You’ve planned the winter vacation you’ve always dreamed of. You head west to the Rocky Mountains for a week of powder skiing. The bags are packed, the gear is tucked away, and she can’t wait to hit the slopes.
Fly into Salt Lake International Airport (5000) feet from your home at sea level. It’s great that you can get out of the house, get here, and do some runs the afternoon you arrive. What could be better? You get your rental car and drive through the canyon to the resort with a base level of 8000 feet, you get on the elevator and travel up to 10,000 feet. Do some runs, have a few cocktails and a nice dinner when you’re done skiing – you’re on vacation after all.
The next morning you don’t feel so good. You are sluggish, with nausea, a headache, and perhaps a little shortness of breath. What a bad time to get the flu! It looks a lot like the flu or a hangover, but what you are probably suffering from is altitude sickness.
Altitude sickness can affect anyone, adults or children, when traveling from a lower elevation to a higher one. Not everyone suffers from it and it is relatively easy to avoid it and take care of it so that it does not ruin your vacation.
Here are some tips to follow to help you feel better:
- Hydrate. Drink twice as much water as you think you need, especially if it comes from sea level. Start hydrating before you arrive, flying will also dehydrate you. Take water with you on the mountain, be it a bottle of water or a hydration system like a “camelback”. Use bottled water if you absolutely have to, but water from mountain taps will probably taste better!
- Avoid dehydration. Yes, drink all those fluids as mentioned above, but avoid dehydrators like caffeine, salt, and alcohol. It does not mean that you cannot have a cocktail after skiing, just be careful, especially the first night at the height.
- Eat carbohydrates. Carbohydrates actually require less oxygen to metabolize and digest. Don’t worry about the calories, you’ll burn them in the mountains and the carbs will help give you the energy to do it.
- Take it easy. If possible, plan to spend your first night at a lower elevation in town and not 10,000 feet. Taking a night to acclimatize will help your body adjust. Have a nice dinner, attend a concert, explore the city. Plan ahead for things to do that first night on the town. Chances are, everyone is tired of traveling anyway.
If it is not possible to spend a night at a lower altitude, at least take it easy on the first day on the mountain. Take the time to get your snow legs back and explore the mountain in easy stages. Save the black diamonds for later.
There are also some drugs and energy drinks on the market that claim to prepare you for higher elevations and eliminate any adjustment period. I’ve never heard of them working, but I haven’t talked to many people who have used them either.
Other suggestions to help prepare for a trip to the height that I have seen are taking iron supplements or taking Ginkgo. None of these have science behind them, but there is some logic. Iron helps your body make more hemoglobin, which is generally seen in people at higher altitudes. Gingko improves circulation, which means more blood circulates which carries more oxygen through your body.
Altitude sickness is generally harmless and short-lived. Once your body adjusts to the altitude, you will feel better. That takes time and you don’t want to spend your ski vacation feeling bad and unable to ski. The best way to prevent and defend against that feeling of discomfort is hydration. Keep your fluids before your trip and especially while on the mountain. It may be cold, but you are doing a lot of activities that use up those fluids.
If hydration and rest do not fix the situation, you will need medical attention. Many ski resorts have clinics available or ski patrols experienced in treating altitude sickness. You may have caught the flu!
