Training for a hike?

[lucy082]

I am looking to climb Snowdon in March. I go for walks each day at the weekend and go to the gym 4 times a week. Do I need to be doing any other training? Although I am active, I usually get quite tired up hills etc - ironic how I'm doing a hike up a mountain😂Should I be training or is it possible without training?

missing detail… what do you do at the gym??

Snowdon is possible for most people with little training but may not be very enjoyable if you aren’t very fit. How long are you hoping to spend on the mountain - in March it will most likely still have snow and ice on, which will make it a tougher challenge. It’s hard on the legs going both up and down - box steps can help during training.
I Think you want to be doing some steady state training - getting used to being in the top ranges of your heart rate for the up hills.

How far do you walk at weekends and is it flat or hilly?

The normal path is just a long walk uphill and then a long walk downhill so I don't think it needs 'training' but you'll probably enjoy it more if you do some long hilly walks beforehand to increase your stamina.

Especially if there's likely to be ice use a pole (or two)

Snowdon is well below the altitude where altitude sickness will occur so physical training is less essential if you are reasonably fit. Ther are other areas to focus on though like Do you ever walk with your kit bag? Broken in your hiking gear? Know how to treat common hiking injuries ? Know how to correctly pack you bag etc.

Are your weekend walks long walks? 8 miles or so?

I think it would be good to get in some long walks, if only to check your boots are comfy over distance.

Use the stair master / stair climber at the gym for 20min stints, or put the running machine in its steepest incline.

If you have a reasonable level of fitness you should be fine though.

We climbed snowdon with zero training 🤣 I wasn't even into the gym at that point - we just decided one morning and went up. It's not very far away for us though as we live in Anglesey so if we'd got half way up and didn't want to carry on we could just go back another day and try again.
I found it quite easy though and we did one of the most difficult routes.

It's possible without training for most people

Doing sone running will probably make the hill climbing aspect easier

Also if you haven't hill experience- it can be freezing wet and windy at the top when it's glorious at the bottom and there are lots of ways down but sone will leave you 40miles by road from your car - take care at the top when you head back down

Are we still allowed to call in Snowdon, I thought it is Yr Wyddfa now?

Which route are you going up?

If you're going up the normal route (Llanberis Path), you'll be absolutely fine. Even a fairly unfit person can make it up that route if they're tenacious. It's a bit of a long dull slog though, so I wouldn't reccommend it!

Pyg or Miners are the other two main options - if your weekend walks are 5+ miles long and involve a hill or two you'll be ok, though they are quite hard steep routes. If not, start pushing your weekend walks and make sure they include some hills!

Miners is my favourite route.

Walking up (and down) a mountain is very different from walking on the flat. I can walk on a flat route for miles without breaking a sweat, but contour lines do me in.

I mean, you'll probably manage Snowdon, but, like others have said, if you put some time in on the stair thing at the gym, it will feel a lot easier when you go up Snowdon.

More importantly, are you well equipped (map, compass, whistle, good boots, emergency rations, shelter or survival bag, first aid, etc, and do you know how to use them ?

You might find this interesting @NewName244*

I doubt you need any additional training in terms of fitness (although research the paths carefully and pick an easy one - you don't want to find yourself having to negotiate Crib Goch unexpectedly 😂).
However, Snowdon in March is not for the inexperienced. There will likely be snow and ice en route, and a high chance of poor weather conditions at the summit. If you're not used to walking in mountains in winter, I strongly advise against it. May - September are much better months for it. If you do want to go in March, make sure you're suitably equipped.

If you didn't already know, met office does summit forecasts - we found it useful and quite accurate when we walked up snowdon (having not done so on 2 previous holidays in the area due to the weather) . We managed to get to the top just as the clouds lifter for a while and got a view!

I know it's particularly bad at the moment but it's quite instructive to compare the forecast for snowdon vs Llanberis!

Thanks Ibiza , but it isn't me that is going

I wouldn't say that you need any 'training'. Anyone with a reasonable level of fitness could walk up Snowdon via the tourist path. Young children walk up to the summit with no issue.

Yr Wyddfa is an easy walk for most people.

If you want to 'train', I suggest simply walking further at the weekend, making sure it is a brisk walk, and perhaps carry a rucsack with few items in.
If you really want to train for a hill, then find a local hill to walk up. Short of that, climb up and down the stairs 20 times without stopping with a rucksack on your back.