Which altitude profile and height is optimal for Everesting by hiking?

Everesting is an activity where the goal is altitude gain of 8848 m or more by repeatedly going up and down a selected route.

This is most often attempted by biking; however, hiking/running is practiced too. The whole process takes 20-30 hours; however, the time seems to be less important than the feat itself.

I would like to understand how to choose a route which makes this possible.

The rules (described on the site, but I added a few of my own) are:

• Total elevation gain, 8848 m
• Only natural scenery: no roads or stairs
• No bicycles, chairlifts, buses, etc; no abseiling
• Must travel the same route back and forth repeatedly
• No sleeping
• Resting, eating and drinking are allowed; no restrictions on resupplying along the way
• The spirit of the challenge implies that your route should be mostly altitude gain, followed by descent on the way back - not a "10 m up, 10 m down" type of trail

So I wonder, first of all, which elevation gain is best for one leg of the challenge (assuming I can find any route I want, within reason)? I imagine that 3 times 3000 m would be inconvenient because of temperature differences, and 89 times 100 m would be a burden for the brain. What other factors should I take into account?

Also, which altitude profile should I use? Make it too shallow and you should travel a big distance; make it too steep and it becomes hard to go down. Should the angle be uniform, or is it better to have flatter sections along the steep ascent?

posted about 6 years ago

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anatolyg‭

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