Improve Sled Pull for Mountaineering

Question

I am training to climb Mt. McKinley where I will be pulling uphill a 60lb sled with a 60lb pack on my back for 8-9 hours. I would like to know, other than actually pulling a sled, what exercises should I engage in that will prove beneficial?

Currently I climb the 20 floor stairwell at work with a 60lb pack during lunch and I cycle everywhere, approx. 250km a week, on a fixie with a hard ratio.

Is cycling working the same muscles that would be used during sled pulling? How can I prepare/improve for an endurance based sled pull?

All the information I can find is heavy sled pulls to improve acceleration, nothing geared towards literally pulling a sled...

Answer 1

This seems like a reasonable way of preparing. Cycling is good cardio which will be very important for the altitude. I have in the past completed a NOLS (mostly above 10,000 ft.) backpacking trip and spent some time in Peru (~12000-14000 ft.) and the most important was cardio and lung strength. Doing some backpacking before and strength work will be very helpful particularly stairs but you should be huffing and puffing while doing them. Stadium runs may be a good idea but short of sled work you seem to be pretty much on the right track.

Answer 2

Resistance running using elastic bands: Tie both ends of an elastic band to a fixed point at waist/hip height. Get inside it and run / jog outward. You won't move because you are held in place by the band around your waist. But this will simulate a sled drag. Turn around and run backward - this simulates a sled pull. For Denali, sled dragging is important.

You can also try running in knee deep water.

PS - @OP, hopefully you had a successful climb.