For many, even the thought of climbing North Vancouver's 853 metre Grouse Grind trail once is enough to make you feel tired.

Now try 13 times.

On Monday, only two days shy of his 34th birthday, Vancouver real-estate agent and avid outdoorsman Sebastian Albrecht will attempt to do just that, breaking the world record for consecutive climbs on Grouse Mountain's infamously steep 2.9 kilometre hike.

When he finishes, Albrecht will have climbed more than 123,000 feet. To put that in perspective, it's the equivalent of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest one and a half times in one day -- or walking up Toronto's CN tower 68 times. He will time his first climb with the mountain gondola's first descent, and intends to finish around 11 p.m.

"People tell me I'm crazy," Albrecht said.

"I'm nervous, I'm excited, but I think I can do it."

Albrecht and another hiker, Jason Chong, hold the current record of 12 consecutive climbs.

Albrecht actually met Chong last year while waiting for a gondola back to the bottom of the mountain.

"He was eating a slab of chocolate cake," he said.

"I thought this was pretty odd because you normally see hikers eating granola bars and healthy things. But now I understand -- it's just a matter of eating as many calories as you can.

In fact, eating factors strongly into a day where it is expected the realtor will burn 13,000 calories.

"You just can't stop eating and that's really important," Albrecht said.

Albrecht said his approach during last year's multiple climb was more about quantity than quality.

"Bagels with Nutella and almond butter were a staple, and bananas. So many bananas."

An accidental record

Albrecht never set out to win any records, and came across the phenomenon of the multiple climb rather by accident. After hiking the Grind once with friends, he decided to challenge himself to see how many times he could climb in one day. The answer was 10.

"I felt I could do more," he said.

He went on to climb 12 times in one day.

But Albrecht says this year will be different. While he climbed solo in 2008, this time around he has media attention, and a good cause.

Albrecht is hoping to raise $10,000 for the RLP Shelter Foundation, a charity that helps local shelters and supports violence prevention programs. So far, he has raised $2,000.

"It's no longer just for myself and that makes it really special."