title: Body composition and somatotype of experienced mountain climbers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In order to evaluate body composition and somatotype, 10 Italian experienced mountain climbers were assessed from an anthropometric point of view, before a high altitude ascent. Body mass, height, girths, skinfolds, and bone breadths were gathered and used to calculate body composition and somatotype of each subject.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Means and standard deviations of the subjects' anthropometric characteristics were calculated. Mesomorphism (5.28±1.10) is the dominant somatotype component in all but one the participants, endomorphism (1.55±0.49) is low, and body fat percentage (11.76%±2.93) is low. Comparisons with athletes involved in other climbing subdisciplines highlight the specificity of elite mountain climbers anthropometry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The elite mountain climbers in our sample were predominantly mesomorphic with somatotype attitudinal mean values lower than reported for male athletes participating in free-climbing, volleyball, gymnastics, and soccer. Anthropometric characteristics may therefore play a role in mountain climbing, even though the trainable components may be more relevant than the nontrainable ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Evolution, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zaccagni
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cogo
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gualdi-Russo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009051:Mountaineering / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013008:Somatotypes