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We can’t just be fit and pretty, we have to do something! – Gerry Roach

Ascent Training

By Coach Roach

Arriving at the base of the mountain equipped to climb it is half the challenge!
– Gerry Roach, expedition equipment coordinator, upon arriving at Everest base camp
in 1976, with the soon to be successful American Bicentennial Everest Expedition.

Your physical, mental, and spiritual preparations for an ascent are as important as your actions during the ascent. Additionally, your choice of season, route, companions, and logistical support are vital to the success of any mountain adventure. There are many fine climbing schools that will ‘teach’ you a skill set, and there are many guide services that offer to ‘take’ you to a summit. I believe that skills must be ‘learned,’ and that really learning a mountain craft takes time, patience, and practice beyond what any school can offer. I also believe that one must ‘earn’ a summit, and that it is each individual climber’s responsibility to accept that talisman. School or no school, guide or no guide, it is ultimately your legs, lungs and spirit that take you up there. If you want to go beyond basic services, and become more self-reliant in the mountains, my custom coaching programs can help. After communicating with you so that I can understand your desires, strengths and weaknesses, and after arranging an agenda, I will create a custom program for you that is tailored to your specific mountaineering goals, abilities, and needs. Then, I will communicate with you through the term of your program to give you the best chance of success in your adventure.

Gerry became the first person to climb the ten highest peaks in North America in May of 2000 with his ascent of 18,008-foot Mount Saint Elias, considered by many to be the toughest high peak in North America.

My coaching programs are derived from my long and rich mountaineering experience. I have dreamed, schemed, created, and led hundreds of trips to the Earth’s mountains on seven continents for the last 50 years. Having ‘seen it all,’ I now feel uniquely qualified to help others. All my programs are infused with my passion to help mountaineers be more self reliant and empowered. For a complete list of my ascents, see about Gerry Roach. While my experience is extensive, I am not a doctor, and will always advise that you take your medical questions to your doctor. Other than this, I take a ‘complete package’ approach to prepare you for your adventure, and accordingly, my custom programs provide advice in one or more of the following 20 ‘Empowerments.’

My Empowerments:

I’ve never seen a good climber who wasn’t stronger than heck!
– Mark Hesse after soloing Denali’s South Face

1.	Achieving the required physical fitness for your goal
	1.1 Aerobics
	1.2 Strength
	1.3 Flexibility
	1.4 Balance
	1.5 Preparing for cold temperatures

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

2.	Achieving the desired mental acuity for your goal
	2.1 Developing and maintaining a positive attitude
	2.2 Developing and applying a laser-beam focus
	2.3 Processing fear
	2.4 Visualization techniques

I didn’t know if I was going to the summit, or the summit was coming to me.
– Gerry Roach from Ten Tadasanas

3.	Achieving the desired spiritual awareness for your goal
	3.1 Centering
	3.2 Nurturing your love
	3.3 Synthesis
	3.4 Synergy

Hiking is the basis for all mountaineering.
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

4.	Developing your hiking skills
	4.1 Foot placement
	4.2 Stride length
	4.3 Pacing
	4.4 Making good micro route choices

Rock climbing is the basis for all technical mountaineering.
– Chris Bonington
after returning from a successful ascent of the Vinson Massif in Antarctica

5.	Developing your rock climbing skills
	5.1 Basic rope craft
	5.2 Anchors
	5.3 Protection
	5.4 Hold selection
	5.5 Movement techniques
	5.6 When to rope up
	5.7 Rappelling

In your storm years, visit the great glaciated ranges!
– Geoffrey Winthrop Young

6.	Developing your snow and ice climbing skills
	6.1 Step kicking in snow
	6.2 Basic ice ax techniques
	6.3 Basic use of crampons
	6.4 Anchors
	6.5 Placing protection
	6.6 Preventing falls
	6.7 Stopping falls
	6.8 Advanced techniques

A directional error of a few degrees leaving Rainier’s summit
can put you on an entirely different route lower down!
– Gerry Roach from Transcendent Summits

7.	Developing your navigational skills
	7.1 Map and compass
	7.2 GPS
	7.3 Natural techniques
	7.4 Measuring the mountain
	7.5 Making good macro route choices
	7.6 Route selection in rough terrain
	7.7 Route selection in dense woods
	7.8 Route selection on rock
	7.9 Route selection on snow
	7.10 Route selection in low visibility

We can climb anything if we’re comfortable enough!
– Gerry Roach on Alaska’s Mount Hunter in 1994

8.	Selection of and acquisition of appropriate equipment
	8.1 Clothing
	8.2 Footgear
	8.3 Packs
	8.4 Camp gear
	8.5 Stoves
	8.6 Technical equipment
	8.7 Shopping for gear

What rope?
– Reinhold Messner

9.	Going light
	9.1 What you need
	9.2 What you don’t need

The McKinley River crossing was the hardest part of our Denali climb!
– Gerry Roach from Northern Heights

10.	River crossings
	10.1 Hazards
	10.2 Precautions
	10.3 Techniques
	10.4 Rescue techniques
	10.5 Case histories

He’s down! Way down!
– Jerry Halpern
spotting his partner in a deep crevasse on the Yukon’s Mount Lucania in 1967

11.	Travel on crevassed glaciers
	11.1 Glacial movement
	11.2 Hazards
	11.3 Precautions
	11.4 Rescue techniques
	11.5 Case histories

Flow like water going uphill!
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

12.	Ascending
	12.1 Techniques
	12.2 Pacing
	12.3 Making a schedule
	12.4 Sticking to your schedule
	12.5 Adjusting your schedule
	12.6 When to turn around

With another camp, I could have climbed to 31,000 feet!
– Gerry Roach in Everest base camp after his successful summit climb in 1983

13.	Acclimating to high altitudes
	13.1 Pre-trip planning
	13.2 Pre-trip preparation
	13.3 Hazards
	13.4 Precautions
	13.5 Sticking to your schedule
	13.6 Adjusting your schedule
	13.7 Using Supplemental Oxygen
	13.8 Rescue considerations
	13.9 Case histories

It was mostly an exercise in high-altitude camping.
– Chris Bonnington,
leader of the successful Everest Southwest Face expedition in 1975

14.	High altitude camping
	14.1 Site selection
	14.2 Camp construction
	14.3 Snow caves
	14.4 Igloos
	14.5 Enduring storms
	14.6 Breaking camp

A summit is not an idea, a crater rim or an area. It is a single, well-defined point.
– Gerry Roach
in a discussion about reaching Kilimanjaro’s summit - from Ride the Breath

15.	Summiting
	15.1 Foreshortening
	15.2 The other 90%
	15.3 Getting the job done
	15.4 Reserves

The summit is only halfway!
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

16.	Descending
	16.1 Techniques
	16.2 Pacing
	16.3 Scheduling
	16.4 Dealing with fatigue
	16.5 Reserves
	16.6 Getting the job done

It was like squeezing through a closing door!
– Bob Cormack after returning from Everest’s summit in 1976

17.	Increasing your speed in the mountains
	17.1 Speed training techniques
	17.2 Speed vs. efficiency
	17.3 Techniques on the climb
	17.4 Recovering from errors

We don’t have to be friends after the climb,
we just need to pull together for this one common goal!
– Phil Ershler,
expedition climbing leader, settling a bitter dispute on Everest in 1983

18.	Team building techniques on and off the mountain
	18.1 Team selection
	18.2 Pre-trip decision making
	18.3 On-trip decision making
	18.4 Team bonding techniques
	18.5 Dealing with disagreements
	18.6 Team leadership

What? We have to pay duty on our shipment?
– Gerry Roach
trying to get his Mount Logan expedition food from the customs warehouse
in Whitehorse Yukon, 1973 - from Ride the Breath

19.	Travel to the mountain
	19.1 Air travel
	19.2 Land travel
	19.3 Dealing with cities
	19.4 Dealing with different cultures
	19.5 Approaching the mountain

Camp 2, this is Camp 4. Hey! The stoves that were supposed to be here are gone!
– Gerry Roach on the radio during his Everest summit bid in 1976

20.	Logistics on the mountain
	20.1 Organizing a base camp
	20.2 Selecting mountain camps
	20.3 Projecting equipment needs
	20.4 Projecting food requirements
	20.5 Moving supplies up the mountain
	20.6 Moving people up the mountain
	20.7 Dealing with storms and losses
	20.8 Climbing leadership

Here is how my program works:

As a first step, please fill out the questionnaire below, and send it to me via email at , or by regular mail to Gerry Roach, P.O. Box 3303, Boulder CO 80307.

After reviewing this information, I will communicate with you so that each of us can determine if one of my coaching programs is right for you. I will only accept you as a client if I feel that I can help you achieve your dreams and goals. There is no fee for this initial consultation. After I agree to coach you, then I will set up your custom program according to the following terms and choices. The choices I offer will help you be involved in your own program customization.

My minimum coaching term is 12 weeks (3 months), but an initial term can also be 24 weeks (6 months) or 52 weeks (12 months). These terms can all be extended.
For each term, you can choose up to 10 Empowerments from the above list.
I will set up your custom program, discuss it with you, and fine-tune it to best suit your needs. Your goal may be as simple as climbing a Colorado Fourteener, or as complex as doing the Seven Summits. Your program might be as simple as my offering advice on your existing workout program, or it might be as complex as a new physical lifestyle. Our initial conversations are included in the program-setup phase.
After you embark on your program, I will be available for periodic verification communications. At each verification, I will need a status report from you, and will respond with ideas and advice.
My preferred method of communication is by email.
At the end of each term, or prior to your heading out on your adventure, there will be a wrap-up communication to put the finishing touches on your training, and to review events that will occur on your trip, during which time I most likely not be able to communicate with you directly.

My Fees:

$500 for program set up.
$50 per verification.

How to apply:

To initiate our communication, please fill out this questionnaire.

Contact Coach Roach!

Questionnaire

Name:

Address:

City:    State:    Zip Code:

Country:    E Mail:

Gender: Male   Female    Age:     Weight:     Height:

Main Interest: Other Interest:

Main area(s) you are interested in:
Skills Strength Speed Endurance Equipment Specific Goal

What is your fitness level? None Poor Modest Good Great!

What are your mountaineering dreams and goals?

Have you already scheduled a climb? If so what and when?

Describe your mountaineering experience:

Describe your current training program:

Describe any health condition that might hinder you in the mountains:

emails your completed questionnaire to me

erases your form

Please print out the questionnaire and send it to me by regular mail at:

Coach Roach
P.O. Box 3303
Boulder CO 80307
USA