What is Everesting and how do you do it?
Can you ascend 8,848m in one go, whether on your feet or a bike? Welcome to the challenge of Everesting. Niamh Lewis explains all you need to know

Everesting is one of endurance sport’s most gruelling challenges in which athletes try to ascend the elevation of the world’s highest mountain in one activity.
It involves finding the biggest hill near you, going up it and back down again, then repeating until you’ve climbed the altitude of 8,848m. The Everesting challenge is open to runners, cyclists and skiers.
Those who’ve done it recommend getting yourself a support crew and plenty of energy bars and energy gels. The steeper the hill, the shorter the reps, so choose carefully!
What are the rules of Everesting?

So, do you like the idea and want a place in the Everesting hall of fame? The golden rule is that it must be done in one attempt, so no sleeping in between!
It doesn’t matter how long the ride takes, whether it’s 11 hours, or 18 hours, or how many attempts you make.
As long as you ascend the whole 8,848m at once, on the same climb, and submit your evidence to the Everesting website, your name will be in the hall of fame.
To prove you have done it you must record it on a GPS device and upload it somewhere for people to see. Many use Strava, and hope for a KOM/QOM (King of the Mountain/Queen of the Mountain) out of pity for cycling up it so many times, or if you are lucky enough you may already be the King or Queen.
Using a GPS device may pose some difficulties if you take longer than you think, so make sure your bike computer or multisport watch is fully charged!
The Everesting website showcases many attempts across the world. Find a hill (we have many!) and get yourself in the hall of fame.
Can you complete an Everesting virtually?
Yes you can! Simply use an indoor cycling app like Zwift to ride repeats of a climb in a single activity until you ascend that all important elevation of 8,848m – the height of Mount Everest’s summit.
Who holds the Everesting records?

Ascending ace Illi Gardner is top of the women’s cycling Everesting leaderboard. The triple UK National Hill Climb Champion broke her own record in 2022 in a time of 8 hours, 3 minutes and 28 seconds. She rode Crowcombe Hill in the Quantocks with an average gradient of 17 per cent.
Cycling journalist Ronan McLaughlin holds the men’s Everesting record of 6 hours, 40 minutes and 11 seconds. McLaughlin used the dead-straight Mamore Gap, in the Republic of Ireland, with an average gradient of 14.2 per cent for his record-breaking attempt in 2021.
In the running leaderboards, Susanne Mair is the fastest woman in 9 hours, 39 minutes and seconds. Benoît Gandolfi holds the men’s record of 8 hours, 52 minutes and 13 seconds.
Everesting challenges you can do
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to ascend the whole height of Everest. On the Everesting website, you’ll also get recognised for climbing a quarter of Everest and going slightly higher to ‘Basecamp’ at 5,364m.
That said, there are even more extreme versions, such as Everesting Doubles and Triples. In an Everesting Roam, you ride at least 400km in 36 hours while clocking up 10,000m on multiple climbs.
It’s not necessary to complete the climbing all on your own either. Gather a bunch of riding or running mates for an Everesting relay and divide the climbing between you.
Soon to be launched, the Everesting Teams Challenge will see four-person teams ride a quarter of the elevation each on a designated climb. Closed roads, timing and tracking, feed stations and mechanical support will be provided.
You can even make a holiday of it. Everesting.com organises supported tours where you spread the elevation over multiple days in beautiful locations. Pick from the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites in Europe or the Central Andes Mountains in Columbia.