It’s likely they’ve (the aspirant summiteer) physically trained hard for at least the last six months before their expedition and for many a lot longer. They’ve also gained experience of high and extreme altitude conditions and how to survive there. Being at peak physical fitness is only half of what’s required to be a summiteer. The body will be held back on acclimatisation days and indeed on the summit push if the climber doesn’t fully understand how to train the mind into thinking like a ‘winner’. The climber must get his mind in sync with his physical strength; otherwise he’ll never be able to perform to his true abilities.

There’s a reason why Tiger Woods is the top golfer he is, Lewis Hamilton the best Formula 1 driver, Lance Armstrong is so good at the Tour de France, and why climbers like Reinhold Messner and Alan Hinkes were so successful. It’s got a lot to do with the strength they have in their minds. They have both their physical and mental powers in sync.

 Anyone can achieve goals and conduct amazing feats of physical endeavour. People can endure the hardship of Royal Marine physical training, cross deserts and the polar regions, swim The Channel, and endure extremes of heat and cold. They can perform extremes of hardship and pain, despite being ill or injured no matter what the odds or obstacles that get in they way to achieving their goals.

There’s essentially five areas to concentrate on to focus and strengthen the mind. Vision (planning), Visualisation, Role Models, Motivation, Training Strategy.

 

Vision

We are all unique, there’s not two of me and there’s not two of you. We all have stages in life, after all it’s essentially a journey from the cradle to the grave. Everyday the unique you is on the Earth, is a special day. What we do with those days throughout the journey is up to the individual. Many sports people who enjoy success, however plan and map out, what they want to achieve and by when along the journey. For success you need clear vision and an achievement plan. The body can always follow the mind. If you want to summit Everest or any major mountain you need the clear vision of yourself doing just that – achieving your goals and summtting. If you believe in your vision and it is strong enough, a lot of others things will fall into place. How you organise you life, your training schedule, how you eat, what friends and climbing partners you choose for example. Vision creates a purpose in the life’s journey. Purpose will dictate a climber’s lifestyle choices. It also gives belief and faith and this creates discipline and willpower. Willpower will create confidence and with confidence the climber will act like a winner.

Lee says ‘Never lose sight of getting to the summit of a mountain, but focus on the here and now. How you perform today and tomorrow will get you closer to the summit. Set yourself achievable goals; aim to summit smaller achievable mountains – this creates belief in yourself and your capabilities’.

 

Visualisation

It’s not enough to want or desire to summit. You have to rehearse and visualise in your mind that you’ll be at the summit. Visualise being there at the summit; imagine what it will look like and try and feel the emotion of being there. It’s easy to get information on specific locations on the mountain. Keep looking at pictures of the Khumbu icefall, the Western Cwm, Lhotse face, Geneva Spur, South Col. Imagine being there, and what these places will look like. Believe you’ll be in these places and make them your own.

Lee says ‘After seeing pictures of places on the mountain I believe I will be there one day. On expedition on Everest, every night I knew where I’d be the next day and let myself imagine the route on the mountain that would get me to these places. I fell asleep believing totally that I’d be where I wanted to be the next day’.

Role Models

The image of Tenzing holding his ice axe aloft, on the summit of Everest is iconic. So to are, the images of Hillary and Tenzing at the lower camps, sharing a joke together over tea: putting equipment on and getting ready. Other fantastic images of climbers are Dougal Haston climbing the Hillary step (taken by Doug Scott in 1975); also Anatoli Boukreev fixing lines towards the summit in 1996. These images of successful climbers should evoke emotion in you; you want to succeed just as these climbers have done. Get copies of these images, put them where you can see them every day. Your wardrobe door, the fridge door or even in the gym. Everytime you see these images, think these are the climbers you need to emulate. Think what they did to summit. You are made of the same stuff and can be just like them. 

Lee says ‘For me my role models have been people like Lance Armstrong, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and climbers like Lionel Thierray, Reinhold Messner, Joe Brown and Don Whillans. From different sporting genres, but each achieved greatness in their lives. I regularly look at pictures of Hillary and Tenzing and try and imagine being with them and feeling the same emotion they felt’.

 

Motivation

What is motivation? Motivation is the driving force that ultimately gets you up the mountain. To begin with it is the driving force that makes you focus. It gets you up in the morning to do gruelling workouts and training schedules. It helps you develop single mindedness of the purpose of what you are doing. Motivation creates discipline and makes you push yourself even harder in workouts. When you were happy doing 150 reps of leg presses motivation makes you push out another 50. Discipline itself will come from the satisfaction and eagerness of achieving a goal, along the way in your planning and vision.

Lee says ‘When I got up a 5.00 am to be down the gym for 6.00 am and it was pitch black outside, cold and raining, I could have easily turned over and gone back to sleep, pretending that I didn’t hear the alarm. However it was my life long dream to climb Everest and I used to tell myself that I’d be starting earlier than this on the mountain and feeling worse – so Lee, get used to it!’

Lee says ‘One person who is a get motivator for me is Lance Armstrong; to quote directly from Chris Carmichael in The Lance Armstrong Performance Programme. 'Cold days and relentless rain and penetrating wind, and the constant threat of crashes make harsh riding a bicycle. But because he has survived cancer and its treatment, he knows that he has endured worse ordeals'. For me this equates to a lot; no matter how bad you’re feeling, how tired you are, how busy you are, you’ve got to train. This statement is a great motivator for me. It tells me that there are almost no limits, only those created in our minds’

Training Strategy

You know your own body, what’s strong what’s weak etc. Beyond visualisation and motivation is what do you need to do physically to get in shape to summit the world’s highest mountain. We’re all different body shapes and sizes, tailor your training to suit you and what you need to achieve, turning weakness into strength. Find out how your body responds to different exercises, programmes and intensities. What type of fitness do you want to achieve. What exercises give you the biggest endorphin loading and what do you really enjoy doing. Decide where you’ll train and with who, this will help motivate you, and mentally you’ll become comfortable with these environments meaning you’ll be able to push harder.

Lee says ‘I love mountain biking: - down hilling gives me such a rush, but at the same time I know I’m pushing myself hard to get that rush. It’s the only non-competitive thing I do where I know I’m going so anaerobic and getting lactic acid in my muscles I push myself because I love it so much!’

Lee says ‘I’m happy to admit to readers that I seriously needed to lose weight. I’d been in a career where long lunches and corporate hospitality are the norm. A lot of my pre Everest training involved losing over two stone or twenty eight pounds to be ready to take on the World’s highest mountain; if you can dream it you can do it!’