By Colin Montgomery An analysis of popular backcountry freeze-dried meals from leading food manufacturers reveals that Mountain House brand meals are the most calorically dense per ounce of weight, and the second-cheapest in terms of cost per ounce. Three popular backcountry meals from four manufactures were were analyzed: Chili Mac Chicken and Rice Pasta and […]
Research
Paying More For Lighter Footwear is Not Worth It
“La Sportiva Stratus Hi-Cube Ski Mountaineering Race Boot. Carbon Fiber, under 2 pounds/pair. Cost …. $2500! “
Mini Study Finds 1 Lb On Your Feet = 4 Lbs On Your Back for Slow Hiking Pace
by Kyle Bochanski Rucking Rules A few years ago MTI posted an article reviewing previous studies to create a list of “5 Military Rucking Rules Every Backpacker Should Know”. Some of these rules we tested again as we developed our MTI Route Card. We wanted to ensure accurate predictions of rucking times based on distance, […]
Rock Climbing Exposure Mini Study: How Can We Measure Fear?
Mountain Athlete Mike Mock climbing at the Fins, Idaho. By Kyle Bochanski In March 2016, MTI studied the effect of fear-induced stress on ice climbers. In June 2016, we conducted a preliminary follow-up study with a rock climber. Our ultimate goal is to develop a research methodology that allows us to determine how much fear […]
The MTI Route Card – Estimating Rucking and Hiking Times
By Adam Scott, MS, CSCS The MTI Route Card is an adjustable Microsoft Excel Workbook that can estimate how long a ruck or hike should take based on a few easy-to-find variables. The Route Card combines previous academic research and months of MTI’s mission direct studies in order to estimate the effect of […]
The MTI Route Card – Initial Results, Lab Rats Needed
Adam Scott, MS, CSCS If you have been following our articles over the last few months you know that we are extremely interested in how our athletes (both mountain and tactical) plan for, train for, and estimate their movement over ground (MOG). You have probably also noticed that this interest has led to a number […]
The Effect of Ruck Weight on Speed – from 0% to 70% of Body Weight
Adam Scott, MS, CSCS After publishing our Five Rules of Rucking article, we went ahead and re-tested it. We did this in order to determine the true effect of uphill movement on speed. The article debunked the rule that a 10% grade would decrease an athlete’s speed by 50%…it turned out to be closer to 33%. Then we set out […]
Stress is a Major Contributor to the Physiological Demands of Ice Climbing
The sport of ice climbing is growing. Since the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) organized the first Ice Climbing World Cup in 2002 the sport has seen double-digit expansion each year. Even with this growth, research around the sport is lacking. So, once again, MTI decided to strap our Zephyr Bioharness on a few athletes […]
Study Results: Gore-Tex Not Worth the Cost Based on Breathability Alone
By Mike Harostock, Andy Rampp, Adam Scott and Rob Shaul “You begin a brisk uphill hike, in 35-degree weather and steady rain. You are wearing a “waterproof, breathable” jacket and carrying a 45# ruck or pack. You begin to heat up, but must continue to wear the jacket or risk getting soaked through by the […]
Speed, g-Force and the Stress in Snowmobile Hill Climb Competitions
Adam Scott, MS CSCS Every winter over 2 million individuals in North America pilot a snow mobile. At the very top end of this group are Snowmobile Hill Climb racers. MTI has been working with hill climb racers for years. During that time not a single study examining the physical demands facing our athletes has been published. Frustrated […]