The magnificent folks at EpicTV are about to release 'The last great climb' the story of a group of adventure climbers attempting the first ascent of the Northeast ridge of Ulvetanna Peak (6, 562ft) in Antarctica. The team battles the cold, the terrain, and massive ridges in this visually stunning epic...
Don't miss out - world premier 15.11 - EpicTV Home of the Best Original Extreme Sports Web Series
All your preparations, all the early mornings and later nights, this will lead you to a place you had only imagined. Be bold. Reach for new experiences. Find The Brilliant Moment.
The Brilliant Moment by Mountain Hardwear
I was recently asked by my daughter how many 8000m peaks are there? "Fourteen" I confidently responded, and wheeled off the names, Everest, K2... Well honey, daddy was wrong!
Currently, fourteen peaks are internationally recognised as above 8000m (26,250ft). However, that is about to change... You see, depending on the definition of a 'mountain' (300m or 500m of prominence?) there could be 23 peaks in the world which could be classified as above eight-thousand metres.
Recently the UIAA, which is affiliated to the International Olympic Committee, had initiated the ‘Agura’ project to identify and recognise new peaks above 8,000 metres. The Agura project has now recognised five additional peaks in Nepal and one at the China-Pakistan border as new peaks above 8,000 metres.
The six peaks recognised by the Agura project are Yarlung Khang - 8,505m (also known as Kanchenjunga West), Kanchenjunga Central - 8,473m (Nepal-India border), Kanchenjunga South - 8,476m (Nepal-India border), Lhotse Middle - 8,413m (Nepal-China border), Lhotse Shar - 8,400m (Nepal-China border) and Broad Peak Central - 8,047m (Pakistan-China border).
Final ratification may take a little longer than expected as according to the Himalayan Times, Nepal (and we assume all the other countries) will have to wait for one more year to receive the final international recognition of the additional five peaks it is looking to add as above 8000 metres because Pakistan Alpine Club and Indian Mountaineering Foundation are yet to hold their annual general meetings. However, it looks set that we will soon be talking about the 20 tallest mountains in the world!
As Gearcaster points out - What will this do to all of those who have already climbed the 14 tallest peaks, both with and without oxygen? Will Reinhold Messner or Edurne Pasaban come back to complete another 5? Nepalese officials say that the addition of the new 8000 meter peaks should not challenge records set by past climbers. If someone wants to climb the 14 highest mountains, they must still climb the original peaks - even though some of the new peaks are higher?
This is certainly an interesting move for those of us interested in High Adventures, for now there are more adventures to be had!
Future of Climbing in Nepal: New Mountains and Tighter Controls - the GearCaster
Why Nepal May Open 5 New Peaks Above 8000m To Mountaineers
The obvious problem with climbing at altitude is that there is less oxygen - a lot less! Luckily a number of physiological changes occur to allow for acclimatisation at high altitude. However, whilst the body's adaptation to high altitude helps significantly it doesn't fully compensate for the lack of oxygen. Oxygen, and how our bodies use it, is extremely important.
In his seminal book Extreme Alpinism Mark Twight highlights the importance of VO2 max as a reference point for your training. VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during exercise. It is an important determinant of endurance which represents true measure of cardiovascular capacity for an individual at a given degree of fitness and more importantly - for a given degree of oxygen availability.
Given Everest has about one-third of the oxygen of normal elevations and Ama Dablam has around 46%, how does the lack of oxygen impact VO2 max?
According to sportsmed "There is a drop in VO2 max of 2% for every 300 m elevation above 1500 m even after allowing for full acclimatization". West et al (J. Appl. Physiol 1983) measured VO2 max of subjects on supplemental oxygen approaching the summit of Mt. Everest, their mean VO2 max was determined to be a mere 15.3 (ml.kg-1.min-1). At sea level an averagely fit individual would have a reading of 45 to 50ml. Clearly chronic exposure to high altitude reduces maximal O2 uptake (VO2 max).
So is there a minimal VO2 max one needs to climb at high altitude?
Ed Viesturs who climbed all fourteen 8000m peaks without supplemental oxygen is well known for his physiological advantage, as his VO2 max is close to 70. This reading translated directly to his body being able to work better at high altitudes. Where most people would go anaerobic at 50 percent of their VO2 max, Viesturs holds out until 88 percent (National Geographic).Viesturs physiology is perfectly suited to make the most efficient use of the oxygen he has in his lungs. Combined with training, focus and a strong will, that makes for a more lucid, thoughtful climber, even without the use of supplemental oxygen.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that one would need a minimal 55 to 60ml reading in order to negotiate successfully high altitude climbs. Clearly the higher your VO2 max the better your chances of success, or rather a high VO2 max minimizes the chance that you have to turn around due to your own physical capabilities.
Conclusions...
To quote Steve Whittington from his excellent blog Quest for Everest
"My experience at high altitude has taught me that in order to be successful, I need to focus on being healthy and taking care of my body while up there. It may seem obvious to do this, but my hardest climbs have been when I did not pay attention to my body properly. This is harder than you may think, as a long expedition grinds you down and you lose focus and discipline".
Steve's words echo my own experiences, as such, like Steve, I am going to focus on 3 goals:
In the coming posts I'll go into more details of how I intend to do this... Now it's time for some recovery sleep before my 21km x-country run I have planned for tomorrow morning!
