Kyle,
Any advice on decreasing one’s chance of getting altitude sickness, especially in the setting of being at high altitude (10,000-12,000 ft) for only a few days. I’m going skiing in Breckenridge and read that it can take 3-4 days to get acclimated to the height. Problem is, my trip only lasts a few days.
Your time and knowledge is very much appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave P
Not getting altitude sickness is directly related to physical conditioning. Time at altitude is the real key, and time at altitude with some cardio work is the ultimate answer.
If your in good physical shape, particularly cardio wise, you’ll have no problem up to 12k or so.
Between 12-17k is a gray area and some will have difficulty here, again cardio will reign supreme here.
Over 18k you need some time at lower altitudes and gradually work up to this elevation.
Check out some old books about how Reinhold Messner prepped for some of his summits. He lives in N. Italy, so not that high, but obviously, he best mountaineer ever…and all without O2…there might have been some guys that paid alot of attention to his methods around fall of 2001…
Looking forward to reading about Messner. I’ll ramp up the cardio as well.
Any thoughts of using meds (Diamox) as a back up.
Thanks again,
Dave P
Where I live, the altitude is between 1000 and 1200ft. I’ve been on a few trips out to Breck snowboarding and didn’t have any trouble with the altitude.
Like Kyle said, as long as you are in somewhat decent shape, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Off topic, but if you get the chance check out Copper Mountain. I’ve always had a better riding experience there than Breck. :neo:
I used Diamox early on then we switched to Viagra- and yes I’m completely serious, and no you don’t spontaneously get a hard on- it worked.
Well I spent quite a bit of time running a hotel at high altitude (+10k feet), and you need to drink a ton of water to help your body acclimate. Failure to do so will make you one very miserable individual.
It’s not so bad… for a short period you’ll probably be OK… I lot depends on how much physical effort you need to expend at altitude… Existing doesn’t require much and even us cardiac patients do fine… Ron
Hah! Sounds like a good off-label use for sure.
Acute Mountain Sickness can make you feel pretty crummy, but HAPE and HACE are killers. Learn the symptoms. If you’re going to Breckenridge straight from sea level, there’s not a whole lot you can do to acclimatize. Just drink lots of water.
Viagra is great for alt sickness and pulmonary hypertension (they share some vaguely similar pathophysiology).
In 2002 I went to Montana Elk hunting for 8 days. We spent most of our time between 8K and 12K max. A lot of hiking up and down the ridges and valleys. I’m in fairly decent shape as is but what I did to get ready cardio wise was and extra hour of spin classes every night for a couple of months ahead of time. After the first day or so never had a problem and never felt winded. No headaches from the altitude at all.
I have experienced altitude sickness before and it is not fun. Got it climbing Mt. Shasta. At about 10K it hit and I had the worlds worst headache. Everytime I looked up the mountain I could feel my brain roll to the back of my head. At least that is what it felt like. Headaches didn’t go away until about 48 hours after coming down of the mountain. A year later I climbed the Matterhorn and didn’t experience a thing.
As mentioned… Time is the key… I always drive and Colorado is a long way from Tennessee, so I guess that helps… Cheers… Ron
^^^^Yep!
Kyle, any top secret snowboarding locations you would like to share with the group?
Only the Navy would issue Viagra.
C’mon that had to make you laugh a little.
When I skied a week in Breckenridge, CO, hydration was listed as a key to prevent headaches. That was 14 years ago. Is the hydration aspect not as involved? I only had issues on a warm, but very windy day at Pikes Peak during a break from skiing. I would say hiking up was more demanding than skiing down. Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods is a short drive from Breck. We liked Breck. and the other areas are very interesting.