how much we all like to research and buy our climbing gear, but for some, the simple act of acquiring all of the necessary gear can be one of the more stressful parts of your trip.  Hopefully I can help you figure out a strategy on how to tackle this objective and, at the same time, lighten up that pack!

It seems obvious but the best advice is: buy it once, buy it right and buy it light!  With this in mind I’ll narrow what I’m shopping for down to a few similar items then I’ll check out the weight of each item. From there, I’ll do the math and see if those extra ounces are worth  weight and/or money. Keep in mind that some of the bells and whistles on a lot of the gear are exactly that, bells and whistles to help get it off the shelves and in your closet!  One adage we all live by in the mountains is: Ounces make pounds and pounds make pain!

Some helpful hints:

1. Make a list.  Before you start this process remember, “just in case” weighs a lot and adds up quick!  We are in the mountains to enjoy the adventure, not to be loaded down with crazy nicknacks that we don’t actually need.  Stick to the list and make adjustments based on seasonal demands and weather forecasts, not “just in case”.
2. Do more with less.  Don’t forget, your trip has an end.  Try to go with as little gear as possible.  Your body can survive on much less than you think.  You don’t need five different head layers.  Find gear and various layers that serve more than one purpose.  If something only has one job then don’t buy it.  For example,  puffy jackets  double as a pillows so that 4oz. inflatable pillow is 1/4lb you don’t need.  A long sleeve shirt can be turned into a short sleeve by simply pulling up your sleeves. You get the idea.
3. Keep it simple.  When shopping for gear,  it’s easy to get lost in the new latest &greatest features. Just remember, the more features it has means there are more things that can break and the more it likely weighs.  A simple example of this is in backpacks -  we don’t need a extra sleeping bag compartment. The external and internal zipper and the added fabric add unnecessary weight to the pack and add 2 more zippers that can fail.

Some of these suggestions may seem obvious but we are often our own worst enemies with what ends up in our packs.  My last bit of advice would be to make notes after each one of your climbs: what did i use a lot? what did i not use at all? Over time you will develop a tried and true system that works for you!

[For some Rainier Specific suggestions see How Can I Lighten May Pack]

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Up next for Austin:  Ski patrolling this winter at Crystal Mountain and heading to Aconcagua in February.