Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

kathmandupost.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 144 posts

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#121

Post by simplyluke »

t0mas88 wrote: post #108
sonink wrote: post #39

> The second method is more troubling. At altitudes above 3,000 metres, mild symptoms of altitude sickness are common. Blood oxygen saturation can drop, hands and feet tingle, headaches develop. In most cases, rest, hydration or a gradual descent is all that is needed. ...investigators found that Diamox (Acetazolamide) tablets, used to prevent altitude sickness, were administered alongside excessive water intake to i…

Were there other issues involved in the fatalities around 12-14k ft? Freezing etc? In aviation rules you can have passengers at 12k ft without oxygen for an unlimited amount of time. The crew needs to use oxygen if you're between 10k and 13k for more than 30 minutes. Above 13k both crew and passengers must use oxygen immediately (EASA rules, FAA is different). So they seem to consider 12k to not be dangerous to passe…

Speaking from experience in the mountains: 12k at rest and 12k under subsequent days of exercise produce very different responses. What might be a mild headache sitting in the back of a plane could be a pretty distinct AMS case lugging a pack up and down mountains.

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#122

Post by simplyluke »

nonameiguess wrote: post #100
kjkjadksj wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went from sea level to 11k feet in the same day many times before. I would say the altitude effect is there but not as much as you might expect. A little quicker to be out of breath a little longer to recover it. Not sure what it is like at higher elevations or greater daily altitude delta.

I guess fitness makes a difference from what these other comments are saying. My ex-wife and I lived in Long Beach (which is obviously sea level) when we were in ROTC and pretty regularly took day trips out to San Gogornio and walked to the summit in about five hours, which is ~11,500ft. Not once did that have any noticeable effect, but we were both pretty serious runners back in the day trying to become Army officer…

It's pretty widely accepted in the climbing world that the primary effect of altitude in the short-term is a reduction in your cardiovascular fitness.

The better your heart is at getting oxygen into your muscles and organs, the better it can compensate for less oxygen.

Not a bulletproof solution to altitude sickness, but it's definitely one of a lot of variables that matters. It's also just true that some people are way more susceptible regardless, I've got friends who run competitive marathon times who get splitting headaches flying from sea level to denver.

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#123

Post by scorpionfeet »

streetfighter64 wrote: post #120
scorpionfeet wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

"You" don't take antacid after eating unless "you" have problems with your stomach acid or something. Neutralizing your stomach acid isn't generally a smart thing to do, because it's acidic for a reason (digesting food). Some people even recommend not drinking to much water with your meals because it dilutes your stomach acid, though that might be overly cautious. Whether adding baking soda to food makes you feel ful…

[flagged]

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#124

Post by dlenski »

kjkjadksj wrote: post #52
shadow28 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 12-15K feet just isn’t that high in the scheme of things. Many peaks in the western US are in that range or more. The highest peak in the contiguous United States is Mt. Whitney at ~14.5k feet

I went from sea level to 11k feet in the same day many times before. I would say the altitude effect is there but not as much as you might expect. A little quicker to be out of breath a little longer to recover it. Not sure what it is like at higher elevations or greater daily altitude delta.

Same. I've climbed Mount Adams (12,280 feet) several times, including once with an overnight stay at 9,500 feet as well as other times when I did the whole ascent and descent in a single day.

It's a tiring climb and a tiring descent, but I never felt a hint of altitude-related discomfort.

I lived near sea level and didn't often go anywhere more than about 1,000 feet above sea level in daily activities.

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#125

Post by FartinMowler »

linsomniac wrote: post #64
prasadjoglekar wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very much dependent on age, rest and general conditioning. I went from sea level to 14K at Pikes peak in 1 day and it was quite uncomfortable. I managed, but folks who lived in Denver with lower physical fitness levels than me, did better.

Agreed, we live at ~5K and went up to Pikes Peak; my wife and I had no problems (beyond minor headache), but my son's lips were turning blue and he was feeling pretty bad. Other amusing things from that trip: we went up there the 3rd of July, and it snowed. We charged the car in Colorado Springs before we left, got up to the peak with 36% battery remaining. My wife worried we wouldn't be able to make it back. Got bac…

Lol, on my trip up Pikes Peak I was blissfully unaware that altitude sickness could be a thing. So I can't recall if I felt any different. I do recall the carburetor on my motorcycle was acting a little strange, however.

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#129

Post by antonvs »

t0mas88 wrote: post #108
sonink wrote: post #39

> The second method is more troubling. At altitudes above 3,000 metres, mild symptoms of altitude sickness are common. Blood oxygen saturation can drop, hands and feet tingle, headaches develop. In most cases, rest, hydration or a gradual descent is all that is needed. ...investigators found that Diamox (Acetazolamide) tablets, used to prevent altitude sickness, were administered alongside excessive water intake to i…

Were there other issues involved in the fatalities around 12-14k ft? Freezing etc? In aviation rules you can have passengers at 12k ft without oxygen for an unlimited amount of time. The crew needs to use oxygen if you're between 10k and 13k for more than 30 minutes. Above 13k both crew and passengers must use oxygen immediately (EASA rules, FAA is different). So they seem to consider 12k to not be dangerous to passe…

The main issue is that exercise exacerbates hypoxia. You're climbing a mountain, your muscles need oxygen, but you're not getting enough.

But the temperature does make it worse. Your body is trying to generate heat, which increases oxygen demand. Your blood vessels are constricting, so circulation is less efficient, limiting oxygen distribution. All together, this creates all sorts of health risks.

Sitting in a comfy plane seat browsing the internet is not the same thing. Besides, even healthy adults just sitting can experience mild hypoxia effects above about 10k ft - fatigue, mild cognitive effects, headaches. But if you're just sitting, it's generally tolerable. Of course, you don't want pilots working in those conditions for any length of time.

Re: Inside Nepal's Fake Rescue Racket

#130

Post by hawaiianbrah »

datadrivenangel wrote: post #18
MikeNotThePope wrote: post #14

To be honest I'm surprised insurance is offered at all. I did the EBC trek a couple years ago. The temptation to take a helicopter down was real & I didn't have insurance.

Rescue insurance was required by the trekking company when I did EBC a few years back.

Yeah, I think most reputable places do require it, and there are restricted areas they won’t issue permits for without verifying insurance. It was required by our outfitter when we did the Annapurna circuit a few years ago.
Post reply on HN