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Training for the Diamond and the Keyhole Route

• February 2012
• Simple Living Climb Training

Dear Steph, Thanks for all your great videos and blogs. You keep me inspired.

Since I was a young kid in the sixties, it has always been my dream to just be able to hike the Keyhole route up Longs peak. I’ve tried 4 times and failed for one reason or another. Got to the Keyhole twice, once in the seventies and once in August of this year. I live in the extremely low altitude of Chicago and was wondering what you would suggest for pre-altitude conditioning before I give another shot in 2012. Is it too soon to go on long urban hikes now? (I just went last Friday for a 17 mile “hike” on flat city ground) or do you think I should wait until after all the calories of the holiday season?

I also looked up the list of the five “easiest” 14ers in Colorado which includes Mt. Bierstadt, Quandary Peak, Mt. Torreys, Grays Peak, and Mt. Massive. Do you think I should try these first or can you recommend some hikes in RMNP to condition for altitude once I get back to Estes Park. I bet you’re extremely busy, but any recommendations will be seriously taken. Also how is you’re 2nd book coming along? Can’t wait to read it.

Sincerely and highest regards from John in Chicago

Steph
I was just in RMNP this weekend and got my first glimpse of the Diamond on Long’s Peak.  For lack of being able to find a good partner and not really being able to figure out the point of climbing in the first place, I’ve been losing interest as of late after only a year and a half or so of climbing.  So got to work this morning and did a google search on the Diamond and found a great video of your free solo of it. 

After seeing the wall in person and your video I’ve found myself totally inspired to stick with it and wanted to send you a thanks for the inspiration.  And if you ever find yourself wondering why you yourself climb, maybe this is just one more reason.
 
Keep inspiring!
Matt

Thanks Matt and John!
I just turned in my manuscript to the publisher, which was a big milestone for me 🙂 Projected publication is February 2012, so I hope there will be a lot of editing before then!

Going up to Longs takes a lot of effort, especially if you live at low altitude. The bottom line is it’s a lot of vertical gain, and things seem to get extra tiring once you get above 12,000 feet, even if you live at slightly higher elevation (around 5000 feet). As with all endurance sports, training is the answer. If you are at sea level, you can train for endurance by running or hiking hills as much as possible (this is not going to help much with the lungs at altitude, but it will be much better than not doing it).

For seven winters, I climbed in Patagonia, where most of the climbing is physically way easier than the so-called “approaching” up glaciers to get to the rock. To prepare for those trips, I would go out snowshoeing at higher altitude in the LaSal Mountains (9,000 to 10,000 feet), carrying full water bottles in a backpack. If there wasn’t enough snow, I would just hike up hills with a pack full of water bottles, and empty them for the descent (to save my knees). I did this at least 3 days a week for 4-6 weeks before my trip, and it made a huge difference. I would recommend this strategy for you too, if it’s possible. If you don’t have access to that sort of terrain, use the stairmaster machine in the gym. Simply, if you train, you will find everything much easier.

Doing some easier fourteeners first before your climb on Longs is a very good idea. Going up to higher altitude and then returning back to lower altitude will get your lungs acclimatized, and it’s true that Longs is a long walk with a LOT of up. If you can do two other easier peaks first, you will stack the odds in your favor when you go for the Keyhole.

If you are in Estes for your entire trip, I highly recommend hiking up to Gem Lake at Lumpy Ridge, and possibly even the entire loop around Lumpy Ridge, as a training hike. For another training day, you can hike up to Flat Top. You can also do a preliminary day on Longs, where you hike up to Chasm Lake. This is a beautiful hike, and you won’t go there if you do the Keyhole, since you will branch off to the right at the fork and skip Chasm Lake. Doing this has multiple advantages: the more you hike a trail, the easier it feels. And if you are familiar with the lower portion of the trail, starting in the forest, you will feel confident starting the hike with an alpine start in the dark, which also makes things easier at the top.

If you can only pick one training day, I would pick the Chasm Lake hike. With two of those three days under your legs, and adequate rest afterward, you will feel pretty good on the Keyhole.

Think about weight also. You’ll need rain gear and food. But make sure to bring some iodine water purification tablets and the neutralizer tablets. Start the hike by pounding some water at the car, and carry the empty bottle. You can fill your bottle all through the forest, and keep drinking as you hike in the trees. Fill your bottle(s) again when you pass the last stream crossing over the log bridge at the end of tree line. If you do this, you’ll be able to get very hydrated in the beginning of the hike without having to carry as much weight. I also recommend bringing ultralight hiking poles. It’s much easier to hike uphill with poles. Make sure to wear thin glove liners if you opt for poles, to keep the straps from rubbing your wrists and palms.

The Diamond is one of the most glorious places on earth….I hope you both get up there and see the columbines and the colors on the face of it this summer.
Steph