Training For Mountaineering In 2026

Inside, we explore our online personal training for mountaineering and talk through how we help mountaineers get fit, strong and resilient for their mountain adventures. 

​​Online Personal Training For Mountaineers 

With the turn of the new year here, many many mountaineers are starting to get serious about their training.

They are thinking about how to kick off the year strong. And how to make 2026 a serious year of adventure.

With that in mind, today I want to do something a little different.
I am not going to talk about training ideas, theories, strategies, or tactics.

Instead, I want to talk about my online personal training for mountaineering at Summit Strength.

This is specifically for mountaineers who want to get a head start on the year.

What Mountaineers We Train At Summit Strength

First, I want to be very clear about who we do and do not work with.

We specialise in training mountaineers. But our training is not suited to every mountaineer.

Here are the three types of mountaineers we most commonly work with:

1) Mountaineers Preparing For A Big Climb Or Expedition

We work with many mountaineers building up to a big objective who want to give themselves the best chance of a safe, enjoyable, and successful mountain adventure.

In mountaineering, so much is out of your control: weather, gear, group dynamics, your genetic response to altitude, and so many other things.

But one thing you can control is your physical preparation.

We work with mountaineers at all levels.

From people taking their first steps into mountaineering and preparing for their first skills course or first climb.

All the way through to mountaineers tackling some of the tallest mountains in the world.

(At the most hardcore level, we are currently working with one mountaineer who is attempting to climb all the world's 8000m+ mountains unassisted with oxygen - which is a monumental challenge!).

And every type of mountaineer in between.

2) Mountaineers Who Struggle With Aches, Pains And Injuries

So many mountaineers struggle with issues like knee pain, ankle pain, foot issues or hip injuries. These are incredibly common in the mountaineering community.

One major problem with this for mountaineers is that the majority of advice out there around overcoming these pains and injuries is catered for people who are just wanting to be comfortable for everyday life, or less 'extreme' sports or activities.

And there is a BIG gap between being comfortable for everyday life, or going out for a long run, and being comfortable for multiple days (or weeks) on a mountain, under load.

At Summit Strength, we help fill the gap between traditional rehab and the mountains. And give mountaineers the best chance possible of staying safe and comfortable on their adventures.

3) Mountaineers Who Want To Maintain Strength And Fitness All Year Round

Many mountaineers might not have one big trip, or a pain or injury holding them back - but they want to be in a position where they can feel fit, strong and confident all year around (and be ready to step into any adventure which comes across their way).

And we have helped many mountaineers with this.

What Mountaineers We DO NOt Train At Summit Strength

With that being said, there are many mountaineers out there who are not well-suited to our training or coaching.

Here are a few examples:

1) Mountaineers Who Want An Uphill Athlete Or Evoke Endurance Clone

Many mountaineers are familiar with this approach - maybe they have read Training For The New Alpinism, or bought a training plan before. These approaches work, and many mountaineers see good success.

That is not what we do at Summit Strength. We are not another clone of these training systems; we do not just regurgitate the same ideas. We follow different training systems, structures and ideas.

If you are just looking to follow this exact same approach, then you are probably just better off working with one of them directly.

2) Mountaineers Who Want A Pre-Made Program

At Summit Strength, we do not sell pre-made programs. Everything we do is personalised. And even our lowest support training options are all personalised to the individual and come with an element of coaching support.

If you are just looking for a cheap, pre-made program, we are not for you.

And if you are looking for a training option that you can download and never interact with anyone else, we are not for you.

3) Mountaineers Who Are Obsessed With Metrics And Numbers

At Summit Strength, our training and coaching are not metric-heavy. We don't need our mountaineers to track a dozen metrics, to keep track of spreadsheets or always use an exercise tracker.

If you live for threshold testing, heart rate zones and tracking a dozen metrics with your training, we might not be for you.

*If you love heart rate training, we will definitely support it. But we do not make our coaching decisions based on numbers or metrics - instead, we make the majority of our decisions based on communication and personal interaction - as opposed to numbers.

4) Mountaineers Who Already 'Know It All'

This might sound funny, but it needs to be said. If you are not interested in trusting a coach with your training, we might not be well-suited together.

A successful training journey is like baking a cake:

When baking a cake, you have your ingredients: flour, sugar, butter and all of that.

If you put them all together and follow the recipe, you end up with a delicious cake.

Alternatively, if you just take one or two ingredients and try to cook that, it isn't going to work. Or, if you take half of the recipe from one cake and half from another cake, it probably isn't going to work either.

The same idea goes for training. If you are a muntaineer who wants help with your training, but you only really want help with one aspect (e.g. strength or cardio), or you come into a program and think you know better than the coach you are hiring, then we probably are going to be well-suited. ​

Not to say mountaineers have to follow our training as gospel, but you need to be able to have a discussion and conversation about training changes and adaptations (instead of just going off on your own track)

How Summit Strength Helps Mountaineers Get Fit, Strong And Resilient For Their Adventures

​So how do we actually help mountaineers?

We do it through our signature online personal training program for mountaineers - the Online Summit Program.

This program is based on three pillars:

• Training
• Education
• Coaching
  
  

1) Specialised Training For Mountaineering

We provide personalised and specialised strength and conditioning programming for mountaineers. Our programs are personalised around your goals, situation, preferences, schedule, timeline and access.

And we will program our strength training, mountaineering-specific conditioning, longer cardio and recovery mobility.

Ensuring you have everything you need to build up your strength, fitness and resilience for your specific adventures and situation.

2) Education

Training is important, but it is only one part of the equation. There are so many other tips, strategies and tactics which can make a big difference to both your training and time on the mountain.

With this in mind, we provide our mountaineers with education on topics such as:

• Nutrition (for both your training and your mountaineering)
• Recovery
• Pain and injury prevention
• High altitude
• Mental strength and mindset
• And much more

All of which is designed to complement our training and help you get the most out of your workouts and your time in the mountains.

3) Coaching And Support

No training journey is ever smooth. There are always numerous things that come up that can get in the way. Common examples include:

• Illness
• Work stress
• Travel/holidays
• Trip changes
• Motivation dips
• Etc
  
  

Through our journey, we maintain regular communication and ensure your training stays flexible and adaptable to help keep you moving forward, regardless of what is going on.

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Over the years, the Online Summit Program has helped many mountaineers train, prepare and conquer their mountaineering adventures.

And it has proven that there is more than one way of effectively preparing for your mountaineering adventures.

If you are starting 2026 thinking you want to make a change with your training....

If you have a big climb coming up, or are sick of an ache, pain or injury holding you back...

Or just want to feel fit and strong for the mountains all year around...

I would love to chat with you.

To find out more about the Online Summit Program, and to book a free discovery call to have a chat about it all, you can go here:

Online Personal Training For Mountaineers

Yours in adventure.

Rowan