High altitude calls to some of us like the song of the siren. There’s just something about being up in the mountains that puts things into perspective. It could be that having the ability to look down on the world, and across a rugged range, makes us realize things may not be as bad as they seem. From a distance, things look peaceful, natural, and orderly. The mountains give a special big-picture vantage point that instantly puts the mind at ease. Or perhaps it’s just massive oxygen deprivation turning our brains to pudding.
According to a paper put out by Princeton University, the concentration of oxygen at sea level is about 21%, with a barometric pressure average of 760 mmHg. At altitude, the concentration of oxygen remains the same, but the barometric pressure drops, which creates a reduction in the number of oxygen molecules per breath. At 12,000 feet, the barometric pressure is only 483 mmHg, meaning there are roughly 40% fewer oxygen molecules per breath.
So if you’re feeling a little fuzzy up there, it could just be the bliss of immersion into purple mountain majesty. Or it could be a touch of altitude sickness. According to an article published in the British Medical Journal, hypoxia (a condition when the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply) has progressive effects on the functioning of the central nervous system. Accidents that occur at extreme altitude on Everest, for example, may be due to poor judgment as a consequence of hypoxic depression of cerebral function.
The good news is that the body and mind adjust to the lower levels of oxygen taken in at high altitude, usually in 1-3 days. That means you should take it easy for the first couple days on your ski vacation this year. Wait to try the really gnarly stuff until at least day three. Even if you’re coming from moderate altitude (like Boulder) to a high-altitude resort town (like Vail), you need to use some oxygen-deprived common sense.
Consider one of my recent weekends: Friday afternoon, I drove the two hours from Boulder (5,430 feet) to Vail (about 10,000 feet), and did an uphill trail run immediately after exiting my car. On Saturday, I hung out in nearby Leadville (10,152 feet) to watch my friend Max Tamm crush a 100-mile mountain bike race. (He got 1st in the 20-29 age group and 12th overall). On Sunday, I ran the Vail 10k at 10,000 feet with the guy I’m crushing on. At 1:09, my finish time was about 20 minutes slower than what I’d run a 10K in back in Boulder. Ouch.
In retrospect, I should have bagged the Friday run and given myself more acclimatization time leading up to the 10k. Here are some other high attitude tips from our pals at Princeton to get the most out of your high country time.
- Stay properly hydrated. Acclimatization is often accompanied by fluid loss, so you need to drink at least 3-4 quarts per day. The best way to know is to check your urine – it should be copious and clear.
- Take it easy; don’t over-exert yourself when you first get up to altitude (err, don’t run the Berry Picker trail within five minutes of having arrived in Vail).
- This one is a bit counter-intuitive — don’t nap. Light activity during the day is better than sleeping because respiration increases during activity, pulling more oxygen in, while respiration decreases during sleep.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol and other depressant drugs including, barbiturates, tranquilizers, and sleeping pills. These things further decrease the respiratory drive during sleep resulting in, you guessed it, less oxygen intake.
- Eat a high carbohydrate diet (more than 70% of your calories from carbohydrates) while at altitude. We have no idea why this is recommended, but we don’t care, because finally we have a reason to eat carbs again. Yee-haw!
- If you feel nauseas or weak, or come down with a nasty headache, it’s not going to go away until you retreat to a lower altitude. Boulder is quite lovely any time of the year. Just drop me a note on FB and I’ll hook you up.
—————————–
Jayme Otto is a travel blogger and contributing editor for Women’s Adventure and a freelancer at large. Look for her regular blogs on www.womensadventuremagazine.com.
