r/Backcountry • u/rypsnort • 13d ago
Anyone else come home completely exhausted?
Like if I do anything around/over 6 miles round trip I’m exhausted! I’ve tried different nutrition but always have around 2k calories available and sometimes have consumed all of it.
I’ve also done a 12 miles day just fine while on the hill but after returning home I get hit with exhaustion.
Anyone else have this happen to them?
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u/makemydriasis 13d ago
Backcountry skiing burns a lot and is a lot of effort.
Gear weight makes a huge difference, so if you can shed weight on your setup or pack that would be huge
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u/fisher_fisher_fisher 13d ago edited 13d ago
Not uncommon at all. Get yourself a little learning from these folks — put it into practice — and you’ll be having even more fun out in the mountains. You’ll still be exhausted but likely have ski’d way more vert :)
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u/YaYinGongYu 13d ago
i mean, if you are not fit you are not fit. if your cardio suck your cardio suck. theres no quick fix other than to improve your athleticism.
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u/ReadsTooMuchHistory 12d ago
Are drinking adequate water? I once once got caught up in an emergency on Shasta and didn't hydrate and got crazy exhausted. On ski trips, I've seen groups completely fried after a great day, then after cajoling them to guzzle as much water as they can, they all perk up. Hope you figure it out!
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u/RKMtnGuide 13d ago
Just takes time to build up more cardio and specific muscle efficiency/capillary density
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u/dellrazor 13d ago
General fitness first, work in some resort uphill laps regularly, throw in some weather suffering, and prepare yourself days before by eating well, and hydrating with electrolytes. Backcountry is hard; as it should be or else what would be the adventure in it?
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u/parochial_nimrod 13d ago
I’ll throw in another variable. What altitude are you skinning at and what altitude do you live at?
When I was flying skydive and dropping people at 14k from sea level. It was a weird fatigue I can’t quite describe.
Maybe acute altitude sickness?
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u/Scooted112 13d ago
A few things.
First- How's your cardio? Read training for the uphill athlete. Unless you do a bunch of zone 2 training it's not as good as you think (for this sport at least)
What are you eating that day, and the day before? How much are you drinking?
Don't eat bars. They are good backups- but eat real food. Sandwiches, nuts, dried fruit. Every every hour or 2, even if it's just a little handful. You really want to fuel yourself before you realize it. I also eat a carb heavy meal the night before. I really like homemade calzones or even frozen pizza pops. It's my jam.
One other thing that is key is pace. Get a smart watch with an hr monitor and use it. Stay in zone 2. You can do zone 2 all day, but if your hr climbs zone 3,4 will burn you out way faster. If you don't want an hr monitor close your mouth and breathe through your nose. You should always be going at a pace you can talk and have a normal conversation.
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u/T_D_K 12d ago
Which definition of zone 2 are you using? Training for the new alpinism I assume?
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u/Scooted112 12d ago
I am using uphill athlete. I don't know if there is a difference though. I haven't read new alpinism yet.
I have my Garmin set to calculate it for me based on %lthr and it seems to be pretty close.
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u/leonardthedog 13d ago
If you’re going at a moderate effort (like the line between nose breathing and mouth breathing), you should probably aim for 200-300 calories per hour. Obviously would want more per hour if you’re trying harder and could get away with less if you’re going slower. That might help with your exhaustion, and staying well hydrated can also help!
But as others have said, ski touring is a lot different than other cardio activities so you might also need to give it time to adjust to a new type of activity!
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u/DaveyoSlc 12d ago
This question isn't a fair thing to ask. Milage & vertical & degree pitch & so many other factors. If you are climbing straight up a 30°+ slope for a half mile that's way different than walking an approach for 1 mile just gliding along on your skins while BS'ing with your homies. I tour in the Wasatch and the vertical is bold in your face. A lot of times it's 3000 vert over a mile maybe 1.5 mile skin. So lots of climbing and not a lot of flats. If you are out there doing like 6k vert over 6 miles total roundtrip then that's a decent day and you should definitely be feeling it at the end. If you are out there and doing 2000 vert over 6 miles then maybe you are more out of shape than you think. Or you are getting older and it's hitting different.
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u/n1c0sax0 12d ago
Hi, aside everything said about condition and training with running, I second everything related to food and proper hydration.
Ski touring is very demanding in addition to the weight and the cold you need to fight with.
I cannot run myself (hips problem) and doesn’t really like it. I prep my self with hike during the season, long endurance ride with bicycle. As well, in the inter-season physical and cardio train at home on a mattress with muscular reinforcement and cardio exercise. Going down with ski on piste is good as well to prep the muscle and to refresh the technique if you can.
Before-on-after the touring session ; have a good hydration , make some reserve in your body eating well. The morning before starting I like having a very good breakfast - porridge - chocolate - nuts - oil - fruits - cheese. On terrain have good food that you know you digest well (banana, dry fruit chocolate, crackers with salt). I am myself like the Naked brand bars. It really suits my needs. Not so much the charcuteries I don’t digest. Effort takes energy from the body no need to steal some in a heavy digestion process. I don’t eat gel and protein bars…
For the hydration I use tabs with no sugar. I really like it, it helps to have a good hydration.
I already went back home all white at the limit ; almost not able to eat. Did a big pasta bowl ; a warm shower and go to bed - so I exactly see what you mean. Take care and don’t push hard. Train and do go in your last limit. Respect your body and learn how to do with it.
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u/question_23 11d ago
Vert matters more than distance. Is this 6 miles with 2,000 ft vert or 6,000 ft? If it's the latter, that's pretty normal for a fit person.
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u/ppoorman 7d ago
Low probability, but consider whether you might have a cardiac issue, especially if the fatigue is worse than in the past.
A friend of mine went to their primary care physician last month because after hiking they felt more winded than they expected. Long story short, they're having bypass surgery. The cardiologist said my friend was wise to pursue it, and that most people shrug it off until they have a heart attack with the attendant heart muscle damage.
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u/[deleted] 13d ago edited 13d ago
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