The beauty of the Explorer’s Grand Slam is it has a natural progression that suits a beginner adventurer all the way through to more experienced climbers meaning that while monumental, it is a goal that can be held by anyone.

There are lots of ways to tackle the Explorer’s Grand Slam and the progression you take will depend on your individual situation (time constraints, financial constraints, family/life/work situation) Everyone is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Most climbers tend to tackle this goal starting from easiest to hardest, from lowest altitude to highest, and by trying to group expeditions by region. For instance, new climbers can start with smaller, shorter expeditions like Elbrus and work their way up to bigger, more committing climbs. These trips will give climbers an indication of how they will do on the more serious climbs and at higher altitudes. The financial and time burdens of these smaller expeditions are also less onerous than Mount Everest or Vinson Massif.

More experienced climbers might tackle the goal by grouping climbs in regions and capitalizing on prior climbs as training and acclimatization for the next one. For instance, they might go directly from Everest to Denali earlier in their goal as it suits their schedule/world travel plan.

Climbers will always have different opinions about which peaks are more serious and which should be tackled first, but ultimately, the order is up to each individual.

Here is a general progression that you might consider:

Completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam is difficult even for extremely fit individuals. If you have the desire to tackle this goal, having top notch fitness over a long period of time is a must. Further this needs to be a high level of ‘climbing specific fitness’ and aerobic capability and strength.

It is vital that your training closely simulates what you will be doing on the mountain. Traditional gym workouts or general fitness plans aren’t targeted enough. While some of the expeditions are easier than others or require different types of fitness (rock climbing, carrying heavy loads etc) generally the best way to get fit for climbing is to climb. There is no substitute for getting out there and the more you climb the more prepared you will be for an expedition.

As a general rule climbers need to be able to carry heavy loads or pull heavy sleds for six to ten hours per day for multiple days in a row. Summit days on most of the Seven Summits consist of 3000-5000ft (1000 – 2000m) of elevation gain over ten to twenty hours of climbing. Outside of climbing, the most effective way to train is to undertake day hikes and multi day hikes of long distances at least once a week for five to ten hours at a stretch.

For success you should:

• Be able to start training specifically at least 6 months in advance of your first departure
• Have the time to commit to training 5-6 days a week
• Be comfortable hiking 1,500 vertical ft per hour with a 20lb pack.
• Concentrate on High Volume but Low Intensity training.
• Remember that high altitude climbing is more about endurance than short, quick bursts of power.
• Remember that high altitude climbing is more about endurance than short, quick bursts of power.

Rest is also an important part of training. Make sure you taper off and rest several days before leaving on an expedition, because travel and jet lag can take a toll on the body. Most importantly don’t overtrain to exhaustion before you begin, or risk injury before the climb!
We have found that climbers who are the most successful work with specific mountaineering coaches who map out a specific training regimens for the mountains that suit your schedule and lifestyle.