Training for Mountaineering | Back to Basics

Carolyn Parker getting Back to the Basics training for Mountaineering with a goblet squat.

When training for mountaineering (backcountry skiing, climbing: gym climbing, rock climbing, ice climbing, alpine climbing), the most important lesson I’ve learned over the years is to always go back to the basics.

Although I played many sports when I was young, it was not until I was 18 that I started to train in a structured way. It was in college that I got a coach and since then I’ve been paying attention, absorbing, learning, reading, focusing and refocusing.

A simple lesson that comes up over and over is to begin again.

Our brains want to be distracted; they believe that fancier work must be more beneficial. They also believe that if we’ve done something a few times, we must need something new.

You can practice climbing and skiing. You can learn technique and skills from a professional. However, if your physical foundation is not solid, your performance will suffer.

Going back to training basics will help everything—your backcountry skiing and your climbing—gym climbing, rock climbing, alpine climbing, ice climbing.

Following are the links to

The first 4 training tips for Chicks

Together and in succession these programs make up a foundational training progression. These training tips are good for anyone intent on improving their climbing or skiing.

1. Basic Warm-Up Exercises | Training Tips for Backcountry Skiers and Climbers | Chicks

Why a solid warm up is so important when training for climbing and backcountry skiing?

2. Stronger not Bigger | Training Tips For Mountaineers | Chicks

The positive effects of strength conditioning and how to get stronger without getting bigger.

2. Core Movements (Part 1) | Exercises for Mountaineering | Chicks

The specific strength required for climbing that can be gained in the gym environment can enhance any athlete’s performance.

2. Core Movements (Part 2) | Exercises for Mountaineering | Chicks

The number one cause of injury, aside from a direct trauma, is muscle imbalance and loss of ROM (range of motion).