Skiing and Altitude Sickness

[tirolski]

That must have been the most embarrassing and unnecessary cheating scandal ever.

Whatabout when Kerrigan’s leg got clubbed?

 

[Andy_ROC]

Perfect season? WTF? Wasn't that the year they cheated to beat the Jets? That must have been the most embarrassing and unnecessary cheating scandal ever. Thankfully, the Giants, Eli Manning and David Fucking Tyree restored the moral order of the universe.

mm

Oh I forgot about cheating scandal. I guess it was Karma!

 

[MarzNC]

Found the article I read that reported about a study in 2016 that provided ideas about why adaptation to high altitude can last for a while after someone returns to a lower altitude. A group of volunteers spent two weeks at over 15,000 ft, went down the mountain and stayed there for 1-2 weeks, and then returned for another short period. A factor related to why the adaptation can last for a few months is that red blood cells survive for about 120 days. The study was set up by researchers at the Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The volunteers were sent to a camp near the summit of the top of Bolivia's Mount Chacaltaya, almost 18,000 ft.

October 2016

https://www.science.org/content/article/two-weeks-mountains-can-change-your-blood-months

 

[MarzNC]

Found the article I read that reported about a study in 2016 that provided ideas about why adaptation to high altitude can last for a while after someone returns to a lower altitude. A group of volunteers spent two weeks at over 15,000 ft, went down the mountain and stayed there for 1-2 weeks, and then returned for another short period. A factor related to why the adaptation can last for a few months is that red blood cells survive for about 120 days. The study was set up by researchers at the Altitude Research Center at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The volunteers were sent to a camp near the summit of the top of Bolivia's Mount Chacaltaya, almost 18,000 ft.

October 2016

https://www.science.org/content/article/two-weeks-mountains-can-change-your-blood-months

The formal study report is more than I want to read, but for anyone interested. From a quick skim, the study design was set up to answer multiple questions. The study volunteers were all around age 20 and very fit. They were asked to run 3.5km--just over 2 miles--at very high altitude with minimal time for altitude adjustment.

March 2014
AltitudeOmics: The Integrative Physiology of Human Acclimatization to Hypobaric Hypoxia and Its Retention upon Reascent

AltitudeOmics: The Integrative Physiology of Human Acclimatization to Hypobaric Hypoxia and Its Retention upon Reascent - PMC

An understanding of human responses to hypoxia is important for the health of millions of people worldwide who visit, live, or work in the hypoxic environment encountered at high altitudes. In spite of dozens of studies over the last 100 years, the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[tirolski]

Heliskiing at 10,000 feet is not that different from lift served given comparable challenge of terrain and snow.

But Silverton is indeed a different animal.
1) You're at 12,000 not 10,000 and that's a significant difference.
2) Much of the terrain involves hiking 30-45 minutes above the top of the chair which is at 12,200 feet. If you come from sea level, make sure you do Silverton at the end not the beginning of a week in Colorado.

Article about heliskiing folks who bought Silverton & some history.

Longtime friends, Colorado business partners and expert skiers: Meet the new owners of Silverton Mountain

SILVERTON – The cameras are out. Andy Culp peers over the snowy cliff. Above him, Brock Strasbourger stomps his skis in anticipation. They can’t see the bottom of the sheer face. But they know it’s sn...

www.durangoherald.com

 

[greymoose]

No problems during 5 days at Telluride but really hit me at Breckinridge. I was staying at 10k feet and found myself totally out of breath the first night. 8 hours of staring at the clock and trying to take in deep breaths. Got local help and O2 and was able to ski two days at Breck but will be glad when I get back home

 

[Andy_ROC]

No problems during 5 days at Telluride but really hit me at Breckinridge. I was staying at 10k feet and found myself totally out of breath the first night. 8 hours of staring at the clock and trying to take in deep breaths. Got local help and O2 and was able to ski two days at Breck but will be glad when I get back home

I'm not a Dr. but I can tell you that my family, friends and I that have taken ~180mg of Gingko Biloba daily starting 7 days prior to heading high have had no issues with altitude. We continue taking it for most the week at altitude just to be sure. We live at 500 feet.

Friends and my daughter that did not take ginko had issues acclimating including headaches, low energy and feeling poor for a few days.

For our trip to Taos this past January my daughter took the Ginko this time and had no issues. We slept at over 9k and spent most days around 11k.

Yes we still feel the altitude in our breath during exertion but don't experience other symptoms.

Hydration is vitally important also.

My wife and I are heading to Steamboat in about a week and are starting our daily ginko.

There's a study or two out there backing this up. Plus it's cheap and over the counter so it's worth a try.

 

[tirolski]

I'm not a Dr. but I can tell you that my family, friends and I that have taken ~180mg of Gingko Biloba daily starting 7 days prior to heading high have had no issues with altitude...
There's a study or two out there backing this up. Plus it's cheap and over the counter so it's worth a try.

Enjoy yer trip.

Ginkgo altitude article.

Ginkgo biloba decreases acute mountain sickness in people ascending to high altitude at Ollagüe (3696 m) in northern Chile - PubMed

This study provides evidence supporting the use of G biloba in the prevention of AMS, demonstrating that 24 hours of pretreatment with G biloba and subsequent maintenance during exposure to high altitude are sufficient to reduce the incidence of AMS in participants with no previous high-altitude...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Years ago heard a German scientist dude discuss the benefits of Ginkgo. Ginkgo biloba is a tree from China. He was discussing the OTC leaf extract benefits especially for folks brains.
Looked it up & then bought several somewhat little trees (2-3 inches diameter) at a nursery auction where they were in the ground. Gave some away & planted the rest of ‘em. They’re beautiful trees and go back to the age of dinosaurs.
The females fruits stink and can cause contact dermatitis.
Their seeds are toxic. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11826216/