How Everest Ascenders Exercise During Lockdown

Thomas Lone (Norway) — alpinist, completed the «7 Summits» challenge in 2019; elected participant for Death Zone Freeride project (ascending to 8-thousanders without bottled oxygen, with following ski descent from the top)

The current situation is definitely challenging, especially the uncertainty related to our upcoming expedition to Broad Peak as part of the Death Zone Freeride project. I have tried to continue my preparations as if the expedition will run as planned. Mentally it is more challenging, because it is impossible to know how the future will be, and it has not been possible to meet all team and travel to Russia for testing gear (as we planned for in early April). However, I am not directly influenced by the virus, and personally I find more time to train now than ever.

I have started to increase the hours, spent for working out each week, and I also have time to do workouts, that require some planning and transportation, such as cross country or backcountry skiing. Fortunately, there is not yet a big lockdown here in Norway, so I am allowed to take my car and travel to the Norwegian mountains to hike, climb and ski. This is, in my opinion, the most important key work out because you have to do the specific things, you want to become good at.

However, there is a bunch of other stuff, one can do to increase stamina, VO2max and strength in general, such as hiking with a heavy backpack, lift weights and run/cycle. I try to do all of these things as much as possible, and vary the exercises to avoid injuries. It is also really important for me to have fun and stay motivated when working out — especially now, when many people spend a lot of time alone and miss their friends and families, etc.

It is hard to know what the future will be and will we have opportunity to travel to Pakistan at all, but I staying positive and hoping for the best. We are in a time, when it is important to look at the big picture, dare to dream and prepare ourselves for new opportunities. I am working out a lot and I feel stronger than ever, so I really hope Karakoram will be ready for us when it will be possible!