Training Tips for the Kokoda Trail - The Ultimate Collection

Now, for the first time ever, all collected together in one volume, we present the full series of Training Tips for the Kokoda Trail by staff member Dan Slater!

Watch parts I to V back-to-back as he explores different ways to train for this strenuous, mountainous, mud-strewn and excessively hot & humid hiking track in Papua New Guinea. Depending on your chosen route, the path can be anywhere from 96 to 145km long, so getting in shape, especially if you are not a regular hiker, is essential, and Kokoda draws its fair share of non-hiking military history buffs.

Dan describes Kokoda as 'the hardest bushwalk I have ever done with a commercial operator', in this case Adventure Kokoda (www.kokodatreks.com), and he has been around a bit. So, without further ado...

In Part I, Dan goes for a long walk with a fully-loaded pack.

Dan gets in some hill work In Part II without even leaving the city.

Part III sees Dan tackle cardio, an important training aspect for the never-ending steepness of this trail, especially as it rises to 2200m above sea level, almost as high as Mt. Kosciuszko! (Dan apologises for the Extreme Close Up but the traffic was loud and he wanted to be sure his words were audible)

In Part IV Dan ties together all that he has learned with the best training session yet. Check out that elevation profile!

And, to show that all was not in vain, we see Dan in situ in PNG, on the fearsome Jap's Ladder climb up the side of the Maguli Range. Unfortunatey, the camera decided to focus on the background instead of the speaker's face. On second thoughts, that's probably for the best!

So there you go. If you are embarking on your own Kokoda challenge, we hope you find these training tips useful, and good luck!