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.