Just don't try to have a baby up there.
Why not?
I would guess OP is referring to the association with lowered birth weight due to chronic hypoxia: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7050200/
High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
61–70 of 84 posts
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#628,000 ft (2,400 meters) isn't particularly high. Millions of people live at that altitude. It's extremely common for people to go on a skiing vacation at that altitude or above, up to maybe 4,000 meters, and not need to take any particular precautions.
As to comments here about days resting while progressing to higher altitudes, such as in the Himalayas. A day or two will mostly result in adjustments in the water balance of your blood. It takes about 10 days to two weeks for your bone marrow to start producing additional red blood cells to compensate for the lower level of oxygen in the air.
High level altitude sickness is more complex and relates to multiple factors, including fluid balance, the health of one's vasculature and lungs, etc.
It is certainly the case that populations that have lived at high altitudes in the Himalayas or Andes for thousands of years have evolved adaptations that make such living easier.
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#63If anyone watched that movie, Elevation [0], the “line of death” was 8,000 feet. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevation_(film)
The line of death is at 8,000 meters, not feet
Nope. Feet.
At least, that's what I remember from the film, and the Wikipedia page says "feet."
Also, I don't know if the Rockies have a 25,000-foot mountain (I think the Andes do, though).
Us Americans are kinda awkward about measurement units...
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#648,000 ft (2,400 meters) isn't particularly high. Millions of people live at that altitude. It's extremely common for people to go on a skiing vacation at that altitude or above, up to maybe 4,000 meters, and not need to take any particular precautions. As to comments here about days resting while progressing to higher altitudes, such as in the Himalayas. A day or two will mostly result in adjustments in the water bal…
> Millions of people live at that altitude
Millions isn’t that many people :)
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#65I lived at 10,600 feet for 6.5 weeks last summer, coming from essentially sea level. I felt like I was adjusted 90% adjusted about 2 weeks in, like I could walk at a normal speed. My Garmin watch agreed with this adaption. However, trying to mountain bike with the locals was hilarious... even at week 6 I barely started to be able to keep up on climbs. I rode my mountain bike nearly every day, or at minimum took a sev…
> And wow, did I feel like superman when I got back racing my peers.
Huh, interesting. A friend of mine moved from sea level to ~6000 ft a few years ago. She said it took her a bit of time to get used to running at the new altitude, but eventually felt as comfortable with it as she had down here at sea level. I asked her if running feels easier to her at sea level now, when she comes down the mountain to visit, and she said it doesn't; it's basically the same as it used to be when she lived here.
Maybe the extra 4600ft you went up to made a difference in that, and of course everyone is different, but that's still interesting to me.
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#668,000 ft (2,400 meters) isn't particularly high. Millions of people live at that altitude. It's extremely common for people to go on a skiing vacation at that altitude or above, up to maybe 4,000 meters, and not need to take any particular precautions. As to comments here about days resting while progressing to higher altitudes, such as in the Himalayas. A day or two will mostly result in adjustments in the water bal…
Yeah, I spend a decent amount of time during the year at 6500-7000 feet (and live at sea level for the rest of the year). There's always an acclimation period when I first get there, but it's nowhere near as severe as the article suggests. I'm fine going right to the gym or whatever when I get there; I don't need a few days of rest first. In the winter I'll spend hours of the day up at 8000-9000 feet, and yes, I get winded easier, but I'm otherwise fine. I'm in my 40s, so while I'm not old, I'm not young either.
I think the highest up I've ever been for any solid amount of time was 10,500 feet, and sure, I could tell the difference, but it wasn't debilitating or anything remotely like that, and I could do moderate-plus physical activity without anything bad happening.
I've also been up to 15,000 feet (Salkantay Pass in Peru) for a very short time, and definitely felt it. A few people in my hiking group had to take some medicine, and one or two availed themselves of camels. But I would also consider this hike a high-exertion activity; they were fine when we took a break for a while and relaxed.
But I'm just not convinced that most (generally healthy!) people need that much acclimation before doing day-to-day tasks, including regular levels of exercise.
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#67Worked for four months as a mountain bike guide on the death road in La Paz.
3600 meters to 4800 getting to the start of the road to about 1000 meters each day, and back. I believe I made many blood cells and nearly died 3 times
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#68Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hmm, is coffee a problem? (some of the extraction depends on temperature, but if water boils before reaching that temperature then the extraction wouldn't work...)
One can compensate with (steam)pressure and/or duration. Or cold brewing. In practice I note not that much difference at about 2500m altitute, where my main residence is. French/Aeropress suffices. 100°C isn't necessary. Even only 90°C suffices. Similar for good Tea. You destroy that with 100°C. Very good Tea should be brewed at 60 to 70°C for greens, blacks more like 70 to 85. Though the hardness/pH of the used wate…
Did I really write altituTe? Well, there is something about cognitive changes elsethreads.
/giggle
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#69I lived at 10,600 feet for 6.5 weeks last summer, coming from essentially sea level. I felt like I was adjusted 90% adjusted about 2 weeks in, like I could walk at a normal speed. My Garmin watch agreed with this adaption. However, trying to mountain bike with the locals was hilarious... even at week 6 I barely started to be able to keep up on climbs. I rode my mountain bike nearly every day, or at minimum took a sev…
> And wow, did I feel like superman when I got back racing my peers. Huh, interesting. A friend of mine moved from sea level to ~6000 ft a few years ago. She said it took her a bit of time to get used to running at the new altitude, but eventually felt as comfortable with it as she had down here at sea level. I asked her if running feels easier to her at sea level now, when she comes down the mountain to visit, and s…
Your friend is the exception, I think. I’ve not lived below 5000 ft for over a decade, and every time I get to sea level, I feel like I can run FOREVER. My personal records are all from those types of trips.
Re: High Altitude Living – 8,000 ft and above (2021)
#708,000 ft (2,400 meters) isn't particularly high. Millions of people live at that altitude. It's extremely common for people to go on a skiing vacation at that altitude or above, up to maybe 4,000 meters, and not need to take any particular precautions. As to comments here about days resting while progressing to higher altitudes, such as in the Himalayas. A day or two will mostly result in adjustments in the water bal…
> Millions of people live at that altitude Millions isn’t that many people :)
Tens of millions (Bogotá, Quito, La Paz), to be specific