Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Hiking pace at altitude?

Hi there, first time poster, getting ready to do a one-day ascent on the main trail in September.

I'm putting together an itinerary that I can use so our group makes sure to not go too fast or forget to eat and drink. Having not hiked at altitude before, but being a strong hiker at lower altitudes, does anyone have any thoughts on how altitude affects pace?

I hiked Mt St Helena in the SF Bay Area, 10 miles R/T, 2000 ft elevation gain last week with no problems at a 17min/mi pace.

Slow and steady beats hiking so fast that you need to stop and rest often. Stopping about every hour to eat and drink is a good plan. And drink half a liter an hour, whether you feel thirsty or not.

I think you will find your pace significantly slower on the Whitney trail than you were able to do on Mt St Helena.

Compared to St. Helena, your pace will be cut in half, on average, during the Whitney hike. Altitude is a big factor, but also the accumulation of continuous uphill hiking. At altitude you HR is higher. This in turn causes you to burn out faster than you otherwise would, making it necessary to slow down as you get higher.

My uphill (moving average) speed from the Portal to about Outpost camp is about 25 min/mile (when you factor in rest stops, which for me are about 10 minutes every hour, it's about 35 minutes/mile).

During the latter stages my pace declines to about 40 min/mile (50 min when breaks are added in). So the whole hike takes me about 14-15 hours or so (probably too slow for you, but normal in my age group).

Find a pace that you can maintain all day. Try not to go anaerobic.

Your pace will slow noticeably after you obtain the elevation you go to regularly. I notice it above the Trailside Meadow elevation.

Those that have experience at these higher elevations do better because of that experience. I believe 24 hour acclimatization doesn't do much good.

This "group quote" is from George Mallory and Everest. The advice is as good today as it was in 1922, even on a moderate mountain like Whitney where altitude-effect is a major factor

The climbers are not of course competing to reach the goal one before another, the aim is for all to reach it. But the climbers’ performance, like the runners’, will depend on two factors, endurance and pace
George Mallory, Chapters IV-VI, X-XI in
Bruce, CG. The Assault on Mount Everest 1922 p 125-6

Your pace at altitude will be slower. Just think, above the 10,000 ft mark, air pressure (and therefore oxygen availablity) will fall below 2/3 of normal.