We can’t just be fit and pretty, we have to do something! – Gerry Roach
Ascent Training By Coach Roach
Arriving at the base of the mountain equipped to climb it is half the challenge! – Gerry Roach, expedition equipment coordinator, upon arriving at Everest base camp in 1976, with the soon to be successful American Bicentennial Everest Expedition.
Your physical, mental, and spiritual preparations for an ascent are as important as your actions during the ascent. Additionally, your choice of season, route, companions, and logistical support are vital to the success of any mountain adventure. There are many fine climbing schools that will ‘teach’ you a skill set, and there are many guide services that offer to ‘take’ you to a summit. I believe that skills must be ‘learned,’ and that really learning a mountain craft takes time, patience, and practice beyond what any school can offer. I also believe that one must ‘earn’ a summit, and that it is each individual climber’s responsibility to accept that talisman. School or no school, guide or no guide, it is ultimately your legs, lungs and spirit that take you up there. If you want to go beyond basic services, and become more self-reliant in the mountains, my custom coaching programs can help. After communicating with you so that I can understand your desires, strengths and weaknesses, and after arranging an agenda, I will create a custom program for you that is tailored to your specific mountaineering goals, abilities, and needs. Then, I will communicate with you through the term of your program to give you the best chance of success in your adventure.
	Gerry became the first person to climb the ten highest peaks in North America in May of 2000 with his ascent of 18,008-foot Mount Saint Elias, considered by many to be the toughest high peak in North America.
My coaching programs are derived from my long and rich mountaineering experience. I have dreamed, schemed, created, and led hundreds of trips to the Earth’s mountains on seven continents for the last 50 years. Having ‘seen it all,’ I now feel uniquely qualified to help others. All my programs are infused with my passion to help mountaineers be more self reliant and empowered. For a complete list of my ascents, see about Gerry Roach. While my experience is extensive, I am not a doctor, and will always advise that you take your medical questions to your doctor. Other than this, I take a ‘complete package’ approach to prepare you for your adventure, and accordingly, my custom programs provide advice in one or more of the following 20 ‘Empowerments.’
What others are saying about Coach Roach

My Empowerments:

I’ve never seen a good climber who wasn’t stronger than heck!
– Mark Hesse after soloing Denali’s South Face

1.	Achieving the required physical fitness for your goal
	1.1 Aerobics
	1.2 Strength
	1.3 Flexibility
	1.4 Balance
	1.5 Preparing for cold temperatures

 

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

2.	Achieving the desired mental acuity for your goal
	2.1 Developing and maintaining a positive attitude
	2.2 Developing and applying a laser-beam focus
	2.3 Processing fear
	2.4 Visualization techniques

 

I didn’t know if I was going to the summit, or the summit was coming to me.
– Gerry Roach from Ten Tadasanas

3.	Achieving the desired spiritual awareness for your goal
	3.1 Centering
	3.2 Nurturing your love
	3.3 Synthesis
	3.4 Synergy

 

Hiking is the basis for all mountaineering.
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

4.	Developing your hiking skills
	4.1 Foot placement
	4.2 Stride length
	4.3 Pacing
	4.4 Making good micro route choices

 

Rock climbing is the basis for all technical mountaineering.
– Chris Bonington
after returning from a successful ascent of the Vinson Massif in Antarctica

5.	Developing your rock climbing skills
	5.1 Basic rope craft
	5.2 Anchors
	5.3 Protection
	5.4 Hold selection
	5.5 Movement techniques
	5.6 When to rope up
	5.7 Rappelling

 

In your storm years, visit the great glaciated ranges!
– Geoffrey Winthrop Young

6.	Developing your snow and ice climbing skills
	6.1 Step kicking in snow
	6.2 Basic ice ax techniques
	6.3 Basic use of crampons
	6.4 Anchors
	6.5 Placing protection
	6.6 Preventing falls
	6.7 Stopping falls
	6.8 Advanced techniques

 

A directional error of a few degrees leaving Rainier’s summit
can put you on an entirely different route lower down!
– Gerry Roach from Transcendent Summits

7.	Developing your navigational skills
	7.1 Map and compass
	7.2 GPS
	7.3 Natural techniques
	7.4 Measuring the mountain
	7.5 Making good macro route choices
	7.6 Route selection in rough terrain
	7.7 Route selection in dense woods
	7.8 Route selection on rock
	7.9 Route selection on snow
	7.10 Route selection in low visibility

 

We can climb anything if we’re comfortable enough!
– Gerry Roach on Alaska’s Mount Hunter in 1994

8.	Selection of and acquisition of appropriate equipment
	8.1 Clothing
	8.2 Footgear
	8.3 Packs
	8.4 Camp gear
	8.5 Stoves
	8.6 Technical equipment
	8.7 Shopping for gear

 

What rope?
– Reinhold Messner

9.	Going light
	9.1 What you need
	9.2 What you don’t need

 

The McKinley River crossing was the hardest part of our Denali climb!
– Gerry Roach from Northern Heights

10.	River crossings
	10.1 Hazards
	10.2 Precautions
	10.3 Techniques
	10.4 Rescue techniques
	10.5 Case histories

 

He’s down! Way down!
– Jerry Halpern
spotting his partner in a deep crevasse on the Yukon’s Mount Lucania in 1967

11.	Travel on crevassed glaciers
	11.1 Glacial movement
	11.2 Hazards
	11.3 Precautions
	11.4 Rescue techniques
	11.5 Case histories

 

Flow like water going uphill!
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

12.	Ascending
	12.1 Techniques
	12.2 Pacing
	12.3 Making a schedule
	12.4 Sticking to your schedule
	12.5 Adjusting your schedule
	12.6 When to turn around

 

With another camp, I could have climbed to 31,000 feet!
– Gerry Roach in Everest base camp after his successful summit climb in 1983

13.	Acclimating to high altitudes
	13.1 Pre-trip planning
	13.2 Pre-trip preparation
	13.3 Hazards
	13.4 Precautions
	13.5 Sticking to your schedule
	13.6 Adjusting your schedule
	13.7 Using Supplemental Oxygen
	13.8 Rescue considerations
	13.9 Case histories

 

It was mostly an exercise in high-altitude camping.
– Chris Bonington,
leader of the successful Everest Southwest Face expedition in 1975

14.	High altitude camping
	14.1 Site selection
	14.2 Camp construction
	14.3 Snow caves
	14.4 Igloos
	14.5 Enduring storms
	14.6 Breaking camp

 

A summit is not an idea, a crater rim or an area. It is a single, well-defined point.
– Gerry Roach
in a discussion about reaching Kilimanjaro’s summit - from Ride the Breath

15.	Summiting
	15.1 Foreshortening
	15.2 The other 90%
	15.3 Getting the job done
	15.4 Reserves

 

The summit is only halfway!
– Gerry Roach from Training for the Mountaineer

16.	Descending
	16.1 Techniques
	16.2 Pacing
	16.3 Scheduling
	16.4 Dealing with fatigue
	16.5 Reserves
	16.6 Getting the job done

 

It was like squeezing through a closing door!
– Bob Cormack after returning from Everest’s summit in 1976

17.	Increasing your speed in the mountains
	17.1 Speed training techniques
	17.2 Speed vs. efficiency
	17.3 Techniques on the climb
	17.4 Recovering from errors

 

We don’t have to be friends after the climb,
we just need to pull together for this one common goal!
– Phil Ershler,
expedition climbing leader, settling a bitter dispute on Everest in 1983

18.	Team building techniques on and off the mountain
	18.1 Team selection
	18.2 Pre-trip decision making
	18.3 On-trip decision making
	18.4 Team bonding techniques
	18.5 Dealing with disagreements
	18.6 Team leadership

 

What? We have to pay duty on our shipment?
– Gerry Roach
trying to get his Mount Logan expedition food from the customs warehouse
in Whitehorse Yukon, 1973 - from Ride the Breath

19.	Travel to the mountain
	19.1 Air travel
	19.2 Land travel
	19.3 Dealing with cities
	19.4 Dealing with different cultures
	19.5 Approaching the mountain

 

Camp 2, this is Camp 4. Hey! The stoves that were supposed to be here are gone!
– Gerry Roach on the radio during his Everest summit bid in 1976

20.	Logistics on the mountain
	20.1 Organizing a base camp
	20.2 Selecting mountain camps
	20.3 Projecting equipment needs
	20.4 Projecting food requirements
	20.5 Moving supplies up the mountain
	20.6 Moving people up the mountain
	20.7 Dealing with storms and losses
	20.8 Climbing leadership

 

Here is how my program works:

As a first step, please fill out the questionnaire below, and send it to me via email at , or by regular mail to Gerry Roach, 1317 S. Mesa Ave., Montrose, CO 81401.

After reviewing this information, I will communicate with you so that each of us can determine if one of my coaching programs is right for you. I will only accept you as a client if I feel that I can help you achieve your dreams and goals. There is no fee for this initial consultation. After I agree to coach you, then I will set up your custom program according to the following terms and choices. The choices I offer will help you be involved in your own program customization.

My minimum coaching term is 12 weeks (3 months), but an initial term can also be 24 weeks (6 months) or 52 weeks (12 months). These terms can all be extended. For each term, you can choose up to 10 Empowerments from the above list. I will set up your custom program, discuss it with you, and fine-tune it to best suit your needs. Your goal may be as simple as climbing a Colorado Fourteener, or as complex as doing the Seven Summits. Your program might be as simple as my offering advice on your existing workout program, or it might be as complex as a new physical lifestyle. Our initial conversations are included in the program-setup phase. After you embark on your program, I will be available for periodic verification communications. At each verification, I will need a status report from you, and will respond with ideas and advice. My preferred method of communication is by email. At the end of each term, or prior to your heading out on your adventure, there will be a wrap-up communication to put the finishing touches on your training, and to review events that will occur on your trip, during which time I most likely not be able to communicate with you directly.

My Fees:

$500 for program set up $50 per verification

What others are saying about Coach Roach

Early in 2010, I planned to join a myriad of others who had gone before me and attempt to climb my first Fourteener. I knew that mountain climbing involved certain risks and could be a dangerous activity. My state of Colorado witnesses several climbing fatalities each year, and I was not interested in becoming a statistic, so I gave careful thought to planning and preparing for this journey. The first thing I considered in my planning was to find someone who could assist me in my venture. I knew nothing about climbing a mountain and I needed someone who ‘had been there, done that.’ I searched the internet and initially found a good book to read called Colorado’s Fourteeners – From Hikes to Climbs by Gerry Roach. After perusing the book, I found Gerry’s website and signed up for his personal coaching. I was extremely impressed with his quick response. Coach Roach quickly developed a plan specifically for my goals. He worked through about six of his Empowerments during the course of my training which he conformed to the areas of my greatest weaknesses and challenges. His inspiration and direction encouraged me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. One of the most profound things I took away from this experience was the opportunity to ponder life and what it meant to me. When life presents itself with mountainous challenges – I learned from God’s Word that there is no better time than the present to make our ascent. As we reach the summit of our ‘mountain’ and experience victory – we become a walking, talking, everyday testimony of what an extraordinary God can do in the life of ordinary people. For me, this was and is my ultimate goal in life. Here are a few of my simple steps Coach Roach helped me with to ready myself to climb my mountain: Give Careful Thought to Your Ways – Turn ‘poor judgments’ into good ones. Coach directed me in diet and exercise. Be Strong – Turn ‘inadequate physical conditioning’ into a renewed commitment to work hard. Coach encouraged and taught on the special techniques of hiking, striding, pacing, ascending, and descending. Do Not Fear – Turn ‘improper equipment’ into the right tools. Coach’s instruction on the use of walking poles, and going over my equipment needed for the climb was invaluable. Thank you Coach for giving me the gift of confidence that helped me reach the summit and experience the victory I was searching for. — Sara Rainey – Colorado Springs, Colorado

June 9, 2010 – Sara Rainey on top of a peak during a Coach Roach training hike

June 25, 2010 – Victory! Sara Rainey (right) with her friend on top of Pikes Peak after their ascent from Manitou Springs

In 2002, Gerry Roach, aka Coach Roach, invited me to accompany him on a trip to Tanzania. I was going to fulfill a childhood dream of seeing the big African animals, and Gerry was fulfilling a promise he’d made to me in 1984. “First we climb. Then we’ll see the animals,” said Gerry. Specifically, we would climb 14,980-foot Mt. Meru and 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro. Yikes! I had seven weeks to prepare and had never even climbed a Colorado Fourteener! I was a 44 year-old skier and golfer. My mind raced – start climbing and get geared. With Gerry’s help, I climbed every free moment I had and acquired the necessary gear (I didn’t even own a sleeping bag). Early on, my mantra became, “Eat what Gerry eats, sleep when Gerry sleeps, and climb when Gerry climbs.” Following world-class climbers was at first intimidating, but with Gerry’s support and encouragement, I quickly found my own pace and managed my own abilities. On Kilimanjaro, hunkered down in a fierce storm at 17,000 feet, I had the single-most clarifying moment of solitude I’d ever experienced. It’s still with me today. Summiting Kilimanjaro felt triumphant, and changed the way I view life’s obstacles. I am grateful to Gerry for presenting me with this challenge and being my friend and guide. Thank you, Gerry. — Valerie Cook – Boulder, Colorado

6:30 am October 9, 2002 – An exuberant Valerie Cook arrives at Kilimanjaro’s ice after climbing the challenging “Whiskey Route”

8:30 am October 9, 2002 – Victory! Julian, Valerie, Coach Roach, and Jennifer Roach on top of 19,340-foot Kilimanjaro

Copyright © 2001-2023 by Gerry Roach. All Rights Reserved.