6 tips to climb Aconcagua
1) Find your breath
High altitude activities require a different type of breathing to keep supplying oxygen to your body. We recommend training your lungs by adding breathing exercises to your regular Aconcagua training routine. You can try the following exercises:
Belly Breathing: this exercise is used in many sports and health practices. It allows you to use your total lung capacity to supply more oxygen to your extremities which helps prevent muscle cramps that cause the accumulation of lactic acids.
Pressure Breath: You can add resistance to your exhalation by pursing your lips and exhaling forcefully. This breathwork helps combat the decrease in atmospheric pressure at high altitudes.
Inspiratory Muscle Training: This technique is meant to generate resistance to the airflow when inhaling, so you strengthen your inspiratory muscles. There are inspiratory muscle training devices, but you can find homemade alternative ways to produce a similar effect.
Breath-holding Drills: This type of hypoxic training allows you to simulate high-altitude breathing since it reduces the amount of oxygen during exercise and enhances your CO2 tolerance. You can start by inhaling to your maximum capacity, exhaling and holding for 3 counts, and inhaling again. As you progress, you can slowly increase the counts.
2) Focus your attention
Meditation exercises and mantras help refocus your attention on your activity are also handy tools to keep the attention on your body and climb.
3) Evaluate your training progress in a fun way
Following a training routine is fundamental to climb Aconcagua the closest possible to your comfort zone. Make sure you plan your month, so you include at least one or two climbing trips or outdoor activities that test your overall fitness in a fun way. After a few months of training, you can repeat some of the trips, so you have a point of comparison to evaluate your progress. This evaluation is far more fun and motivational than traditional fitness tests!
4) Day by day
Enjoy your expedition one step at a time. The goal is to get to the next day, and so on. It is useless to burn stages thinking about what can happen during the summit day. Let yourself enjoy the experience one day at a time.
5) Have suitable clothing and gear
Regardless of the date, you choose to come to Aconcagua, your gear must be adequate. You can click this link to view the equipment you need; however, we want to highlight that warm and comfortable boots make a significant difference in your performance. We recommend trying different models and feel which are more comfortable for your feet, shins, and calves. Wearing light and flexible pieces of clothes is also very desirable. The lighter the gear, the better.
6) Hydrate as much as you can
Drinking between 3 and 5 liters of water is very important since our body dehydrates a lot faster at high altitudes. This simple act will be a great help to fight altitude sickness. You can drink one liter before and during breakfast, add another 2 liters before lunch and try to finish the remaining 2 liters before 5 or 6 pm, so nights are more comfortable. Drinking so much water can be annoying, but it is a great way to help you cope with altitude much easier.