First and most important - climbing IS NOT A RACE.

The Tanzanians have it right. Pole pole (slowly slowly).  

A lot of the time you will hear guys (and in this instance I do mean men) talking about how many hours they took to get from camp to camp or how many hours it took them to summit - how they were faster than someone else or how slow someone else was.  This is what I call the testosterone illness.  What??? you may say.  but... I've watched and watched and learnt.  DO NOT FALL INTO THIS MADNESS.  It's not a race.  You don't get a medal for making it into a camp an hour before anyone else or by summiting quicker than someone else.  I watched people collapsing and being rescued on Kili.  Most were fit, young men.  The younger and fitter they were, the faster they wanted to go and the quicker they collapsed.

Climbing should be your own personal journey.  Yes - you should watch the weather and know yourself well enough to know if you need to hire your own personal guide  or sherpa so that you are not attempting to keep up with anyone else or leave earlier on summit day if you know it will take you longer.  If you push too hard and exert yourself on a mountain at altitude (and I mean beyond the norm) - you will be putting yourself in danger (altitude sickness) and more than likely not make it.  Then you will be putting others in danger as they try to rescue you.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY - slow down if you need to.

I once heard - train hard and then get lazy on the mountain.  Great advice.  Train as hard as you can and then slow down on the mountain. 

STAY CALM - This may sound quite simple but I found that some people just can't calm down and enjoy the slower pace of mountain life.  This goes hand in hand with the pole pole method.  Some people come from very demanding and stressful jobs.  They are go go go all day long and then they get on the mountain are in a hurry to summit.  They get stressed and angry if things aren't going to schedule.  Rarely will things go to a schedule.  Once again this is not a race.  Calm down and relax.  Clear your mind and enjoy tent life.  Read, sleep, eat, keep hydrated and RELAX.  Enjoy the journey

MEDICATION - Diamox

There are those that are for it and those that are against it.  hmmmm  I say you don't get a t-shirt to say you summited without Diamox.

I will swear by the positive effects of Diamox.  I don't believe that I would have summited any mountain without it.

I was working with doctors in Tanzania and again it was them that advised taking it.  I asked 'but what about side effects' 'will it be dangerous if I take it too long?'.  

"NO NO" they replied.  "Take it.  it is what we give all patients after operations"  'Take it'

At first I took it and then I listened to the 'no camp' and stopped.  Big mistake.  On day 3 of climbing Kilimanjaro (we had moved too fast overtaking everyone with the guide saying we must challenge ourselves and had run out of water - dehydrated).  Within minutes of stopping I thought my head would explode.  By the next morning I could barely move.  Every step was an effort, I had a migraine, I was nauseous and was sure death was upon me.   I would go on to resemble something out of the Exorcist.  I'm sure my head would start spinning any minute. The park rangers were notified that a woman was dying on the mountain.  They came to the tent to see if I was alive.  I was feeling great now that I had thrown up  'Would you like to buy a t-shirt?" they asked. ha ha ha

No it wasn't the effect of the Diamox - quite the opposite.  It was the fact that we had climbed too fast and dehydrated.  It was the fact that I had stopped taking the Diamox.  Thank God it was another guide on another team that asked if I was OK and did I have medication.  'Take it NOW' he said.  Are you sure? I asked.  "Take it NOW'  And so I did.  Live and learn.  Diamox makes a huge difference.  Within 8hrs I felt on top of the world again and would go on to summit.

I watched quite a number of people get rescued on the way to Everest Base Camp.  Airlifted out with only a day to go.  People throwing up and delirious.  Young, fit men throwing up blood on Kili.  Most had Diamox in their pockets.  None had taking it.  One lady was airlifted to Kathmandu and flown to Signapore with blood clots on the brain.  Some people think you take it once the symptoms start.    If you research you will see that you need to take it 24hrs before heading to altitude and 24hrs after returning to your normal altitude.  Yes - it's a diuretic and hence you will need to stay HYDRATED.  You will pee a lot.

Up to you.  I'm obviously in the Diamox camp.

HYDARATION - water water water

Staying hydrated goes hand in hand with going slow.  AND if you are taking Diamox you MUST stay hydrated.  You may not realise how much you're sweating because it's cold but you are definitely sweating.  2 to 3 litres is NOT ENOUGH.  Aim for 5 litres per day.  

I try the following:

1 litre - in the morning with breakfast

1 litre - during the climb

1 litre - as soon as you reach camp in the afternoon

1 litre - with dinner

1 litre - during the night. (every time you get up to pee - DRINK more)

People say they can't drink that much but I look at it as medication.  You're body needs it whether you feel like it or not.

Your pee must be CLEAR.

FROSTBITE

Yes - you think you're thinking straight but with lack of oxygen and altitude your brain goes to mush.  The simplest of tasks like tying shoe laces or putting on a glove seem impossible.  I managed to get frostbite on Aconcagua as we descended from the summit in a snow storm and for the life of me I couldn't work out how to get my mitt back on.   I also had not removed my ring and this cut circulation to the finger (which was the worst effected).

Again live and learn.  If you can't get a glove back on - ask for help (that would be the first step).  Secondly, stop, hydrate and keep warm.  Yes it may take an extra 5 min but may save a lot of trouble in the end.  And...  DO NOT wear any jewellery.

 I found out later, frostbite is actually caused by dehydration more so than just cold or lack of oxygen.  It makes sense considering your blood is made up of blood plasma and various cells.  Adults have about 3 litres of plasma. Plasma is a liquid, mostly water (90%). Plasma takes up 55% of blood volume.  

The cardiovascular surgeon who treated me explained that frostbite is like a stroke.  The first thing to die are the nerves and tissue.  But like a stroke it can take up to a year to see if the body will regenerate.  I was lucky that I have full use of my hands.  Yes, the bone was deformed in the ring finger and yes it still causes pain in the cold but now I'm extra cautious about staying warm and hydrated on the way to a summit.

THE RIGHT COMPANY AND GUIDES

Research companies in detail.  Make sure they are the right fit for you.  Ask a million questions if you have to.

Climbing costs a lot of money to spend it on going with the wrong company that can either end up being a nightmare or straight out dangerous.

My requirement when deciding on who to climb with is simple - they must be 'professional, easy going and have a sense of humour'.  

There are plenty of companies that have strict criteria on who can join their team.  This might suit some  people but to me it shows that they will have no tolerance on people that go slow or make mistakes.  It tells me that they are more interested in their 'summit success rate' than the enjoyment and adventure of the climb itself.  Again, it's the people and the journey that make the trip memorable not just the summit.

I've read horror stories of some people that tried to save money and go with the cheapest company or by themselves.  One guy complained that he had wasted $30,000 attempting to climb Everest and not only did he not make it he nearly died.  He tells the story -  he was quicker than the rest (hmmmmm what did I say about racing?) and that he had no help from the guide getting down because there was 1 guide to 4 climbers (hmmmmm what did I say about knowing when you need to hire your own climbing sherpa?).  He goes on to say that he should have put that money on the mortgage instead because it was a waste that he didn't summit (hmmmm all about the summit and not the journey).  He of course blames the company he went with. hmmmm be honest with yourself about your abilities.

Do your research, if you can't afford it don't go.  If you want help when it all goes to hell - make sure you are with the very best and have a personal guide or sherpa to show you the way down.

There is a reason I highly recommend Berg Adventures International.  They work only with some of the best guides in the world.  So when it turns to hell as it did on Aconcagua you can depend on the guides to get you down.  Without them - there is no way we would be here today to tell the story.  Amazing people.  They know the mountain like the back of their hands - calm, cool and collected. 

TIPS...