HikeStrong Podcast
The HikeStrong Podcast is where I share practical guidance on hiking, backpacking, and trekking preparation. Each episode blends fitness insight with real-world training strategies to help you build strength, endurance, and confidence for any trail.
I sit down with guests to break down how to train for demanding hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals using smart strength training, endurance training, and conditioning approaches. You’ll hear clear advice on altitude training, uphill training, and injury prevention, all woven into training conversations that support preparation for major destinations such as Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Rim to Rim, Tour du Mont Blanc, the Camino de Santiago, Patagonia, Machu Picchu, the Alps, and the Dolomites.
Because training is never one‑size‑fits‑all, I also bring listeners inside real programs. In select episodes, I interview clients in a deep‑dive format that reveals week‑by‑week training details — real data, real challenges, and real solutions — offering a clearer picture of how people actually prepare for hiking, backpacking, and trekking goals.
A cornerstone of my approach is elevation‑gain training. I believe that consistently building weekly elevation gain is one of the strongest predictors of success on any major adventure. In each episode, I share clear, actionable ways to develop that strength — even if you don’t have access to hiking terrain — so you can stay on track whether you train on hills, treadmills, stair machines, or step‑ups.
If you're preparing for a major trip, gearing up for a multi-day backpacking route, or building a long-term plan for tougher hiking or trekking challenges, you’ll find episodes that support every step of your training.
Beyond training, some episodes feature voices from across the hiking, backpacking, and trekking worlds — guides, operators, storytellers, and industry experts whose insights can shape how you think about adventure. These conversations broaden your perspective and influence your outdoor experiences, even when the focus isn’t directly on training.
Listen, train with purpose, share with your adventure partners — then take on at least one unforgettable hiking, backpacking, or trekking experience each year. Train | Hike | Repeat
I’m Marcus Shapiro, a hiking strength and conditioning coach and an early pioneer in online training for hiking, backpacking, and trekking, helping adventurers get physically ready for everything from local elevation goals to high-altitude expeditions.
HikeStrong Podcast
Hiking to Mountaineering How-To, Training for Mountaineering, What are the First Mountains to Climb in U.S. | Hike Strong Podcast | Ep. 05
To all you hikers out there who want to give mountaineering a go, this episode is for you. Marcus flushes out some fantastic knowledge from Karsten Delap, founder of Pisgah Climbing School. He is one of 200 people in the United States with the IFMGA licensed mountain guide certification. And he is the only one who lives in the Southeast. IFMGA stands for International Federation of Mountain Guides Association.
Karsten is a highly respected mountain guide and will help you understand how to transition from hiking to mountaineering. And Marcus’ goal today is to give you the confidence to go for it. Below is a sampling of discussion topics:
- Define mountaineering.
- What is the history of hiking as a recreational activity, and what is its relationship to mountaineering?
- When does hiking become mountaineering?
- What are the different physical requirements between hiking and mountaineering?
- Define mountaineering, mountain climbing, alpine climbing, and anything related.
- Are snow and glaciers required to be considered mountaineering?
- If you climb 14ers in Colorado in June when there is little snow, is it mountaineering?
- Let’s discuss getting in shape for mountaineering.
- How do you get in shape for mountaineering if you live in flat or urban areas and can’t hike frequently or at all due to traditional work schedules?
- Karsten, how do you generally approach a physical training routine 12 weeks out or more from a challenging climb?
- How does physical conditioning for climbing differ from hiking?
- What mental skills are essential for climbing, and how can they be developed?
- What signs, symptoms, and failings do deconditioned climbers experience during a mountaineering experience? And generally, what do you think they could have done more of?
- In a previous discussion, you cautioned against having a myopic view of training for Mt Rainier—for example, after hearing a podcast like this and then going for it. What's your concern?
- List next-level mountaineering experiences that can be done in a day or two domestically in the United States.
- How do you suggest gradually progressing from easier climbs to more challenging routes?
- What do you learn in a mountaineering class?
- What technical skills can a client work on their own vs with you?
- Discuss climbing gear.
Karsten Delap / Pisgah Climbing School
https://www.pisgahclimbingschool.com/ & https://www.karstendelap.com/
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https://fitfortrips.com/consultation/
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https://fitfortrips.com/free-hiking-training-plan/
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