Compare Exposure Alaska Tour Challenge Levels
| Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours/day of Activities | 6-8 | 6-8 | 8-10 | 8-12 |
| Terrain Encountered | Easy-moderate established trails | Moderate established trails | On or off trail, some steep climbs & scrambling | Steep, off trail |
| Minimum Facilities | Comfy wall tent, outhouse. Other nights in inns or campgrounds. | Up to 2 consecutive nights primitive camping with no toilet facilities. Other nights in inns or campgrounds. | Up to 3 consecutive nights primitive camping with no toilet facilities. Other nights in inns or campgrounds. | Up to 8 consecutive nights primitive camping with no toilet facilities. |
| Typical Pack weights | No backpacking | Some beginner backpacking, up to 30 pounds. | 25 – 35 pounds. Up to 25% of body weight. | 35 – 50 pounds. Up to 35% of body weight. |
| Your fitness & preparation | ||||
| Frequency of exercise | 2-3 days/week | 3-4 days/week | 4-5 days/week | 5-6 days/week |
| Length/pace | 30 minutes @ casual pace | 30-60 minutes @moderate pace | 45 minutes – 1 hour @ moderate pace & intensity. At least 1 hour cardio 2x per week. Occasional sprints or hill climbs. | 45 minutes – 1 hour @ intense pace & intensity. At least one long workout per week (2+hours). Regular sprints and hill climbs. |
| Pace you can maintain walking or running | 2 miles in 50 – 60 minutes |
2 miles in 45 – 55 minutes |
2 miles in 30 – 40 minutes |
2 miles in 20 minutes or less |
Your Level of Fitness — It is important that you try to assess your level of fitness accurately. On our trips, we must adjust the level of difficulty to suit the group. There are many ways to assess fitness, but one easy way to give you some idea is to measure out 2 miles and walk or run it. Use your car, mile markers on the road, a treadmill or a local track to measure the two miles.
You do not need to be a runner for our trips. The above is just a rough guide…but all of our trips involve some walking or hiking! Check out the details of each Level for more information on how your fitness fits into our scale.
