Here is some top training strategies for climbing Mount Elbrus. Climbing Mount Elbrus comes down to three things. Firstly, if you want to reach the summit you need two/three potential summit attempts built into your itinerary. Secondly, you need to come with the right physical training and preparation. Finally, you need an itinerary and team support with years of experience. Ticking off another one of the coveted seven summit is possible. You just need to understand the challenge and come properly prepared. Check out out upcoming trips.
How Hard it the Elbrus Climb
So, you have climbed Kilimanjaro, completed a winter skills course in Scotland or in your home country and maybe done some treks at high altitude. You can looking to take that first step into mountaineering and you think Mount Elbrus is the way to go.
Mount Elbrus is far more challenging than a typical trekking trip due to its extreme conditions. With heavier snowfall, higher winds, steeper slopes, and significantly colder temperatures, this climb demands more from every climber.
You’ll need to wear larger mountaineering boots with crampons, adding extra weight and stress to your legs, making every step more physically demanding than any trekking adventure. The harsh weather often means summit attempts are spread over 2 to 3 nights, requiring both endurance and patience.
Proper training tailored for high-altitude mountaineering is crucial; simply being trekking fit is not enough. You need to prepare your body for the intense physical demands of the mountain, ensuring you have the strength, stamina, and resilience to handle Mount Elbrus’s unforgiving environment. Learn more.
Talk to the Experts
We want to make sure that you get the right training and preparation advice for your trek and climb of Mount Elbrus. No matter where you are starting your training from, there are are some key processes you need to go through.
Firstly, you need to TALK TO US. Our team has the right information on training for an Elbrus Expedition. We want our clients to all come with the correct training and preparation to maximize group safety. Check out our Mount Elbrus page for and also come back here and gain access to all our most important pages in one place.
How to Get Started
Step 1). Get a Fitness Test. It is important to do a fitness test to understand your starting point and establish your personal Heart Rates training zones. The bulk of your training should be in zone 2 slow moving toward zone 3 training over time.
Step 2: Understand Heart Rate Training. It is important to build a very strong endurance base to have the correct physical condition for the specific trip you are doing. Read more.
Step 3: Understand the Specific Terrain. Every trip is different. Some trips are all stairs, others are trail, and the Everest Base Camp Trek has it all, stairs up and down, 30 degree incline and moving across uneven terrain.
Step 4: Understand Elevation Gains & hours. Distances are not important on the Everest trek. What is important to understand is the elevation gains you will doing on a daily basis. Everything is judged in hours. For example the Namche hill, Shangbouche hill, Tengbouche hill are all 1,700 feet to 2,000 feet of elevation gain and take 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours to hike up. Read more.
Step 5: Hill Training. Walking up and down hills of similar elevation gain on your chosen trip with weight in your backpack is a critical part of the training. Read more.
Step 6: Gym Training. It is important to supplement longer hikes with daily gym training sessions, building the correct strength and endurance. Read more.
Step 7: Train for the Downhill. Most people are not doing enough downhill training and building the correct stability, core and leg strength for for moving down steep trail and down steep stairs. Read more.
Putting a Training Plan in Place
There are a few factors you want to consider when planning your training routine. Firstly, you want to look at the daily distances on the trek. This will show you how far you will have to walk each day, back to back. Then, start to look at the elevation gains you will have on each day of the trek.
This is going to show you how much up-hill and down-hill you will have each day. Once you look at both of these factors, and consider the lack of oxygen at high altitude, and you can start to put a training plan in place. CONTACT US and let us help you figure out the right way to be training to build your strength and endurance. Read some REVIEWS from our trips.
Our Unique Itinerary
We have the best itinerary out there to help you be successful. We also have the right team, advice and experience to lead you to the roof of Europe. Make no mistake, people die on Mount Elbrus each year. A lack of training, preparation and understanding of what if takes to mountaineer at high altitude in harsh conditions.
Remember, our itinerary and information has been developed and adjusted from 20 years of experience. By leading trips around the world and observing people in the mountains, we know what it takes. We have lead over 50 trips to Mount Elbrus.
Thinking About the Trip
In the trekking portion of the trip, you are going to be walking up and down uneven, steep terrain for hours. You will have a backpack on, maybe carrying 7kg/16lbs. This means you really need to be comfortable doing this exact activity. If you were running a marathon then you would be out running. You are going to be walking up and down hills with a back pack for multiple days then you need to be used to walk back to back days building up your strength and endurance. If you do not understand this CONTACT US.
Load Carry Weight in Your Backpack
My highest recommendation is to work on your load carrying. Carrying weight in the back pack you should be your core training. Spend time building your strength and endurance, while building a strong core and upper body. Most importantly you need super strong legs with endurance. We can help you develop a program.
Even though I go on 10+ trips and expeditions per year. I still need to be training 5 days a week to maintain this specific conditioning. Yes I can go out running, kayaking, surfing but I need to be building up the weight that I carry in my backpack up to 15kg in each session I undertake.
Training in the Gym
If you do not have access to hills, mountains and altitude which most people do not do. You need to be hitting the gym 5 days a week. In my opinion the stair master (rotating stairs) is the best way to gain strength, endurance and cardio all at the same time.
I have always had access to hills and mountains, but I still have to supplement my hill work with 4 days a week in the gym. I use the stair master for most of my training but sometimes like to mix it up and use the treadmill on the highest incline for 45 minutes and then the stair master for another 45 minutes. You also need to stretch, hydrate and build strength with additional weight work. Working out in your endurance heart rate zone is so important. For me I need to be able to maintain a 140/150 heart rate for over an hour while carrying the weighted back pack 5 days a week.
Remember you are signing up to a team mountaineering trip where you will be walking up 1,000m/ 3,000 feet day after day and some days more than this. Your recovery needs to be top notch and you need to be able to maintain high heart rates for hours on end. Be informed, be ready, be prepared. We can help you come prepared for our unique itinerary and trip to climb Mount Elbrus.
Talk to The Experts
We are experts in our fields and know what it takes to be successful climbing Mount Elbrus. Get in touch drop us a mail info@iantaylortrekking.com and we would be happy to chat through the right training you need to be safe and ready for your trip.