“Welcome to 10,000 Feet” — Don’t let Altitude Sickness Ruin your Mountain Vacation

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We were standing next to a corral in the high Sierras near Bishop, CA when I heard those words.

“Welcome to 10,000 feet.”

Altitude sickness, more correctly known as acute mountain sickness is essentially a suite of symptoms you are at high risk for if you go above 8,000 feet. It can lead to HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema) or HACE (high altitude cerebral edema), both of which can be fatal. However, the vast majority of people who get acute mountain sickness acclimate in a couple of days.

The only real treatment for altitude sickness is to descend. At the very least you should not go higher until you feel better. The fact is that 20% of us will get acute mountain sickness starting at 8,000 feet and 40% of us will at 10,000 feet. It’s caused by the lack of oxygen in the air. So, how do you keep it from ruining your vacation or worse?

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Be Aware of the Symptoms

Altitude sickness manifests itself through a number of symptoms. These include:

• Headache
• Nausea