April 2026

I did not follow any specific recommended programme for Everest Summit, other than my own programme of fitness training. This focussed on key areas:

Cold acclimatisation
Cardio training
Altitude training
Mountain climbing

Cold Acclimatisation for Everest Summit

One of my weaknesses is that I don’t particularly like cold weather, and I get very cold hands. I don’t think this is a circulation issue, but just the way it is.

When I summitted Ama Dablam 18 months earlier, I got what could be described as frost nip. I had a numb thumb for 1 week, and my 4th and 5th digits were numb for about 4 weeks.

Expecting temperatures of -20°C or lower on Everest, I wanted to prepare my body for cold. I did this by ice bathing. I bought a £50 inflatable ice bath and used it throughout the winter.

Unless I was away, I ice bathed daily without break.

Approximate water temperatures:

November: 6°C
December: 3–6°C
January: 0–5°C
February: 3–6°C
March: 5–10°C
April: 10+°C

Ice baths do not need to be at 0–1°C. Only a few days reached freezing where ice formed on top.

At the coldest temperatures, I stayed in for around 5 minutes. After getting out, hands took a long time to warm up, and I would immediately take a warm shower.

I ice bathed for 135 days. It was never easy, but became more tolerable after the initial cold shock.

I noticed some acclimatisation to cold and felt generally less cold overall. However, I did not notice significant changes in blood pressure, weight, pulse, or mental health.

Cardio Training for Everest Summit

I started my fitness training 15 months prior to Everest, beginning on New Year’s Day and continuing through to April the following year.

The majority of my cardio training involved running. I ran daily unless I was in the mountains. This placed a high load on the body, and early on I had knee pain which I managed with ultrasound therapy.

Around 30–40% of my runs involved using a breathing mask. This restricts airflow and makes breathing harder.

I started at the lowest setting and gradually progressed over 6–9 months. It was always tough, but helped prepare my lungs and also slowed my pace, reducing injury risk.

I also did regular cycling. I cycled to work twice per week and used cycling for daily activities like school runs and shopping. This became a habit 3–5 times per week.

I completed one long endurance ride of 180km in a single day, taking over 10 hours.

Towards the end of training, I joined a gym and used the stair master for 30–45 minutes per session at high intensity, achieving around 3000 steps per workout.

496 Challenge

The bulk of my cardio training was running. I ran daily for 15 months (except when climbing).

In January, I completed the 496 Challenge:

Day 1: 1km
Day 2: 2km
...
Day 31: 31km

This totals 496km across the month.

I actually recorded 505km due to slight over-runs.

This challenge is extremely demanding. It gets harder every day, unlike most challenges where things ease towards the end.

I often split runs into multiple sessions per day. By the end of the month, I was running up to 3 hours daily, which required significant time commitment and prioritisation.

Altitude Training

I have covered this in detail in a separate article. In summary, I spent 5 months sleeping in an altitude tent, progressing from 2000m to 6600m.

Sleeping in the tent is difficult—claustrophobic, hot, airless, and disruptive to sleep, with frequent waking during the night.

Please see my dedicated article on altitude training.

Mountain Climbing

This is fundamentally important, and an area I could have done more of.

Living in London makes access to mountains difficult.

I climbed several mountains in the 18 months prior to Everest, including Mount Sinai, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon.

Snowdon was used more as a training climb, including a fast ascent and descent in winter conditions.

Developing “mountain legs” is crucial. Time spent hiking and climbing builds strength and endurance that is hard to replicate elsewhere.

Every guide I climbed with was stronger than me uphill, highlighting the importance of mountain time.

If I were to do it again, I would prioritise more mountain climbing. However, balancing this with work and family commitments is challenging.

Finally

I consider the four key areas—cold acclimatisation, cardio training, altitude training, and mountain climbing—to be the most important aspects of physical preparation for Everest.

There are other important factors too, including mental preparation, financial planning, and work commitments.