Acclimatization Strategy, High Altitude Medicine

By: Dan Piccininni
Kamloops, BC

According to the Weather Network.
High of 31 C in Kathmandu
High of -3 C at EBC

Climb high, Sleep low. This is the mantra of all high altitude expeditions. The idea being that the more time you spend exposed to higher altitudes the better your body will perform in the decreased oxygen environment. The trick is not pushing your body too high too fast and giving yourself good recovery time back down at lower altitudes. There are some drugs (Diamox) which help your body acclimatize quicker by increasing your breathing rate and allowing your body to metabolize more of the available oxygen. The best way to stay healthy at altitude is drinking lots, eating well, getting good rest, and drinking some more. While you are hiking, it is important to keep a slow pace, and frequent stops (photo breaks). I can see this being one of the biggest challenges for me, as Dad will tell you, I tend to hike too fast in the mountains.

Our itinerary only climbs approximately 400 m/ day, which should be enough to let everyone acclimatize well, however we are making a fairly quick jump from pretty close to sea level, to Kathmandu, to Lukla. The first couple of days of trekking are shorter days, with less altitude gain to accomodate this.

We will spend 2 nights in both Namche Bazaar and Pheriche, to allow our bodies to rest and catch up to the altitude gain. My plans for these rest days, without having consulted our guides and assuming I'm feeling well, is to get in a really good breakfast, and then spend some time doing some short, easy hikes, up to other villages or attractions, trying to get up to higher altitudes while spending as little energy as possible, and being able to return to the same altitude from which I started. I think this will help along the way as we go to Base Camp, Kala Patthar, and the Cho-la pass. After these excursions, I'll go back to the village, enjoy some more food, and, of course, enjoy the scenery.