# Mountain Climbing and Health at high Altitudes



## TheokinsJ (Aug 17, 2015)

I've always felt there's something strangely romantic about seeing snowy mountains rising above a pine forest, of glaciers, of the rock and the stone jutting up thousands of feet high.
In my WIP my main character, and his team, are attempting to climb a mountain without supplemental oxygen. My question, in question, is regards to altitude and the effects on the human body:

What is the Maximum height that one can survive at, above sea level? Everest is somewhere in the vicinity of 8,800m, from memory, and I know people use supplemented oxygen to climb it, but it can be climbed without oxygen, although more dangerous- the mountain my Main character has to climb in my book is HUGE, I'm talking ENORMOUS, like 3000m higher than Everest... Is such a feat even possible?
He MUST climb it without supplemental oxygen, and so the question really is, what is the maximum height before the human body just shuts down and dies, how far up can he get?


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## Reaver (Aug 17, 2015)

Check out this info from Princeton University.

The following is a quote from that webpage regarding acclimatization:

_*"The major cause of altitude illnesses is going too high too fast. Given time, your body can adapt to the decrease in oxygen molecules at a specific altitude. This process is known as acclimatization and generally takes 1-3 days at that altitude. For example, if you hike to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), and spend several days at that altitude, your body acclimatizes to 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). If you climb to 12,000 feet (3,658 meters), your body has to acclimatize once again. A number of changes take place in the body to allow it to operate with decreased oxygen."*_

Hope this helps.


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## Russ (Aug 17, 2015)

TheokinsJ said:


> I've always felt there's something strangely romantic about seeing snowy mountains rising above a pine forest, of glaciers, of the rock and the stone jutting up thousands of feet high.
> In my WIP my main character, and his team, are attempting to climb a mountain without supplemental oxygen. My question, in question, is regards to altitude and the effects on the human body:
> 
> What is the Maximum height that one can survive at, above sea level? Everest is somewhere in the vicinity of 8,800m, from memory, and I know people use supplemented oxygen to climb it, but it can be climbed without oxygen, although more dangerous- the mountain my Main character has to climb in my book is HUGE, I'm talking ENORMOUS, like 3000m higher than Everest... Is such a feat even possible?
> He MUST climb it without supplemental oxygen, and so the question really is, what is the maximum height before the human body just shuts down and dies, how far up can he get?



I think it highly unlikely your character could climb a 12000m mountain without supplemental oxygen if they are human.


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## Tom (Aug 17, 2015)

_Aaaaagggggghhhhhhh_ high altitudes are the _worst_. I've been out in the Sandia Mountains of New Mexico a few times, which are at a pretty high altitude. My first time visiting out there, I assumed I'd be fine and the high altitude wouldn't bother me--Western New York occupies the upper reaches of the Appalachians, and we're reasonably higher than sea level. I'm also pretty athletic, and jog regularly in hilly terrain. I've also climbed several of the tallest mountains in the Adirondacks' High Peaks region and aim to join the Adirondack 46ers (a list of climbers who have ascended all 46 of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks). So I thought I'd be fine. 

Yeah, right. 

I climbed one of the highest peaks in the Sandias. And by the time I reached the top, I had altitude sickness like you wouldn't _believe_. Despite being fit and used to heights, I simply crashed and burned. I thought I was going to die at the peak. I hadn't given my body time to acclimate to the higher elevation, just kept pushing the limits of what it could take, until it gave out on me. 

Time is your number-one ally when mountain climbing. Taking it slow, and allowing ample time for your body to adjust to higher altitudes, is the only way to make it up a mountain alive.


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## Sheilawisz (Aug 17, 2015)

Hello, Theokins.

I am probably the Mythic Scribes member that lives at the highest elevation, altitude sickness is one of my personal interests and I have researched it to a considerable degree. I think there is something special and fascinating about mountains and the effects of altitude not only on animals, but on the weather as well.

When I tell people _What a cold night! I am freezing here..._ They sometimes find it hard to believe because they know that I live in Mexico, so in their minds it should be hot here all the time, but they are not considering the high altitude.

I live at 2440m or 8000' elevation (central Mexican highlands) so the nights here are cold all the year despite our warm days, and Winter nights can drop to -12ÂºC even though it never snows in my city. The forests that we have even higher in the mountains look like a Canadian landscape even though this is the Tropics, so yeah... That's how powerful the high altitude can be.

In answer to your question, I suggest you check out this site: Air Pressure Calculator.

You can use that to know how much oxygen is available at any altitude. It also provides the standard air pressure at the chosen elevation, so it's perfect to calibrate altimeters if you have one.

In case that your characters need the same amount of oxygen as us Earth people and the atmosphere of your Fantasy world is similar to Earth's, then the limit would be about 9000 meters. Climbing a 12 kilometer high peak would be impossible, and not only because of the super thin air but also thanks to the wind and terrible cold up there.


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