Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Boots v. Trailrunners

Although not properly defined as UL, one of the most famous and successful mountaineering minimalist pioneers was Reinhold Messner. Compared to other similarly skilled mountaineers of his day, Messner was (in)famous for carrying a significantly lighter load into a climb than most. In the Himalaya that meant no oxygen for any of the 8000-meter peaks he successfully conquered (that being all of them), as well as a bare minimum of climbing pro and other gear. He only rarely utilized Sherpa and porter aid during his career. Light and fast was his mantra, and it confounded most of the other experienced Himalayan expedition climbers of the time, many of whom were obsessively gear- and support-focused. Messner also eschewed the ponderous and traditional acclimation rotation in favor of going high extremely fast - to the tune of 1000 meters an hour at his peak conditioning. He would acclimate to 5500 meters then bolt for an 8000-meter summit. He established a number of speed-ascent records in his day, not the least of which was a new route up Everest. He also achieved what many consider to be the only true solo climb of Everest.

However, others who've attempted to imitate Messner's techniques and style have not been as successful, often paying with either body parts or their lives. They didn't have his skill, they didn't have his conditioning, they didn't have his physiology, and they didn't have his drive.

The point being, one size doesn't fit all, which applies abundantly to UL hiking. Sure, we all want virtually no weight on our backs (or feet) as we trudge uphill in thin air. The trick is knowing what level of minimalism is right for you, given expected conditions. Unfortunately, many find out the hard way that they've out-kicked their coverage.