Travel Advice What training do you need to do to reach Everest Base Camp 7th August, 2023

Conquering Everest Base Camp requires a good level of fitness and a determined mindset. Lasting around 12 days with travel days on either side, the trip to Everest Base Camp will test both your physical and mental strength so it is important to know what to expect when you get there and how you can prepare for it ahead of time.

If you are booked or looking to book onto a trip to Everest Base Camp, you will need a training programme to ensure you are fit enough to reach the end destination. You may be wondering how fit you need to be to climb Everest Base Camp or what training you should be doing. Look no further than our guide to training for climbing Mount Everest Base Camp for the ultimate tour preparation.

While the route is both physically and mentally demanding, it has become one of the most popular hiking trails of all time, attracting tens of thousands every year, because it is not a technical climb and requires no real mountaineering skills. It’s worth bearing in mind that treks to Everest Base Camp are made even more challenging by the trail’s steep, rocky terrain and depending on the time of year you may also be trekking on snow towards the end. Your guide will help navigate the terrain, but it’s important to stay alert and aware of your surroundings.

One of the main concerns travellers have before booking a Mount Everest Base Camp Expedition is altitude sickness. Symptoms of altitude sickness include headaches and nausea, making it the climb more difficult as you get closer to Base Camp. It is very difficult to predict who is or is not vulnerable to altitude sickness and even the most experienced hikers may get it, but precautions may be taken to limit its effects. The golden rule when hiking at high altitude is to trek high and then descend to sleep low, allowing your body to gradually become accustomed to lower pressure. You should also take the trek slow and steady to keep your respiration rate low and drink much more water than you think you need. Hikers may also choose to use Diamox, a prescription drug, that helps prevent the symptoms of altitude sickness but you should consult a doctor before using this method.

Kandoo Adventure’s Everest Base Camp expedition itineraries account for resting breaks to allow you time to acclimatise to the high altitude. By the time you reach Everest Base Camp, you will have lost almost 50% of the oxygen in the air. The lower levels of oxygen make breathing and any exertion more taxing, making the altitude one of the most challenging aspects of the trek.

It is worth noting that you need to be fit enough to carry your gear such as daypacks. You will also be given 2-3 litres of water to fill your platypus or water bottle. Your daypacks should be no more than 5kg and will be weighed before you begin your trek to Base Camp. The porters will carry your main equipment from 10-15kg which will make the journey easier for you. The services of an expert guide are included in the total Everest Base Camp Trek cost.

For those preparing to take part on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Everest Base Camp, you will greatly benefit from a programme that includes aerobic, cardiovascular and strength training to improve your overall fitness and to ensure you are fit enough to reach Everest Base Camp successfully.

Aerobic workouts

Aerobic training provides cardiovascular conditioning. Aerobic training exercises are constant, continuous and increase the heart rate. It increases the rate at which oxygen is passed from the lungs to the heart and bloodstream. Having a good level of aerobic fitness means you can exercise longer and harder without becoming tired. Aerobic activities you should consider including in your Everest Base Camp training programmes are:

• Walking or running
  
• Swimming
  
• Biking
  
• Rowing
  

Strength training

Strength training helps you build muscle and develop better body mechanics. You will need strong, conditioned legs to successfully tackle the trek to Everest Base Camp so leg-conditioning exercises are a must. For optimal fitness, full-body training is ideal as you want a strong core to prevent injuries. Some of the most effective strength and conditioning full body exercises include:

• Lunges
  
• Squats
  
• Push ups
  
• Planks
  

Hiking training

Practicing hiking is the best way to prepare your body for Everest Base Camp trekking. Start your practice with a comfortable distance and slowly build up your endurance, working your way up to hiking continuously for 8 hours a day. Challenge yourself by carrying similar equipment you will be carrying on your Everest expedition and make sure to break in your boots! Alternatively, if you are unable to train outdoors, treadmills and stair machines offer great hiking practice.

Looking for training advice or a training plan in preparation for one of our Everest Base Camp Treks? We recommend checking out Kate Sielmann for her excellent mountaineering and trekking training programmes.

For those embarking on a trip to Everest Base Camp from the USA, mountain training destinations are much more diverse. There are plenty of hiking trails located across the country’s enormous National Parks. Our training ideas for Everest Base Camp in the USA blog details some of the best walking destinations across the country to boost your mountain experience if based in the USA.

You should aim to hike 2-3 long walks per week to prepare your body for hiking long distances. Start small and build up the difficulty each time. Get to a level of fitness where you can walk for up to 8 hours with minimal rests and choose hilly terrain whenever possible. Alternatively, you can train for 45 minutes on a treadmill at a slow pace and incline as well as 10 minutes on a stair machine 2 times per week. Take a look at Kandoo Adventure’s Nepal treks to explore our Mount Everest Base Camp daily itineraries for training inspiration.

Unfortunately, one thing you can’t easily train for is altitude. Ensuring you have a good level of physical health will give you the best chance of being able to cope with the high altitude when trekking to Everest Base Camp. Take it slow and steady and your training will pay off!

Trekking Mount Everest Base Camp will act as part of your training for summitting Everest and help you adjust to high altitude trekking, however much more high level treks are needed to fully prepare to tackle the tallest mountain in the world. Your route to Everest summit will require walking to Everest Camp anyway unless you arrange a helicopter to take you to base camp, however the trek will help with acclimatisation.

Recent Nepal climbing permit rules state that if you want to attempt the hike to the summit of Everest you must be an experienced mountaineer, have a certificate of physical fitness and have already climbed a Nepali peak of at least 6,500m. As Everest Base Camp does not meet this criterion, you will have to complete further mountain training in Nepal to be able to climb Everest Peak.

Basically, if you’re attempting to climb Everest, you’ll need to train hard and climb to much higher altitudes than Everest Base Camp.

• Everest base camp – a classic 15-day trek to Everest Base Camp
  
• Everest base camp (trek only) – a 13-day trek with the same service and guides as the classic Everest Base Camp trek but without private airport transfers and hotels in Kathmandu
  
• Everest base camp (overnight at EBC) – a 15-day trek to Everest Base Camp with overnight stay and walk to the foot of the Khumbu Icefall
  
• Everest base camp and island peak – a challenging 21-day trek to Everest Base Camp and climb to Island Peak
  
• Gokyo Lakes – a tough 18-day trek to Everest Base Camp, climb to Gokyo Ri and crossing of the Cho La pass
  
• Three Passes – a challenging 21-day trek to Everest Base Camp visiting the Renjo La pass, Cho La pass and Kongma La pass
  

Climbing Mount Everest Base Camp is a challenging but rewarding journey and with the right training, mindset and gear you will be able to complete this incredible adventure.