Virtually Climb A Mountain In A Weekend

26 & 27 November 2022- New Experience Number 27.

A lot of people decided to virtually climb a mountain as a way of keeping active during lockdowns. I decided to take on the challenge long after restrictions were lifted. But how does it compare to actually climbing a mountain outdoors, and how would my creaky knees cope?

Working Out

This physical challenge started with a short mental workout.

I’d initially thought I’d try to virtually climb Everest. I mean, it’s The One isn’t it? It’s the ultimate mountain to try and climb.

Each of the 13 steps on our stairs are 20cm high.
Climbing up them once would be 260cm.
Everest is 8,849 metres high, which would mean I’d have to go up (and of course down), our stairs 3,403 times. Blimey.

Virtually Climb A Mountain - Stepping To It

I’d climbed my first fifty flights in twenty minutes so took a ten minute break. So far, so good.

I kept this up for three hours; 50 flights followed by a ten minute break.

I hadn’t anticipated just how hot I would get. I knew it would be a work out, but I hadn’t considered I’d actually be dripping with sweat! I got through a ridiculous number of glasses of water, and by lunch time I was ravenous. I took an hour break to refuel, and crikey I needed that food! Then back to it for another three hours in the afternoon following the same 50 flights and 10 minutes rest routine, although going much slower for the last hundred.

Keeping Going

I listened to the radio, mostly for company as I was on my own, and it turned out to be a great distraction when it got tougher as time went on.

At the end of day one I was utterly exhausted. I thought I was fairly fit, but this was a different level of exercise, working muscles in ways they weren’t used to. I made sure to give my legs a good stretch after all that stepping.

So, 600 flights of stairs climbed. I’d climbed 1560 metres. That was more than the height of Ben Nevis which at 1,345m is the tallest mountain in the UK! However, I had a very, very, long way to go to virtually conquer the highest mountain on the planet. At the speed I was going, it would take me 34 hours to reach the top of my virtual Everest. I started to question how far I’d be able to go.

Sophisticated Tracking - Virtually Climb A Mountain

I wasn’t sure if my Garmin watch would accurately track the flights of stairs as I climbed them.

It didn’t. In fact at the end of day one it showed I’d only climbed 31 flights of stairs. 31!!! It was insulting!

Thankfully, I’d been keeping a record by adding a tally whenever I reached the top step so I knew exactly how far I’d been.

Ups And Downs

Day two started with my usual morning run, I did question my sanity! My legs felt tight at first but eased as I went. Although I didn’t go too far as I didn’t want to push it.

I’d come to the conclusion that Everest was out of reach this time. I’d only got two free days to complete this challenge, and at the speed I was going it just wasn’t possible.

I wasn’t entirely sure my legs would make it either, so I decided to adjust my goal and aim for 1000 climbs of our stairs. That was a nice round number and still felt like an accomplishment to be proud of.

Peaking - Virtually Climb A Mountain

The first few climbs on the second day were slow, but I got back into the rhythm and routine of fifty flights climbed, ten minutes break. 400 still felt like such a big number left to climb though.

I got to a total of 800 flights of stairs climbed and was momentarily tempted to leave it there. That was still a huge elevation. Still a huge achievement – I’d never climbed that high on my stairs before.

But 200 climbs left to go. That sounded tantalisingly close. Just two more hours and I’d be done. So of course, you knew didn’t you? I kept going.

Summiting

100 flights left and the end was getting nearer. I marked the tally each time I peaked, feeling the finish was in sight. Fifty left to go. Forty. Finally, I only had ten climbs left. This was when the elation kicked in and I knew I was going to make it to 1000 climbs.

Reaching the top for the last time I genuinely punched the air. I had done it! It wasn’t what I had initially intended, but blimey it had been hard going, and was still a heck of an achievement. I’m not sure I’ve ever climbed that much before – even outdoors!

So 1000 times up our stairs works out as having climbed 2,600 metres. That’s the same height as the highest mountain in the Biellese Alps in north west Italy called, Monte Mars. Apparently you can get really nice views across the Po Valley and the Monte Rosa massif from up there. I had the slightly less attractive vista back down the stairs.

Nice And Knees-y

My knees already make a vile sound when I go up the stairs, I’ve checked with the doctor who said if they don’t cause me any pain then not to worry about them. So they creak and crack, but they feel ok. They were the part of me that I thought might suffer the most during this challenge.

It was actually my calves that talked to me most. They felt super tight, like they would pop or explode. They felt like tennis balls stuffed into a pair of tights by the end of it. They felt like they had quadrupled in size and that they were pulsating bulbously. Of course, they looked exactly as they always had. The only give-away that I’d completed the virtual mountain climb, was the speed at which I hobbled back up the stairs to bed that night!

Having The Right 'Altitude'

A virtual climb is no substitute to climbing an actual mountain outdoors. Not for me anyway.

The scenery was a bit dull, the air never changed, the climbing was relentless, and there was no opportunity to look back and see how far I’d come.

On the plus side, I had everything I needed right at my finger tips and didn’t have to carry a thing. I could grab a glass of water whenever I wanted, I had plenty of food in the kitchen, and toilet breaks were easy.

There were ups and downs to this challenge, it was ‘summit’ new that I’d never done before and it definitely felt like an achievement.

Want To Try And Virtually Climb A Mountain Yourself?

If you’ve got access to stairs, and you are able, then you should be able to give this a go.
Measure the height of the individual step and then multiply it by the number of steps you have. Don’t forget to convert your measurement if you’ve measured in centimetres. I forgot at first and thought I only needed to climb the stairs 34 times in order to climb Everest. Then I realised I’d divided 8,849 metres by 260 metres, rather than 260 centimetres. Bit of a difference!
Much Better Adventures has put together a handy guide of how many stairs to climb to summit famous UK mountains
Several charities encourage virtual mountain climbs, and signing up for one of these not only means you can raise some money for a good cause, it also means you could get a medal for your effort!

Cost Of Experience

Free!
If you sign up to complete the challenge for a charity there may be a registration fee.
If you’re looking for other free experiences, how about trying busking, or being an extra?

Recommendations

It’s generally classified that mountains are peaks which rise 300m above their surrounding area, so as long as you cover more than that, then you can say you’ve climbed a mountain on your stairs!
I knew this would be a good work out, but I hadn’t appreciated just how much of a work out it would be! You’ll get hot and sweaty doing this so sportswear is a good shout, and plenty of water.
There are lots of virtual mountains to climb so pick your peak! You could choose; one near to you; one that you’ve actually climbed; one you’d like to climb, or pick the number of flights you want to climb and find a mountain that matches it. There are lots of different ways you can plan it!
It’s your challenge so you can set your own rules. I knew I wanted to see how far I could climb in 2 days, but you could spread it out over a longer period of time. It’s your achievement!
Lots of people have undertaken the virtual Everest climb on their stairs, a quick google and you’ll find links to videos and articles of how their attempts went. Some are crazily speedy!
Listen to your body. There’s the saying ‘no pain no gain’, but if it’s really hurting then you should definitely stop.
Make sure you stretch out those muscles before and afterwards.
Don’t forget to take some pictures to capture your epic climb!