You may laugh, but I grab the little salt packets at the deli and put a few in my pocket. I'll drop the contents of one in my mouth every 3-4 hours if I am skiing or hiking on my first day at altitude. Salted caramels might be yummier.
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We Don't Talk About Altitude Sickness Enough
- Thread starter Tricia
- Start date
No doubt you've lost you lost your acclimation to altitude gained during ski season. My experience as a Denver area native and having enjoyed the high country for 40+ years and owning a place at 9700 ft for 20 years is it takes at least a couple of times per month at altitude for me to remain acclimated.
For me, that generally means playing and sleeping at altitude 4-6 days per month. Sleeping up high is better than day trips as the additional time allows your blood to adapt to carry more oxygen.
If I don't go up for a month or two during mud season my I will lose my tolerance to altitude and it will take a trip or two to get it back.
If not feeling well at altitude usually folks will quickly feel better when they return to their home elevation. It seems unlikely it was the altitude alone that made you feel like crap once you got home. The additional effort required at altitude leading to increased exhaustion seems more likely than the effect of altitude after returning to Denver.
Hiking up high every weekend will certainly help. There's a benefit from every bit of time spent at altitude. Think about making a day of it (as you do skiing) to spend more time at altitude during each trip. Also, consider staying in Summit County or Leadville for prolonged exposure to high elevation to prepare for ski season.
Tylenol or Ibuprofen works well for altitude-related headache, but ibuprofen was better proven at preventing AMS last I checked:
We'll routinely take ibuprofen and give it to our kids to help with sleeping at 9700 ft, particularly the first night.
Altitude certainly becomes more difficult as we age. I'm still good but my wife struggles more, particularly with the dryness. My parents in their 80's can't go up anymore, and a number of family members won't go up after years of summer family reunions up high. It's no fun to feel like crap.
I think it's a matter of fitness, maintaining acclimation, and a bit of good luck that will allow us to enjoy the high country into old age. I'll routinely see what I assume are Summit County locals in their 60's and 70's that I can't keep up with riding Vail Pass. I hope to be one of those guys when I grow up!
There's definitely an element of attrition The people you see out there are the ones whose bodies haven't (yet?) lost the ability to perform at altitude.
(Is this related to blood oxygenated that drops as you get older?)
I think I’ll try and get up high once a week and do easy hikes to ease back in, utilizing the strategies mentioned in this thread.
When we did Yellowstone and Jackson summer vacation three years ago I had the possibility on my radar. Spouse and 2 kids had never been above 6K before. I hadn't been above 6 K in almost 20 years. Stayed the night in Jackson before getting on the tram to Corbett's Cabin and the little hike up to the summit. Everyone did fine thankfully. It was COLD!! I tried to warn them, but still ended up buying wife another jacket up there hahaha.
Thread Starter
TS
Since this was on the previous page and the medical strength in it bares repeating...
I had zero appetite above 13k ft at Whitney but watched others with beef jerky longingly...must have been craving sodium.
This is quite the story of an 8-year-old with symptoms of HAPE evacuated from a hut at 11,100 feet:
www.denverpost.com
Remarkably, the group had a doctor, a former ski patroller, 18 year SAR veteran, and an InReach.
Dramatic nighttime evacuation from backcountry ski hut highlights threat of altitude sickness
In a backcountry ski hut, 40 miles from civilization in the middle of the night, Julianne Boylan knew something was seriously wrong with her 8-year-old son, Evan.
www.denverpost.com
Remarkably, the group had a doctor, a former ski patroller, 18 year SAR veteran, and an InReach.
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Wow, that’s some story.This is quite the story of an 8-year-old with symptoms of HAPE evacuated from a hut at 11,100 feet:
Dramatic nighttime evacuation from backcountry ski hut highlights threat of altitude sickness
In a backcountry ski hut, 40 miles from civilization in the middle of the night, Julianne Boylan knew something was seriously wrong with her 8-year-old son, Evan.
Remarkably, the group had a doctor, a former ski patroller, 18 year SAR veteran, and an InReach.
My question for the experienced bc skiers and experts here is: Now that the young boy has had an episode of HAPE, is he now considered susceptible to a repeat episode if he again spends considerable time above 11,000 feet?
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No idea, certainly not an expert. These articles mention a 60% recurrence rate. But controlling ascent rate to 500m (1640ft) per day over 2500m (8200ft) can help.
High-altitude illnesses: Old stories and new insights into the pathophysiology, treatment and prevention
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It's too easy to take altitude for granted now that I live at ~7,000', but the first time I experienced it, I dealt with the usual symptoms of headache, lethargy, loss of appetite, and insomnia. Every time I hike the ridge at Taos, I see someone gasping, and clearly not having a good time. Water and electrolytes are your friends up here.
The most poignant encounter I've had with altitude sickness occurred in 2018, on the summit of Mt. Massive (14,427'). A man in his late 50s, who said he was from Massachusetts, was not doing well at all. He was slurring his speech, swaying, and complaining about a headache. I helped him descend to an altitude at which he could speak coherently, but even in Leadville, he wouldn't be completely okay. I encouraged him to get checked out medically ASAP. Scary.
The most poignant encounter I've had with altitude sickness occurred in 2018, on the summit of Mt. Massive (14,427'). A man in his late 50s, who said he was from Massachusetts, was not doing well at all. He was slurring his speech, swaying, and complaining about a headache. I helped him descend to an altitude at which he could speak coherently, but even in Leadville, he wouldn't be completely okay. I encouraged him to get checked out medically ASAP. Scary.
I just spent a single day at A basin with my friend. We skied for a couple hours when he started to complain that he was tired. I thought at first he wasn't used to skiing that much. But after an hour resting at the lodge he wasn't feeling any better. I got concerned about him then and asked him to see the very helpful ski patrol folks next to the lodge, they quickly figured out that he was suffering from altitude sickness. They helped fix him up with some oxygen. We did have to wait for the Snowstang bus to take us back "down" to Denver. He seemed to recover a bit more but even after several days at home in South Carolina he is still feeling the effects.
This week my family and I are heading up to Alta for several days. My DW and I are taking ginko baloba for the last several days, we are hoping to avoid a repeat.
This week my family and I are heading up to Alta for several days. My DW and I are taking ginko baloba for the last several days, we are hoping to avoid a repeat.
I just spent some time between 2200m (where we stayed with family) and upto 4100+m recently. Hiked around at 3990m.
What I find whenever I into higher elevations slow inhale slight pause slow exhale breathing for a couple of minutes at each higher elevation helps.
Depending on where you are (Andes) Coca Tea is a local stimulant to help ease the effects of Altitude. For the record I didn't require it, but had relatives that live at 2200m that did (we saw serious blood ox drops when measured which came up after drinking tea and resting a bit.)
Knowing we planned a trip to these heights we carried altitude sickness tablets with us just in case. Good emergency measure to get you out of trouble if it hits you bad. These are prescribed drugs so take that as a warning.
What I find whenever I into higher elevations slow inhale slight pause slow exhale breathing for a couple of minutes at each higher elevation helps.
Depending on where you are (Andes) Coca Tea is a local stimulant to help ease the effects of Altitude. For the record I didn't require it, but had relatives that live at 2200m that did (we saw serious blood ox drops when measured which came up after drinking tea and resting a bit.)
Knowing we planned a trip to these heights we carried altitude sickness tablets with us just in case. Good emergency measure to get you out of trouble if it hits you bad. These are prescribed drugs so take that as a warning.
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What drugs?
Breathing techniques might have helped you, but one can’t escape genetics.
There are several choices for medication that can be used to help with it, speak to your doctor as there are some that can be used preventative and other more for emergency.
edit....The reason I suggest your doctor there are side effects that can be harmful depending on your medicines and conditions.
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Diamox
Diamox will not help with acute mountain sickness. It is taken as a preventative measure and started before going to altitude.
I'll pull and share the info.
Quick update, yes it is Diamox. It is used both as a preventative, if know you are prone to Altitude sickness or as a treatment for Altitude Sickness if you are experiencing it to get you back to a safe area before more serious action is required.
As mentioned earlier we were given a very limited dosage as a treatment should any issues arise (enough for one person under the gamble that both of us would not experience it at the same time, me likely less than my wife because I seem, knock on wood, to have little if any effects with altitude). Also, this is a serious drug that does require a proper understanding of usage, and risks. Consult your doctor (or specialist travel doctor)
Luckily, we did not need it, so I cannot comment on the side effects.
Best advise stay hydrated, take a break to catch your breath, No Alcohol, and cover up from the sun, all things go well you just get tired a little earlier. Diamox is the ace up the sleeve just in case.
For the record this 17 day trip included elevations from -20m (65ft) to +4,100m (+12,700m), scuba diving in Galapagos (yes I planned to allow more than enough time to ensure bends where not a risk) to cresting mountains with the stay based at a base elevation of 2,200m on the main land and multiple up elevation excursion to +3,500m (10,900ft).
Main side effects for me, just a touch tired exceeding 3,500m for the first time on this trip, at 4,000m just need to breath a little deeper and not run a marathon considering this was a rapid accent by car so adjustment was not an option. My wife felt tired a lot more and at the 4,000m mark need to sit, adjust before we continued with the walking tour.
As mentioned earlier we were given a very limited dosage as a treatment should any issues arise (enough for one person under the gamble that both of us would not experience it at the same time, me likely less than my wife because I seem, knock on wood, to have little if any effects with altitude). Also, this is a serious drug that does require a proper understanding of usage, and risks. Consult your doctor (or specialist travel doctor)
Luckily, we did not need it, so I cannot comment on the side effects.
Best advise stay hydrated, take a break to catch your breath, No Alcohol, and cover up from the sun, all things go well you just get tired a little earlier. Diamox is the ace up the sleeve just in case.
For the record this 17 day trip included elevations from -20m (65ft) to +4,100m (+12,700m), scuba diving in Galapagos (yes I planned to allow more than enough time to ensure bends where not a risk) to cresting mountains with the stay based at a base elevation of 2,200m on the main land and multiple up elevation excursion to +3,500m (10,900ft).
Main side effects for me, just a touch tired exceeding 3,500m for the first time on this trip, at 4,000m just need to breath a little deeper and not run a marathon considering this was a rapid accent by car so adjustment was not an option. My wife felt tired a lot more and at the 4,000m mark need to sit, adjust before we continued with the walking tour.
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